


As It Seems

by HidingLight (FanFicDotNetTransfers)



Series: Tibbs [2]
Category: NCIS
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-09
Updated: 2017-01-15
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:47:30
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 53
Words: 469,744
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24744073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FanFicDotNetTransfers/pseuds/HidingLight
Summary: Tony and Gibbs adjust to having separate teams while planning their wedding, cases that were laid to rest spring to new life, Dorney learns what it means to be an agent, and everyone learns the hard way that nothing is as it seems.
Relationships: Anthony DiNozzo/Jethro Gibbs, Ned Dorneget/Original Character(s), OC/OC, Timothy McGee/Abby Sciuto, Ziva David/Original Character(s)
Series: Tibbs [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1788091
Comments: 2
Kudos: 35





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Original story at https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9834258/1/As-It-Seems

"… _through sickness and health, 'til death do you part?"_

The minister's words echoed through Jethro's head. As they were repeated back, he reached out and took Tony's hand. Tony's eyes met his, and he smiled at him. They were heavy words, a vow meant to last a lifetime, and promising that the lifetime would be spent together.

Tony leaned over and whispered in Jethro's ear, "Three months, and that's us."

Jethro's smile only got bigger, and he and Tony locked eyes through the rest of the vows as Breena took her turn. They were distracted by the sudden outburst of clapping and cheers as the couple in front of everyone shared their kiss, the marriage now official.

The small, packed church started emptying, and they made their way out with the rest of the crowd to head over to the reception. Twenty minutes later, the NCIS group gathered outside of the reception hall, waiting for each other. They would be sitting together once inside, and were eager to congratulate the bride and groom.

Finally, the limo pulled up. Palmer got out, holding the door open for Breena as she climbed out as well, and took her hand. Tony joined Abby in shouting their congratulations, and Tim even whistled. The happy couple approached the group, and hugs and handshakes were shared as they took their turns telling Breena how beautiful she looked, and Palmer how lucky he was.

They headed in together behind the bride and groom. Tony felt Jethro's hand in his, and he smiled at him. Tim had Abby's arm linked through his, and Dion's hand was on the small of Ziva's back. Even Ducky's date was leaning in closely, whispering in his ear, and Tony felt that romance was in the air.

They made their way to their table, clapping as the bride and groom were announced. Breena had a huge family, and there were close to two hundred people in the room. Tony considered the plans he had yet to really start for his and Jethro's wedding. He was on the fence about what to do. He wanted something simple, but how simple was yet to be determined. He looked around the room at the fancy lighting and the ribbons everywhere, and shook his head the slightest bit to himself. He did like the candles in the middle of the table, but he imagined them more on the mantle at home than as the centerpiece for their wedding.

Abby had him looking through wedding planning books at lunch a few days prior, and she was desperate to help him plan the perfect wedding, but he had no idea what the perfect wedding really entailed for him. He knew Jethro wanted simple as well, but other than that, his fiancé hadn't been really forthcoming with details, and he didn't know what to do. Part of him just wanted to shove everyone into a courtroom and get it over with, but he knew it was too important to them both to not do something special. He didn't even know who he wanted to perform it. All he could think about were the people around that table, his team, and a few others being with him and Jethro as they said those magic words, standing with them as they vowed to make it through anything and everything.

He suddenly missed his team. They weren't really close with Palmer, so they weren't at the wedding, but it still felt weird to not have them there. They'd spent the past month and a half working on getting Dorney settled in, and were slammed with a stack of cases a mile high. Parke was finally back in the field, and they were spending a lot of time together with their workload, and had even been mingling with the MCRT as they tried training in various areas together.

He was actually looking forward to Monday. Parke had worked to gather all sorts of information from the Melinda Stafford videos while he was confined to the office. Based on that information, Critten and McGee had worked together to compile a database that could be ran against murders in any area that Stafford had ever lived in. It was running its search over the weekend, and they were going to come in on Monday to the results.

Jethro knew that Tony had gotten lost in his thoughts again, something that had been happening more and more over the past month, and he poked him under the table. Tony smiled sheepishly back at Jethro, and realized that everyone else had left them to stand in the buffet line.

"What ya thinking about?" he asked quietly, a small smile on his face letting Tony know he wasn't mad.

"Everything," Tony said. "From _our_ wedding to the Stafford Database."

"Any ideas yet on what you want?" Jethro asked, turning to Tony with a hopeful look on his face.

"Nothing like this," he said with a chuckle, and Jethro looked relieved. "What do _you_ want, Jethro? Honestly."

"I don't really care as long as you're there, our people are there, and we're happy."

"Yeah, but neither of us would be happy doing something like _this_ ," he said, gesturing around the room. "So there has to be some kind of parameters for what would keep us within the happy zone."

Jethro saw the desperation in Tony's eyes for some kind of clarity, and he knew that Tony was struggling with it. He didn't want the wedding planning to be a stressor for him. He had left it in Tony's hands because he wanted him to be able to have whatever he wanted. He'd already been down the aisle four times, and he hadn't really liked too much of the frills, bells and whistles.

"Let me think about it?" he finally asked, knowing that if he could give Tony some kind of response, it would at least help him get started, and at the rate they were moving, he was afraid it was never going to happen. Tony's incredibly relieved smile and nod let him know he'd better think of something.

"I think I'm going to go hit the bar," Tony said. "Wait for the food line to die down a little. You coming?"

"Sure."

* * *

Abby and Tim were standing hand in hand as they waited in line at the buffet table. Abby leaned into him, talking softly.

"I was hoping that this would help Tony get some ideas, but he's been spaced out every time I look at him. I know he's thinking about that project you guys have been working on. He was totally spacing every few minutes when we were going through the books on Wednesday at lunch. I don't think he understands just how much is going to go into this! Time is of the essence! They only have three months, well, fourteen weeks until Labor Day Weekend. He's got to find a place for the ceremony, a place for the reception, someone to _do_ the ceremony, caterers, a DJ, place settings, decorations, pick out some music-"

"Honey!" Tim finally cut her off, and she looked startled. "Just… give him some time. He wants to keep it simple. Maybe he doesn't want all that. He'll let you know when he starts making decisions. He knows you want to help, but don't you think he's a little overwhelmed right now?" Tim looked at her with his "Get Out Of Jail Free" look. Abby squinted at him, knowing that he was using it, but she was even more angry that he was right.

"I just want it to be perfect for them," she said with a sigh as she began putting stuff on her plate.

"And it will be." Tim loaded the rest of his plate in silence, thinking about how Tony had told him after his lunch with Abby on Wednesday that he was about to elope just to get out of planning the wedding. He knew that his girlfriend was trying her best to be there for Tony, but she was putting more pressure on an already pressured man. He knew that Tony was beyond anxious to get to the Stafford cases, sure that something was going to come of it, and he had seen him working with Dorneget, Parke, and Critten as they got used to being a team together, not to mention training _him_ to be SFA. It was all going well, but it was stressful.

He wondered how much he was in the doghouse with Abby, but he knew that Tony needed someone to cut her off at the pass. He'd thought at first that giving Abby a wedding to plan would be good for them. She would be focusing on the idea of forever, and he had hoped that it would help ease her nerves about them. She was doing a lot better, but she had told him that she was afraid that her flight instinct would one day kick in, and though her honesty had hurt, it had been good for them. He had been honest with her and told her that he was afraid she would too, and they had been trying to keep as open and honest with each other as possible about it. He figured a heads up would be nice if the time came, but so far things had only been getting better.

He sat his plate next to Abby's at the table, and asked her what she wanted to drink. Abby tried to glare at him, but it turned into a smile instead. She asked for a glass of Shiraz if they had it, and he kissed her softly before going to get it.

Abby watched as Tim walked away towards the bar, and she smiled wider and shook her head. _Just can't stay mad at him._ She sighed heavily, and looked down at her food to decide what to sample first.

* * *

Ziva and Dion were talking while waiting at the bar for their drink orders to be filled. Dion's restaurant was opening that Friday, and there was a lot left to be done. She knew that he was going back over there after the reception to make sure all of the deliveries that were coming in that day were handled correctly. He had hired the entire staff now, and she had been helping whenever she could.

She found that she was actually pretty good at the business side of things, and she was surprised to find that she was enjoying it when Dion would ask her opinion on this or that. They had stayed up for hours on many occasions going over ideas that they had come up with that flourished into big plans. They were discussing the Assistant Manager Dion had hired, and whether or not he would be able to handle everything necessary. They had their doubts, but he was the best candidate that had applied, and time was up, so they had decided to give him a chance.

That was something else that Ziva had found herself surprised by. Dion was saying things like, ' _We_ decided on' and 'What do _we_ think about this?' He had started including her in so much, relying on her opinions, and it was making it feel like _they_ were starting the business together.

She watched the man standing next to her as he took their drinks, and when he turned to hand her a glass, she wondered if this was the real thing, possibly her happy ending.

 _Funny,_ she thought. _Feels more like a beginning._

* * *

Ducky's date, Candice, had excused herself to the restroom, and he watched her go with a smile. She was a charming woman that he had met at a conference three weeks prior. He hadn't been planning on bringing a date, but they had been in constant correspondence since their introduction, and he was quite taken with her. She was intelligent, polite, funny and warm. Her compassion for people was beautiful, and her sense of humor made him feel lighter the more time they spent with one another.

She had moved to D.C. from Chicago, taking a position at George Washington University to teach Public Health classes. He related well to her, and they had already been on multiple dates together. When Palmer encouraged him to bring her to the wedding, he took him up on the offer, and was surprised that she said yes without hesitation.

He watched her leave the room, and turned to Jethro next to him to find him wearing a crooked smile. When his eyes drifted to Tony next to him, the younger man wasn't nearly as shy about his glee.

"Looks like the two of you are hitting it off. We could always use someone around who specializes in communicable diseases. Added bonus- she seems pretty stable!" Tony reached for his wine, and took a sip.

"Jethro, if you would, please," Ducky said. Immediately, Gibbs' hand smacked the back of Tony's head.

"Ow! Been a while since you've gotten me that hard!" Tony said, rubbing the back of his head.

"Whoa! What did I just miss?" Abby asked appearing by his side with a plate of cake.

All three men turned red, Tony going the darkest. "Just a headslap, Abs!" he said, realizing how that had sounded.

"Oh! Good! Was kind of worried for a minute there." She sat down with her cake, and a moment later, Tim sat down next to her.

The group settled into lighthearted chatter as Candice rejoined the table. The music playing wasn't half bad, and Ziva and Dion were part of the crowd of swaying people. Once Abby and Tim had finished their cake, Abby pulled Tim out onto the floor with her. Ducky and Candice excused themselves to go get another glass of wine from the bar, and Tony and Jethro sat together at the table, suddenly ignoring everyone around them. They were leaning in to one another, talking softly.

"Have you thought of anything, yet?" Tony asked with a smile, looking calmer than he had been in days.

"I was kind of thinking I'd like the ceremony to be outdoors," Jethro said with a shrug, glad to see Tony looking relaxed. "Churches aren't really my thing, and I don't have any place special in mind, but the weather is usually really nice that time of year."

Tony smiled broadly, and leaned in a little closer. "I think that would be really nice. Maybe we could find some place where we could have the reception right there so there's none of this back and forth stuff. No sense in dragging everyone all over town. Less hassle for all of us."

"I could definitely go for less hassle," Jethro agreed.

"Wow! I think we just made our first decision!" Tony said with a sudden energy that made Jethro chuckle. Tony watched him smile, and took in the way his blue eyes shone. He felt that calm core inside that he was feeling more and more lately, and he reached out for Jethro's hand. "Come dance with me," he said quietly.

Jethro looked up him a little surprised, but shrugged and got to his feet with his fiancé. They made their way out to the floor near Abby and Tim. As they had done on a couple of occasions now, Tony slipped his hands around Jethro's neck, while Jethro slipped his hands around Tony's waist, and they made slow, swaying circles in time to the music. With their eyes locked on one another, they didn't notice the stares around them, both good and bad.

Abby was practically pounding on Tim's shoulder in excitement to watch the two of them in such an intimate pose. Ducky stopped mid-conversation with Candice when he saw them, and she stopped to look as well, smiling at Ducky's joy. Ziva caught a glimpse of them over Dion's shoulder, and smiled to herself before leaning the side of her head against his happily.

Multiple people in the room saw them dancing and began talking quietly with one another, making comments that sparked political discussions amongst those at their tables. Neither man noticed, nor did they care. Jethro didn't even know the song playing, but he followed the soulful rhythm and held Tony close. His eyes closed as he leaned his forehead against his lover's, and let their bodies move in time.

Tony felt the warmth of the man against him, and smiled contently. He could stay like that forever, safe in Jethro's arms, their friends next to them, and he decided that there would definitely be dancing at their wedding. He sighed happily, and let himself be carried away on the sounds of the music playing and the idea that in a few months, they would be dancing as husband and husband. All thoughts of work finally left his mind, and the crowd of people around him disappeared. Right then, he was happy.

Two songs later, they were still dancing. Abby kept watching them over Tim's shoulder, and he kept holding back the chuckle. He loved how happy she was when she thought of them being together. He knew that she cared about them deeply, and she had told him multiple times that she didn't think either would ever be happy, so for them to find it with one another made her ecstatic.

He leaned in and whispered in her ear. "Are you that happy, Abs?" She pulled back and looked at him in surprise.

"I never really thought of it like that," she said softly, wondering if that was insecurity she heard or a genuine curiosity. "I'm pretty happy, though," she whispered with a smile, leaning in to kiss Tim gently. He kissed her back with an equal smile, and held her a little closer. She rested her head on his shoulder, realizing that she'd been so deeply enthralled in how cute and brave she thought it was for Tony and Gibbs to be dancing, that she had forgotten she had the same thing, or at least pretty close to it, in her own arms.

As Abby laid her head on Tim's shoulder, he decided that he'd gotten his point across. As happy as he was for Gibbs and Tony, he was kind of feeling overlooked. He held Abby close as they danced, and he felt her focusing on him. It was incredible. He tilted his head against hers, and smiled.

"You really do look beautiful tonight," he said softly.

Abby sat up, a dreamy look in her eyes as she saw Tim's honest expression. "Thanks," she said so softly that she almost whispered. She'd gone dress shopping with Ziva, and she picked out a dark royal blue dress that fit a little more snugly than she was used to, but Ziva assured her was perfect. They found a matching blue tie that Tim wore with a dark grey suit, and she thought it did something for his eyes. They were somewhere between blue and grey tonight, and she stared into them as they danced, finding herself falling into them further and further.

McGee brushed one of the loose curls out of her eyes from the way she had her hair styled, and the look that he gave her made her heart beat twice as hard in her chest.

"Tim?" she said, her voice breaking.

"Hmm?" he said, watching her face for what she was thinking.

"I really do love you." Tim's smile stretched across his face, and he leaned forward, letting his head rest against Abby's.

"I really love you too, Abby."

Something changed in Abby. It was like a train switching tracks. It was still going in the same direction, only now, instead of how focused she had felt on Gibbs and Tony lately, she felt that focus being trained in on her and Tim. She started wondering if they would one day have a wedding like this, and what she would want, and what Tim would want, and who would be at _their_ wedding, and where they would have _their_ ceremony. She thought she should freak out at the idea, but it suddenly seemed so right inside.

She breathed in the fresh scent of the man in her arms and his cologne, and she imagined smelling it as they danced at their own reception.

* * *

Jethro was holding Tony tightly on the dance floor when Tony whispered in his ear. "I think I need to grab something to drink." Jethro pulled back the slightest, a happy smile on his face as he took Tony by the hand, and led him back to the table. Tony reached for his glass of water, and lifted it to his lips before he had even sat down. Jethro sat in the chair next to him, and Tony saw that Jethro's focus was completely on him.

"I don't think I've ever enjoyed a wedding this much," Tony said before taking another drink from the glass.

"I think I'm having a better time with you at Palmer's wedding than I had at most of my own weddings," Jethro said with a chuckle before raising his own drink to his lips. Tony chuckled as well with a sad smile.

"Weddings shouldn't be so stressful. They should be special, intimate, important, but not stressful. I don't want ours to be stressful. The only thing I want to have to worry about is whether or not everyone is there, and that there's cake, laughter and some dancing."

"I'm liking the sound of this more and more," Jethro said as he leaned in to place a soft kiss on Tony's lips. Tony pulled back in a happy daze, loving the affection.

"Who do you need to be there, Jethro?" Tony asked, looking into Jethro's eyes with such a gentle expression that he felt the honest answer being pulled from him.

"I need you there, obviously, and I need Ducky and Abby, Tim and Ziva, Tobias and Dad." Tony nodded at his list, and smiled. "What about you? Who do you want there?"

"Other than you? Hmm… Let's see. There's Ziva, Abby and Tim, Ducky, Jimmy, Greg and Elly, and I'd really like Dorney, Shane and probably even Vance there." Tony noticed the slightly surprised look on Jethro's face towards the end of the list, and he gave him a curious look. "Who surprises you most?"

"I guess I shouldn't really be surprised about Shane and Vance, but I am a little."

Tony nodded. "Well, you know that Shane and I have been in touch frequently for safety check-ins, and after everything that happened, he's kinda one of the family now. And Vance has really been there for us in the past couple of months. Hell, he knew I was going to propose the same day the rest of the team found out. I think he's trying to find a place amongst us, and though it will never be as close and intimate as the rest of the team, he's definitely put his ass on the line for us. Guess I just feel like he's supposed to be there."

Jethro nodded in understanding, and then took a deep breath, afraid to ruin their evening by broaching such a sensitive topic, but he wasn't able to keep from asking. "What about your dad?"

Tony simply smiled, and shook his head. "I don't want him there. I don't think he's going to be okay with us, and I don't care whether or not he is. He could have changed his tune completely on the subject, but I don't want him there. I want those people close to me, that have always supported me, and encouraged me to be there. Those people that I know I may turn to in our not so great moments. Those are the people that deserve to be there; those are the people I need."

Jethro smiled brightly at him. "I'm really glad you feel that way."

Tony laughed. "You really don't want him there, do you?"

"Nope. I'd rather run him over with my truck. If you want him there, if you change your mind, I'll understand though."

Tony took Jethro's hand in his again. "Let's dance some more. Imagining you running over my dad is making me all warm and fuzzy, and I want an excuse to be as close to you as possible!"

Jethro chuckled, but went with Tony to the dance floor, immediately pulling him close. He slipped his hands around Tony's neck this time, loving the feel of Tony's hands on his waist. They danced through a couple more slow songs before the DJ decided that it was time for the traditional wedding floor crashers, and they ran for the safety of the table as the chicken dance came blaring through the loudspeakers, and a group of people flocked to the floor.

"There will be NO chicken dance, no YMCA, no Electric Slide… none of that, at our wedding!" Tony said over the music.

Jethro nodded, and pulled Tony past the table and towards a side exit. Tony followed willingly, knowing Jethro wasn't going to leave without saying goodbye to at least Abby and Ducky. They stepped out into the lot next to the building, and Jethro pulled Tony past it into a garden that was designed for the photographers to use. The sun had gone most of the way down, and there was only a faint pink glow on the edge of the horizon.

"That's actually really beautiful," Tony said quietly, looking up at the sky.

"Yeah, it's peaceful out here."

"No chicken dance. _Definitely_ no chicken dance." Tony's head was shaking, and Jethro laughed.

"I had something I wanted to ask you, but I didn't want to add to the stress of the wedding, and I have gotten the sense lately that it's becoming a bit overbearing for you." Jethro looked up at Tony tentatively as they walked along the cobble walkway, and saw that Tony's expression confirmed it.

"Yeah. You know, it wouldn't be so bad if Abby wasn't so set on throwing us this big huge ceremony. I just need to find a way to get through to her that all of the traditional stuff means nothing to me. It's going to mean everything just to have them there, and to be saying those words, and making that promise. All of the other stuff is just extra fluff, and boy does she _love_ the fluff. I know she wants to help, and I'd love to let her, but she wants to blow it so far out of proportion, and it's just not us."

Jethro nodded, finally understanding the true stressor was not hurting Abby while putting together a ceremony that they would actually enjoy. He wondered if he should talk with Abby about it, and decided to think about that for a while.

"Don't worry about Abby, Tony. Just tell her what you just told me. I'm sure she'll understand."

Tony shook his head. "I tried, but it's just not getting through. I'll think of something though."

"Well, what I wanted to ask was what you wanted to do for our honeymoon?" Jethro stopped, and pulled Tony close to him by the waist.

"Honeymoon? I hadn't even thought about that. You mean we're actually going to take off work for a week, and leave Balboa all alone?"

Jethro chuckled, and shook his head. "That's what we have SFAs for, Tony. If you want, you can even combine our teams while we're gone. I know they'll all be more than willing to take direction from McGee. Critten has been around him more than Ziva or I lately, and I know Parke and Dorneget have been working closely with Ziva in the gym. We'll figure it out. Could be nice to get away together for a while."

"Definitely! We thinking some fun in the sun, or some place with a view, or what?" Tony looked more excited than he had been in days, and Jethro smiled broadly back.

"Actually, I was wondering if you wanted to go to Italy. Naples? Rome?"

Tony was stunned. He stared back at Jethro with wide eyes and a slightly gaping mouth. "Uh, yeah! That sounds awesome!" A bright smile spread across his face, and a moment later, Tony was kissing Jethro.

Jethro relaxed into the embrace and kiss now that he had his answer, and breathed in relief. He'd already ran the idea past Vance that they would need some time off, and the idea of combining teams was a possible solution that they had discussed. He was startled from the kiss as Tony suddenly pulled away.

"We're never going to get to see anything though." Tony suddenly looked serious, and Jethro looked at him quizzically. "I'm going to have to speak Italian most of the time, and you're going to be constantly clawing my clothes off and taking me back to the hotel room," Tony said with a playful smile.

Jethro shook his head and held Tony tighter, bringing their lips closer together again. "I've definitely thought of that," he whispered before kissing Tony again.

They'd been standing there making out in the garden for almost ten minutes when Tony's phone started ringing from his pocket, startling them both and making them jump back. Tony groaned and pulled it out of his pocket, recognizing Elly's ringtone. "Must be a double header tonight, and I'm up to bat," Tony said, shaking his head. Balboa's team was on first call, but Tony's was second seeing as he was the only one at the wedding.

"Hey, Elly. What's going on?" he asked, putting the phone on speaker so Jethro could hear.

"Boss? I really hate to disturb you, I know you're at the wedding, and I'm so, so sorry, but you wanted to know if we got any direct hits from the search, and we do. We have a highly likely victim. My phone just alerted me of the results." Elly sounded genuinely distressed to be calling his boss during the celebration, but Tony was suddenly energized. They'd been working their asses off for this for almost two months now, and it was suddenly starting to look like a fruitful labor.

"Call Parke and Dorney, tell them to meet us at the office." Tony hung up as Elly was saying "Will do."

Jethro looked at him with a sad smile. "Go. I'll find my way home."

"If you want to leave now, I can drop you by the house on the way. Wouldn't mind a quick change of clothes actually," Tony said.

"Okay. Let's go say goodbye to our people, and let them know why we're leaving. McGee will probably be interested to know that your program worked." Tony nodded, and they hurried back inside. Tony pulled Tim and Abby aside and told them as Gibbs said goodbye to Ducky and Candice.

About fifteen minutes later, they were back at the house. Tony was slipping out of his suit, and Jethro was grabbing the pieces to hang up for the drycleaners. When all was said and done, Tony was in a much more comfortable pair of black pants, and a dark green button-down. He was feeding his belt through his pants when he noticed Jethro was staring at him.

"What?" he asked shyly in that way he got when Jethro was shamelessly checking him out.

"Will you wear green at the wedding?" he asked in a slight tone of amazement.

Tony smiled brightly. "If you'll wear blue," he bargained.

"Deal."

Tony leaned forward and kissed Jethro while he secured his gun. The kiss deepened, and a minute later, Tony finally broke away, both men breathing heavily.

"I will be so glad when this damn case is over," Jethro more growled than spoke.

"Hold that thought," Tony said back just as seductively. "If this turns out to be a false alarm, or something we need to wait for more information on, I'll be waking your ass up when I get home. And tomorrow's Sunday, so who knows? I might get you alone for a while before the weekend is over anyway."

Jethro raised an eyebrow at Tony before Tony gave him another quick peck. "Love you, Jethro."

"Love you, too, Tony."

With that, Tony turned and left Jethro standing there to go find out if his long held theory about Melinda Stafford was correct.


	2. Chapter 2

Tony got to the office with four cups of coffee, and went straight to Elly's desk, tossing his backpack towards his filing cabinet. He looked over Elly's shoulder at the program running on the PC, and tried to figure out what it meant.

"Hey, Boss," Elly said, typing ferociously at his keys, screens lifting and dropping at a rate that made Tony's eyes hurt as he tried to catch glimpses of what he was working on.

"Hey, Elly. Whatcha got?"

Parke and Dorneget came off of the elevator together, rushing over to their area, and tossing their stuff down as well. They came to stand behind Tony, looking over Elly's shoulder.

"We got a hit that has a 78.2% certain match to our data. I'm pulling up all of the data that it aligned with so we can compare."

Tony nodded, and Elly began putting stuff up on the plasma. Parke and Tony moved with a cup of coffee towards the bigger screen to read things that were coming up. The pages were arranged so they could all be read, and then the last was a screenshot of a case file with a woman's picture on it. Dorneget leaned over Elly's shoulder, watching him work and trying to figure out how he was doing things.

Parke moved closer to the screen, and began deciphering what they were looking at.

"The location ping was the hospital that Melinda Stafford gave birth to her twins at. The relationship ping was that the woman killed was the _daughter_ of a nurse at the hospital- oh, that doesn't sound good." He and Tony exchanged pained expressions.

Elly started reading off his screen. "The details that were changed in her descriptions are dead on our assumptions. She stated that she killed a nurse at the first hospital she was at in three different sessions. She'd been to a couple of different institutions before she was placed where she is now, but "the first hospital she was at" probably refers to the hospital she gave birth in, where she believes it all started. And as our other assumption, she's killing the children of the victims she's mentioning, not the victims themselves, making them learn the pain of losing a child."

"What's the victim's name?" Tony asked. Elly blew up the case report large enough on the screen that it could be read easily, and Tony and Parke both realized how young she really was.

"Natalie Jericho," Elly read. "She was eighteen at the time, and it was brutal. She was five months pregnant, and there was a knife plunged multiple times into her stomach. The knife was never found. The baby, of course, didn't survive."

"That's twisted," Dorney said as he came over to the plasma, shaking his head.

"If her mom was a nurse when Stafford had the twins, she'd be pretty old by now. Is she still alive?" Tony asked quietly.

A few more clicks on the computer, and Elly shook his head. "No, but she has a brother and a sister that are." A few more clicks later and an article came up on the screen from an old newspaper clipping. "This is in the original case file. Her brother and sister were a few years younger than her. They had offered a reward for any information that could be found on who had killed their niece, and searched the scene and the area around it for weeks after police finished with it, looking for the knife."

"They sound like they were a close family," Dorney said. "Was the baby's dad still around?"

Elly clicked around through the case file. "He had an airtight alibi- he was in jail. Light stuff, apparently. Guy _really_ liked his weed." The weird look on his face made Dorney snicker. Tony glared a little at him.

"Sorry, Boss," Dorney said as he cleared his throat and turned towards the screen, looking over his shoulder briefly at Elly who gave him a crooked smile and a slight headshake.

Parke was being rather quiet, and Tony looked at him with concern. "Whatcha thinking, Greg?"

"Demented woman is right where she needs to be, just didn't get there soon enough. It took all of these pieces coming together to catch one break, one anomaly, and we've stumbled on just how sick her mind really is. She's intentionally and successfully lied through all of these interviews, and she's gotten away with so much. I'm afraid of how many of these we're going to find."

Tony saw the darkness in Greg's eyes, and he knew that feeling. It was the edge of hopelessness. He knew he had to do something to redeem it.

"You guys are incredible, you know that? By working together on this, and putting your talents and your resources to their best use, you've created a way to get past the monster's mask, and we're going to find justice for all of the families that she's taken her anger out on over the years. You should be very, very proud of yourselves. I can see you working together to develop some kind of system like this one day to run _all_ cold cases through to see if there are any details that might be able to connect cases that the current system doesn't have. We're not just taking normal data here and running it together. The information on those spreadsheets comes from serious analysis of the videos and case files we've had to work with. Can you imagine if we applied the same concept to the cold case files?"

Parke perked up at the idea, looking at Tony with wide eyes. "You mean, analyzing all of the cold cases for a psychological profile that we could run together with all of the tangible information, and see what lines up? That would be incredible! Extremely time consuming, but if we had more psych analysts on a cold case team that went through and reviewed the cases, they could create a system that could run like this one, and we could run current cases against them."

Tony nodded. "I'm sure the Feebs are probably doing something like it, but we haven't had the brains here to do it before. You guys have put this together in a month's time, maybe six weeks? And that's with over forty hours of video analyzed. I know that's not what you've really signed up to do, but you could teach this technique to others, and when it's needed, you could help them with their cases."

The group of men looked back and forth at each other, a new found energy spurring them on.

"So what's next?" Dorney asked.

"We need to see what we can do to connect Stafford to Jericho's death. We need something that can tie her to it definitively. What evidence were they able to gather back then?" Tony turned back to the screen, and Elly put the page up with their evidence log.

"Looks like we're going to have multiple opportunities here. We've got measurements of the stab wounds, speculative direction of entry, the medical examiner that ran the autopsy believes the attacker was left handed, and there are fibers and a couple hairs. There doesn't seem to be any indication of a DNA test being ran on the hairs."

"Wasn't available yet then," Dorney said, coming to stand behind Elly again as he looked over the evidence log up close. "This case was handled by Albany PD. I'm sure they'd be glad to hand over the file by now and get it out of their cold case lockers. How long was Stafford in Albany, again?" Dorney asked, looking to Elly for the answer.

"She grew up there, then moved away shortly after the girls were born because her parents thought it would be good for her. She moved back for two years in '84."

"And Jericho was killed in '86?" Dorney asked.

"Yep. Then it looks like Stafford booked it out of there, moving again. She's lived all over the place. Seemed to prefer larger cities. It's probably easier to get lost in the shuffle that way, and with a murder under her belt, the paranoia probably set in hard."

"Sounds like we need to get in touch with Albany PD."

"I'll give 'em a call now and see what they can do for us," Parke said, moving towards his desk.

"I'll get us all copies of her case file in print. The Albany PD has been digitalizing their cold case files as part of a huge nationwide project. The problem is that everything is scanned in, so I'm not sure how clear it's all going to come out. I'll do my best to clean it up if I need to," Elly said, already tapping and clicking away, a pen between his teeth and his foot bouncing under his desk.

"I'll start looking to see if I can find any connections between Jericho and Stafford," Dorney said, sitting down behind his computer. "Other than the, you know, big one… that… we already know. Other stuff. How they met, that kinda stuff." Tony raised an eyebrow at him, and Dorney nodded and sat down, shutting up. He'd come to learn that look well over the past month, and he knew it meant to stop rambling and work.

Tony sat at his desk and started in on the paperwork to officially start the new case, and the request forms for the case file to be logged into evidence along with everything that had been reviewed before. He couldn't wait to get Abby to run the hairs for DNA analysis. He hoped that it would match what they had on file for Stafford, and give them a solid piece of evidence to go off of.

An hour later, their information was starting to pile up. The Albany PD was going to send down their cold case file, and they were expected to have it by Tuesday. For the time being, Tony knew they were at a standstill. He got to his feet, stretched, and decided to send his team home to finish enjoying their weekend. He looked at the clock and saw that it read a little after midnight. He flipped off his desk lamp and picked up his stuff, glad that he was heading home to Jethro, no matter how excited he was about the case.

The wedding plans that they had decided on earlier that evening came back to him, and a giddy excitement ran through him. He got on the elevator with the rest of his team, and he turned to them.

"We decided something about the wedding finally!" he announced. "We want to do it outside!"

"Sounds like a step in the right direction!" Elly said with a smile.

"Tiff and I got married on the coast. It was a sweet little beach wedding with only like, maybe sixty people, good food, lots of drinks…"

"Sounds nice," Tony said as they got off the elevator.

"It was!" Parke shared as he headed off in the direction of his car.

Dorney and Elly stood with Tony a moment.

"Do you think you'll do a park or a resort, something like that?" Dorney asked.

"I don't know. Hadn't really thought of that. I know it's going to be really small. We both want it simple, and we don't want anyone there that doesn't mean a lot to us. I think all together, the list isn't much bigger than who was there at Easter."

Elly and Dorney smiled at each other, then back at Tony.

"Sounds great, man. Keep us up to date!" Elly said.

"Definitely," Tony said with a smile, then turned to start off towards where his car was parked. He and Jethro had taken to parking in the same far corner all the time so it wasn't so suspicious when they took their lunch breaks together. He pulled out of his space, passing Elly and Dorney who were still in the same place talking, and waved.

When he pulled into the drive at home, the familiar blue sedan that belonged to Fornell was parked on the road. Tony wondered what he was doing there so late on a Saturday. Usually if he came by, it was after a case during the week, or on Sunday's after he dropped Emily off and had to deal with Diane. He remembered that it was Emily's birthday, and nodded to himself in understanding.

He headed down to the basement as soon as he got his jacket hung up, his bag being dropped by the couch. He cast a look at the fireplace on the way, and frowned. It was finally too warm for a fire, being late May, and he missed the crackle he'd grown accustomed to greeting him.

The last few steps brought greetings from both men, and Tony's defenses rose as he realized Jethro looked stressed.

"Fornell, what have you done to my future husband? Last I left him, he was in a much better mood. _Much_ better," Tony said with a tease, grabbing a jar and coming to lean against the table next to Jethro, leaning down to give him a quick kiss.

"Go ahead and tell him, Tobias. You seem to be _really_ good at talking tonight." Tony turned and looked at Fornell anxiously.

"I said I'm sorry! I didn't realize she didn't know, and I didn't realize it was such a secret!"

"Oh, you didn't. Please tell me you didn't," Tony said, shaking his head. He looked back at Jethro. "He didn't, did he?"

"Diane asked me if I was coming over here after spending the day with her and the in-laws. The She-Devil likes to throw it back at me that Jethro and I commiserate about her. I said, and I quote, _'No, they're at a wedding tonight._ ' I realized what I had said, and unfortunately, so did she."

Tony reached out and rubbed Jethro's shoulder as he took a swig of the liquor in his jar, shaking his head.

"That's not all," Jethro said, shaking his head as well while glaring at the man across the table.

"She tried to get me to tell her who "they" entailed, and I told her that she wasn't getting it out of me, that she needed to ask Jethro," Tobias said, knocking back the rest of his jar.

"Ooo… tough call. On one hand, you don't wanna blab and piss us off by spilling the beans, on the other hand, now she's going to come find out for herself, which means the She-Devil will be trying to invade our little piece of paradise." Tony sat his glass down, and headed for the stairs.

"Where are you going?" Jethro asked.

"To lock the door!" Tony shouted over the stair railing, taking the steps two at a time.

"Don't forget the back door and the garage door!" Jethro yelled up the stairs.

"Hell, close the chimney while you're at it!" Fornell joked.

"Got it!" Tony yelled back.

Jethro continued to glare at Fornell as he refilled the jar he was drinking from. He looked at Tobias and put the lid on the bottle. "No more for you. I'm going to warn you now, you don't want to be spending the night in the guest room."

Tobias looked at him in confusion, and then it dawned on him. "Jesus, Jethro! I don't need that mental image!"

Jethro just shrugged, and took a sip of his bourbon. "You don't need to hear it either, so if you need coffee, go make some now."

"I'm good," Fornell said with a slight head shake. "I've only had one, which is _not_ enough after spending the day with them."

"What did Diane think of your present?" Jethro asked, taking back more of his bourbon as Tony came down the stairs.

"She _hates_ me right now. I definitely won this round!"

Tony refilled his jar, and smiled with a congratulatory nod at Fornell. "So you got the time off?" he asked.

"Yes, I did! Last week of July, my princess and I will be spending the week in Disney World!" Tony and Jethro shared a smile. "We're going to stay in the big castle and everything. Now that the house is paid off, there's a lot more I can do."

"I bet," Jethro said. Tony sat on a sawhorse next to him, his designated spot when Fornell was over.

"Even starting to put a little aside towards a car for her one day. I figure I've got six years until that catastrophe. If she drives anything like her mother, I think I'm going to get her an armored truck."

Jethro laughed and reached out for Tony's hand. Tony realized that Jethro had definitely had more than a couple of jars at that point, and he wondered how long Tobias had been there, and whether or not Jethro had started before or after his arrival. The hand in his was quite warm, and the glaze over Jethro's eyes was a dead give-away. When Jethro turned to smile at Tony, Tony poured another jar, realizing he needed to catch up. There was something in that smile that let Tony know Fornell would be leaving soon whether he wanted to or not.

"What happened with your case?" Jethro asked, looking at Tony curiously. Tony beamed.

"We have a match! An obvious connection, right place, right time… We did it! Just gotta wait for the evidence from the cold case lock up at Albany PD."

"That's great! I bet your guys are excited," Jethro said happily.

"What are you talking about?" Fornell asked.

Tony turned to him, anxious to show off his team's skills.

"We got this cold case back in March," he said, motioning between him and Jethro with his jar. "That case broke, and we were able to make the connections between it and another case, and we got answers for both. There's this woman locked up in a psych ward for trying to kill this girl about six years ago, and she confesses to all these crazy murders in her interviews with this shrink, but when they looked into them, none of them were real."

Fornell nodded, following the story.

"Well, I got this feeling that something was off in the session. So when I got my team, we started looking through the tapes, and the guys thought so too. We realized she's changing certain details in each of her confessions. Parke analyzed the videos, and Elly, Dorney and McGee designed this database. We're running it against all murder and attempted murder files in the areas that the nut has ever lived in during the time frames she's ever lived there, based on the similarities mentioned in her interviews, and the most likely changed details.

"We got a hit tonight with a 72% certainty, and looking at the file, it's _definitely_ her. No doubt at all. I'm hoping the hairs they have in evidence will be able to give us the DNA results we need to close another case."

Fornell looked at Tony with interest. "Your guys were able to pinpoint enough of that information to do that?"

"Yup! We've put in over a month's worth of work on this, but it's paying off! They're so great… so great."

Jethro swung Tony's hand a bit in encouragement, and Tony smiled back at him.

"We might have to poach them. Our behavior analyst guys never have time to work on the older stuff like that. If they have such success at this, we could really use their talents."

"Good luck with that," Tony said with a cocky smirk. "My team is mine, and they're staying right where they belong- with me."

"Time will tell!" Fornell said as he got to his feet with a smile. "Might need to borrow their technique at least. Sounds like it has a lot of potential and should be put to use."

"I'll let them know you think so," Tony said as he knocked back the rest of his glass.

"I'll leave you two to your night. Have fun," Fornell said with a smirk as he headed for the stairs. Tony raised an eyebrow at Jethro, who got to his feet with a smile and pulled Tony by the hand up the stairs after Fornell.

"Lock the door," Jethro said as he moved for the mantel, finally letting go of Tony's hand.

Tony got an excited chill down his back as he locked the front door behind Fornell. When he turned back to the living room, Jethro had lit the candles Tony had put on the mantel, and the one on the bookshelf. Tony watched as he turned off the floor lamp, and smiled broadly. It was rare that Jethro did anything about mood lighting, but Tony liked the way the candles flickered around the room in lieu of a fire in the fireplace.

When Jethro turned towards the small stereo system Tony had on the bookshelf though, Tony laughed.

"Hang on there, tiger! Let me do that before you hurt yourself, or break something," he said as he came up behind Jethro and reached over his shoulder to turn a light jazz CD on. Jethro turned around in his arms, and slipped his hands around Tony's neck. Tony smiled and leaned in immediately for a deep, tender kiss. They finally pulled back slightly, resting their foreheads on one another. Tony's hands went to Jethro's hips as they took a few steps into the room and danced in slow circles around each other, their bodies pressed together.

"I missed you," Jethro whispered against Tony's lips.

"I wasn't gone too long," Tony whispered back with a smile.

"Any time is too much time," Jethro said quietly, smiling back at Tony. "Wasn't done dancing with you tonight."

"Mmmm…" Tony murmured as he pulled Jethro closer to him, resting his head on his fiancé's shoulder. "I'm still not done."

They danced for another twenty minutes, Tony switching so that his arms were around Jethro's shoulders, the older man's arms around Tony's waist, pulling him so tightly against him that they could barely move. Tony didn't mind. It was no longer about the dancing, but simply being close.

"You've got too much clothes on," Jethro whispered into Tony's ear.

"Wanna fix that for me?" he asked quietly, not moving his head from where his temple was resting against Jethro's.

"Mmmhmmmm…" Jethro growled quietly as he nibbled a little on Tony's neck under his ear, making the younger man groan. Jethro slipped his hands around to Tony's stomach and up his chest until he reached the top button of Tony's shirt. He pulled away enough to begin unbuttoning it, and his lips found Tony's. They swapped a slow, sloppy kiss as Jethro's fingers unbuttoned all of Tony's buttons, shirt and pants, before reaching up and slipping Tony's shirt off his shoulders.

Tony's hands were under Jethro's tee, exploring the ridges of his back and stomach. Once his own shirt was removed, he reached to pull Jethro's over his head. They kissed their way through taking each other's pants off, pushing them to the floor and merely stepping out if them. Jethro wasted no time in reaching for Tony's cock, giving it long strokes, making Tony groan into the kiss and reach to knead Jethro's ass.

"What do you want, Jethro?" Tony asked breathily in his ear.

"I want that coffee table to hold us, but I don't think it's going to."

Tony snickered. "I think you're right."

"Think it will hold you?" Jethro asked, nipping Tony's throat and jaw between his words as his hands continued stroking Tony, who was panting heavily at that point.

"Not with what you do to me," Tony said, running his clipped nails down Jethro's back.

"Nuh-uh. Was thinking something else." Tony growled as Jethro started twisting his palm over the head of his cock, smearing the precum dripping there. "Wanna ride you hard and fast." Tony moaned loudly as Jethro's words, raw and rough, sent a new wave of heat rushing through him.

"Fuck the table, there's always the floor," Tony said, pulling Jethro towards the middle of the room, pushing the coffee table out of the way so they could be on the area rug. Jethro grabbed the lube they kept in the eye-glass case in the end table drawer. Tony took it from him while at the same time wrapping an arm around his waist and pulling him in for a demanding kiss.

Jethro groaned and pulled Tony down on the floor, leaning him back against the rug and lying across his body. They let their tongues dance a couple of minutes longer, and while they did, Tony used the distraction to lube his fingers.

Jethro groaned when suddenly cold, slick digits began probing him. He moved to make it easier for Tony to reach, and his eyes rolled back into his head as Tony's fingers moved in and out of him, slicking him and stretching him. He began rocking back on them, loving the feeling of any part of Tony inside of him. A third finger joined the first two, and he couldn't take it anymore. He pulled off the fingers, and angled himself so that he pushed back on Tony's leaking cock. He felt the head press against him, and Tony moaned, reaching forward to swipe lube on his cock and hold it in place so Jethro could take him in.

Jethro crouched above Tony, taking his time lowering onto him, slowly, inch by inch. It made him bite his lip in both pain and pleasure, and Tony watched with fascination.

"Oh, fuck!" Jethro said as he suddenly sat heavily, slamming the last two inches into him, doing much more than simply brushing his prostate. The intense spike of pleasure that went up his spine made his hairs stand on end. He sat still, his head thrown back as he felt every inch of Tony deeply seated in him.

That's what he'd been craving all night. He was afraid Tony wouldn't make it home, and he'd never find the satisfaction he needed, but here it was. He was connected to Tony in a way no one else was able to. He finally shifted, pushing up off the floor, a foot on each side of Tony's waist. He propped his hands on his knees, and pushed up, then slammed back down making both him and Tony groan and gasp.

Tony lay pinned on the floor, completely at the mercy of the man on top of him. He watched Jethro's facial expressions as he rose and fell again, and the ecstasy he saw there made him shiver. It still amazed him that he was able to bring Jethro to that place. He suddenly gasped, his breath getting caught in his chest as Jethro started a bouncing ride, fucking himself on him in a rhythm-less pace. The only half-coherent thought he could form was how sexy Jethro looked riding him while his free cock slapped his stomach with each bounce. He watched Jethro as his own hips started bucking up to meet the bounces with thrusts.

"Yeah, that's it," Jethro said quietly. "You feel so good, Tony. So fucking incredible."

"No," Tony said breathlessly as he shook his head wildly. " _You_ feel incredible. So tight, so warm, so deep… God so deep… fuck!" Tony gasped with a particularly sharp landing as he was thrusting up.

"Wanna cum all over you," Jethro groaned.

"Yes! Do it! Cum all over me! I want to fill you," Tony practically shouted, feeling the beginning tingles of his orgasm starting to gather at the base of his spine.

A sudden loud roar came from Jethro, and Tony saw the older man stroking himself in quick jerks, then felt the warm strings of liquid landing all over his chest and stomach. At the same time, the muscles of Jethro's ass constricted around his cock as he kept trying to thrust into it. It was like a vice, and it stroked his orgasm out of him. He filled Jethro's ass as promised, cum running out from around him as his erection finally subsided.

Jethro was still sitting on him a few minutes later as they came out of their daze, and Tony felt calloused fingers running through the cum on his stomach, drawing patterns in it. It took a moment for him to open his eyes, but when he did, he saw Jethro's sated smile. He reached forward, taking Jethro's hand and brought his fingers to his lips, licking them clean.

"Damn it! Why do I love that so much?" Jethro said as he collapsed forward onto Tony, snuggling into the mess and not caring. Tony's arms wrapped around him as he arched his hips and slid out of his lover.

Jethro fell asleep on top of Tony, and Tony decided to let him sleep for a while. It had been a long day, and it was after 0300. It wasn't long though until Tony slipped off into sleep as well, arms securely around the man he loved, and blissfully trapped under his body.


	3. Chapter 3

Tony woke up to Jethro running his hand through his hair. It was raining out, and Jethro looked down at Tony's eyes opening slightly as he lay in his arms.

"What time is it?" Tony whispered, afraid to break the peaceful way the rain sounded pounding on their roof and beating against their windows.

"A little after eight. Go back to sleep- you didn't get much last night."

"Why aren't you sleeping?" Tony asked, pulling the blanket up around him as he snuggled in closer to Jethro. They hadn't slept on the floor comfortably for too long before Tony's back had woken him at 0400.

"Just listening to the rain," he said with a voice that was both happy and sad, and it made Tony swim a little further towards consciousness.

"And thinking about something," he said with a soothing but knowing tone that invited conversation but didn't demand it.

Jethro ran his fingers through Tony's hair again, smiling at his lover's ability to read him, and really anybody, so well.

"Thinkin' about Mike," he decided to admit. "And you and I."

Tony shifted slightly, but knew if he moved too much, Jethro wouldn't have the right angle to keep stroking his hair, and it felt too good to do anything that might make it stop.

"I used to love when it rained. After spending so much time in the desert, coming home to summer rains was incredible. But the night Mike died…"

Tony's eyes closed, and he swallowed as he realized what was going through his lover's mind.

"It was raining," Tony whispered. He could feel Jethro nod, but it took a long couple of minutes before anything else was said.

"The first time it rained this spring, you were here, and I remember waking up and thinking that if I could make more memories with you as I listened to it rain, I might be able to learn to love it again like I used to."

That sentiment hit Tony somewhere deep inside, and he wondered how he had earned such an incredible place of honor in his man's life that he would think so highly of him as to challenge the power of a storm. He suddenly got an idea. He got to his feet, pulling Jethro out of bed by the hand, a surprised, "Umpff!" being earned from the older man. Tony only smiled when Jethro asked what they were doing, and then threw sweatpants at his lover.

Jethro took them and slipped them on, and Tony slipped on a pair of his pajama pants. He then grabbed Jethro's hand again, and led him quickly down the stairs and through the kitchen. Tony opened the back door, and pulled Jethro out onto the deck into the rain with him.

"Are you crazy? We're gonna get soaked!" Jethro said with a chuckle.

"Why yes, yes we are," Tony said, pulling Jethro into one of their slow dance embraces, with Tony's arms wrapped around Jethro's neck, and Jethro's hands around his waist as their foreheads fell together.

The rain fell in a steady shower on them, drenching them through and through in a minute's time. They stood there, breathing each other in, and Jethro understood why Tony had brought him out there with him. The weather had been getting warmer. The rain was refreshing and not at all shocking. It tapped along their bodies, their heads, and down their faces as it washed away tainted memories, and replaced them with the way it felt to hold each other's warm, firm bodies against one another safely and protectively.

Jethro's hands ran up Tony's bare back, feeling the streams of rain running down along his skin. Tony's fingers played with the ends of Jethro's hairs as the rain slicked off of them at the points. Jethro got lost in the sensation of touch- the rain touching him in taps and streams, the way Tony's fingers felt in his hair while his forehead slid against his and his breath hit his face, the way his own hands felt as they slid up and down Tony's body, and the way their torsos and chests slid against one another in their short movements. Jethro's arms suddenly tightened around Tony, pulling him flush against his body, and his lips found Tony's as they kissed passionately.

Tony's fingers slid up into Jethro's hair, pulling him in tighter, kissing him deeper. Thunder clapped loudly in the sky above them, rolling off into the distance as a long rumble. Jethro felt the sound echoing in him as he kissed Tony. The storm's winds picked up, whipping through the trees in their yard and the neighbors' yards, the sound rushing around them in a way that fed the senses of power and urgency as the two men devoured one another.

A sudden crack of lightning made both of them jump as it came too close for comfort, and startled them out of their reverie. Their hands were clasped as they looked with wide eyes into the back yard and around them to try to find out if anything had been hit. The dark clouds rolled overhead at a menacing pace, but they simply watched on as Jethro moved behind Tony to hold him close, his arms coming to cross over Tony's chest, his head resting on Tony's shoulder.

Tony smiled broadly, his hands coming up to hold Jethro's forearms as he leaned back into the embrace. Even with the rain running down his face and the storm passing around them, he felt at complete peace in the middle of the whirlwind. It felt right.

Jethro had always been his calm in the storm. When life was at its most insane, throwing the worst at Tony, Jethro could ground him, reminding him of where he stood and why. He knew that he could count on his partner to be there for him, and he had known that since the day they had met. However, there was something solid in him over the past two months that he hadn't felt before. Jethro gave him the courage to trust the core of inner strength that he found he'd been too afraid to tap into. Now, he was centered within it, and he wondered how he'd ever lived any other way.

Jethro felt the storm raging around him, but there was no storm within. He was right where he needed to be, standing in the warm rain with his lover. Tony had brought him back to life, and as he looked around them, it was like he was finally in his rightful place in the universe, amidst the natural chaos that living entailed.

"Thank you, Tony," Jethro whispered against Tony's ear.

Tony lifted one of Jethro's hands to his mouth and kissed it before replacing it around him securely. They stared out into the rain until Tony shivered. Jethro leaned in, and whispered into Tony's ear.

"Come inside with me."

Tony turned his head to look over into Jethro's eyes, and smiled at the spark he saw there. They stepped back into the house, and Jethro held up his hand, telling Tony to stand still while he crossed the kitchen and into the laundry room. There were towels and linens in the dryer from a load he'd tossed in the night before, and he pulled a couple of the towels out so they could dry themselves. When he turned around, Tony was holding up his pants to drop into the washing machine with a smirk.

Jethro took in the way Tony's body glistened in dampness, and he raised an eyebrow. Tony reached out for one of the towels, and Jethro kept staring.

"Do I get one of those?" he asked with a smirk.

"Haven't decided yet."

"I'm getting a little cold."

"I think I can fix that."

"Oh? How do you-"

Jethro dropped the towels and pulled Tony towards him so quickly that their bodies smacked together. His hand ran up into Tony's hair as he kissed him hard, taking Tony's breath away. His other hand freed Tony's waist and reached to stroke his cock until it was hard and Tony was whimpering. Tony reached for Jethro's sweats, pushing them down, but they were soaking wet and wouldn't go far.

"Couch! Now!" Jethro growled, turning Tony to shoo him along. He pulled his pants off and tossed them into the washer, then grabbed the towels, running one across his body as he followed Tony out of the room. He tossed the other one to Tony who stood by the couch, still dripping slightly. He caught it and ran it over his head to dry his hair, but he didn't make it to the rest of his body before Jethro had pulled him close again.

Their tongues slid around each other in a passionate game of twists and turns, and Tony stroked Jethro now that he had access. They moaned into each other's mouths, and finally, Jethro turned Tony around so that he was facing the back of the couch. Tony knelt up on it, his hands going to the backrest, and Jethro grabbed the tube of lube they had used the night before.

Tony felt liquid running between his crack, and looked over his shoulder to find Jethro with the bottle upturned, letting the lube run straight down. He then closed the tube, tossed it on the couch, and slid his cock up and down between Tony's cheeks, smearing the liquid all over both of them. Tony groaned and turned back to brace himself on the couch. A minute later, he felt Jethro's head pushing into him.

Jethro sighed in relief at being close enough finally. He always felt a surge of relief when he entered Tony. It was the best feeling in the world, and it felt like he was coming home. He slid into him until they were pressed as closely together as possible, and then bent over his lover's back, kissing his shoulders. He put his hands on the couch next to Tony's as his hips began sliding forward and back, slowly in and out.

Tony's sounds of pleasure spurred him on, and he began thrusting a little faster and harder, but not too fast. He had the chance to take his time. They weren't on call, they didn't have cases waiting on them, and they had nothing scheduled to do. Today was theirs, and he was going to make sure they used it wisely. He let his lips go back to Tony's shoulders, kissing him and nibbling on him, enjoying the taste of his skin. He licked up Tony's shoulder and then his neck until he was suckling on that spot under Tony's ear that he loved. His hips kept moving slowly, but Tony started pushing back, needing more.

He obliged, thrusting faster, harder, until they were both breathing heavily as their bodies slapped together. Tony started stroking himself as he pushed back with every thrust, and soon, they were gasping for breath. Jethro let one hand reach down to grab the towel sitting next to them and wedged it between Tony and the couch. They'd had a bitch of a time getting the last stain out, and he wasn't about to go through that again. All Tony could do was nod. A minute later and Tony was stiffening as he came.

Jethro loved when Tony came first. It meant that his ass tightened around him so snugly it almost hurt. He groaned, relishing in the feeling as he tried to continue pushing in and out of the vice like grip. He tried to hold off, but after only a minute, he came into Tony's limp body and fell forward, trapping him there. Once they both caught their breath, he pulled out, using the sticky towel Tony held out to him to clean them both up. He sat the towel next to the couch, and then pulled Tony down onto the cushions with them. Tony was still a pliable doll in his post orgasmic haze, and Jethro smiled as he pulled the quilt from the back of the couch over them so that they could doze together.

* * *

Dorneget was sitting in front of his computer, trying to decide if he really wanted to hit send on the email he had written up. He'd worked on it for days, trying to get it just right, and last night, he had gotten home after the great breakthrough at the office and deleted everything. What he had in front of him was much more assertive than he was used to being with his family, but he was proud of his accomplishments, and he wanted them to see that he was doing just fine without them.

Re-reading it for the hundredth time, he took a breath and hit send. He took another deep breath, and it caught in his chest.

_What did I just do? That sounds way too aggressive. That's not me! Is it? Is that me? Is that what I want to be? I guess that's not aggressive. Is that aggressive?_

He finally exhaled, and pulled his phone out to text Elly.

_I just sent the email to my brother. I think I'm having a heart attack._

He was relieved when a text came back almost immediately.

_Whoa there! Calm down, it's okay! What did you say?_

_Basically that I'm doing well, and that I'm on a team now, and we've made a great breakthrough that we think will help us close not only our case but many others. I don't know. I think it sounds kinda haughty._

_Wanna forward it to me? I can let you know if you sounded like a snotball._

_That would be great! Sending now._

Dorney sat back and waited for a response. Five minutes later, he got a text back.

_Hell no! That was great! Go Ned!_

_Really? It wasn't too… uppity?_

_Not at all. You said what you said confidently, but left out the sarcastic jerky shit that his email had. You're totally the bigger man right now!_

Dorney smiled, sitting back and sighing with relief. Elly had become a surprising ally since joining the team. They were all helping him work on various things, but more than anyone, Elly had a way of reminding him of what he was already good at, and how he could use those talents as he worked on developing the rest. He'd been supportive, and he was easy to talk to. It hadn't taken long for them to swap life stories.

_Thanks, Elly. He really was a prick in his email. He doesn't actually care how I'm doing, just wants to rub it in that he's making all this money, and I don't know how to get it through to him that I don't care about that kind of stuff. It just doesn't matter to me._

_Guys like that usually don't learn that money can't buy happiness until they're divorced, alone, and about to lose everything._

_Sad, but true._

_What else are you doing with your Sunday other than pissing off your family by being happy?_

_So far I've managed to do laundry, and I'll consider that a successful day._

_Haha! Yeah, I know what you mean. I'm thinking about hitting the range if you wanna join._

_When are you going?_

_About an hour. You in?_

_Sure. Why not? Am I meeting you there?_

_I can get you along the way if you want._

_Cool. I'll see you then. Let me know when you head out._

He looked at his phone in surprise. He hadn't planned on doing anything but lazing around the house today, but it sounded good to spend some time with someone. He was getting a little more comfortable with his weapon, but it wasn't his favorite thing in the world. However, he had stopped picking it up so gingerly that he was afraid it going to discharge on its own when he dropped it. Both Tony and Ziva were helping him, but he still got a little nervous with Tony so close to him, and Ziva wasn't the most patient person.

Heading for his room, he stripped out of the scrubby clothes he had worn to the laundromat, and he headed for the shower. He thought about his talk with Elly in the garage last night about his brother's email. He'd pulled it up on his phone, and Elly had been pissed as he read it. It made Dorney smile to think about it. He felt like he had allies now; people in his corner. They were the kinds of people he had needed in his life.

He wasn't sure why Tony had decided to bring him onto his team, but he was glad he had. Parke had been a patient teacher that helped him maneuver through social interactions better than any of the shrinks he had ever worked with. Tony had been guiding him through the different things a true field agent needed to know. Elly was helping him with his tech skills, fighting techniques, and was there to listen, anytime, day or night. McGee had invited him in on some of his and Elly's powwows, and he had even braved some time in the gym and range with Ziva.

The past month had gone by in a blur, but as he thought about the email he had just sent, he realized just how much he was changing. He got out of the shower and got dressed in something he hoped was appropriate for the range, and tried to control his hair. It was unruly on a good day, but he it was what he had. He looked around his room for his phone, trying to remember where he sat it, and remembered it was on the bathroom sink. He grabbed it, and then wrestled with his lockbox as he got his gun and his badge.

He looked at the box in frustration, and Tony's words rang through his head. _If it doesn't work for you, change it. Find a way to get the job done that_ does _work for you._

"Gotta get a different box." He shook his head and sat down at his laptop to find a new one. He was looking through them when his phone chimed.

_On my way_

_I'll be looking for you in a few_

He looked at the detailed information on the next box on the list, and decided it sounded like it would work a lot better for him. A few minutes later, it was ordered, and he locked his apartment door behind him as he left.

As soon as he stepped outside of his apartment building, Elly pulled up. He smiled as he got in.

"Hello," he said as he closed the door and reached for the seatbelt.

"Hey, hey!" Elly answered, waiting until he heard Dorney's belt click before pulling out of the lot. "You ready for a fun-filled hour of shooting stuff?" He chuckled, knowing he was about to get a groan from the man next to him. Dorney didn't let him down. The groan was accompanied by a sigh.

"I hate this part of the job. I mean, as kids, we all had toy guns and water guns, but knowing that this isn't a toy takes all of the fun out of it. The idea that I might one day have to point it at an actual person, and do more than scare the shit out of them, scares the shit out of me!"

Elly looked at Dorney half playfully and half seriously. "Ned, I've seen you hold your gun. I've yet to have the shit scared out of me."

"Thanks! Ass," Dorney said with a laugh, glad to hear that Elly was laughing with him. He still had a hard time with the bro code and what constituted an appropriate name calling.

"You know what you need to do? You said you did drama in high school, college, all that, right?" Elly turned to Dorney and got the nod. "You need to _act_ like a badass when holding your gun. Consider it a role you're playing. Do that for a while, act the hell out of it, and it will become more natural for you."

Dorney considered that for a minute. "That might actually work."

"Of course it will, because I'm a genius." Elly looked over at Dorney again, and saw the look he was getting. They both busted out laughing. Elly wasn't sure why he felt so much more confident around his team than he did with the rest of the people in his life, but he figured it had something to do with their trust level with one another. He had found something in this group of people that he had never been able to find elsewhere; community, friendship, a place to fit in- a family.

He'd never felt like he belonged as well as he did here. People usually only wanted him around because of what they needed from him. He loved his dad, his stepmom and his brother, but they were so disconnected from one another. He had nothing in common with his dad and brother, and his stepmom had done her best to be a mother to a boy who wouldn't let her replace his real mom. The people in his life now were a chosen family, and he cherished them.

He was grateful for some time with Dorney today. He had called Parke and invited him to join them, but he was stuck going to some political fundraiser with Tiffany. That was okay though. He'd spent a lot of time with the couple over the past month, and he kind of needed to be around someone else who was single. Everyone around him had the perfect relationships, and he wasn't in a place to do that. He was still learning to be happy with what he had.

Watching Tony and Gibbs plan their wedding, Abby and McGee house hunt, Ziva and Dion open a restaurant together, and Palmer and Breena get married was great, and he was happy for them, but he was suffering from third wheel-itis, and he was glad to get away from all the adoring looks and loving voices. It was nice to have someone to just joke with that wasn't going to have to take a call or send a text to check in.

"Just ordered a new lockbox," Dorney said.

"Oh? Special occasion?" Elly smirked.

"I'm tired of fighting with the one I have now. I can just see the day it wins. I'll walk up to you or Tony on a scene, and just hold it out with my tail tucked between my legs."

Elly burst out laughing. "Sorry! Sorry! I definitely just pictured you with a tail and a lockbox that you'd taken a hammer to."

"I don't know, I think I could work a tail," Dorney said with a smirk that matched the one on his friend's face.

"That depends on the type of tail I guess," Elly said. "Not a monkey tail, or lion's tail. You need something big and bushy. Maybe a fox tail or a horse tail."

Dorney laughed as they pulled into the parking lot of the range.

"Okay, we need to stop talking about you getting tail. I mean, getting a tail, excuse me."

"Starting to they have the same likelihood of ever happening," Dorney said as he got out of the car.

"Wait- ever happening, or ever happening _again?_ " Elly asked, suddenly very afraid that Dorney was a virgin.

"Ever again!" Dorney corrected himself. "Again."

"Whew! I was about to say, we got bigger fish to fry than getting you ready for MTAC. I was about to have to make it my personal mission to get you laid."

Dorney chuckled as they walked into the building to check in.

"No, seriously. I was going to offer myself up as wingman extraordinaire. I've always been better in that role anyway."

"Not so sure if you'd want to be my wingman…" Dorney said, knowing that they were going into uncharted territory. He knew that Tony knew he was gay, but he wasn't sure if the rest of the team did. He knew they had no problem with Tony and Gibbs' relationship, but helping you pick up a date was a little different than going to a wedding.

"Come on, you couldn't be any worse than my friend Bill in college. He couldn't pick up a girl to save his life. I'd start talking to the chick he was interested in, Bill would come up to join us, and I'd feed him into the conversation, set it up just perfectly for him, back out, and ten minutes later he'd be sitting alone at the bar. I'd ask what happened, and he would just shrug."

"Sounds like Bill and I would get along pretty great," Dorney said with a chuckle.

"He's still single, but I don't think he's quite your type. He only got crazier and crazier as we got older. We're trying to keep you from going down that road. Now, if Michael was still single, I could totally see hooking the two of you up, but alas, he's not spoken for. Kind of a shame. I _really_ don't like his partner. Total jackass. Don't know how they got together, and I don't expect it to last very long now that they're living together." Elly was holding the door for Dorney to come through and saw the relieved look on his face.

"Oh! You thought I didn't know. My bad. Yeah, I know, it's cool, whatever."

Dorney followed him back. "So which rumor mill did you pick it up from?" Dorny asked with a nervous chuckle.

"You? Well, not intentionally. When we had Easter dinner at Boss's house, we went to go leave, and you were looking all wide-eyed out into the yard where they were snuggling, and said something about how you wanted that. No biggie."

"Ahhh. I was so out of it that night! I didn't remember that at all until this moment."

"Yeah, you hit the scotch pretty hard. I still can't believe how loud you snore!" Elly joked. Dorney laughed too, and they got set up at the back counter. "No, seriously. I could hear you from your couch, in my sleep. I probably could have gone out and slept in my car, and you would have still been clearly hearable. You snore like a backo or jackhammer or something." Dorney couldn't stop laughing. "You know how you'll never forget what a modem connecting sounds like? That will be what I'm like with your snoring. I'm going to hear it under a desk in the bullpen one day, and I'm going to be like, Welp, I guess Dorney slept here last night. Must've had a falling out with the old man."

Dorney was doubled over laughing, and Elly chuckled, grinning ear to ear. "Come on, man. Load up."

Dorney went through the motions of loading the clip into his gun, not thinking too hard for once as he did. He was relaxed and realized he was actually having fun. Elly already had his weapon loaded and was aiming at the target when Dorney turned to see how far he was. He watched for a minute, and then it was over. The clip was empty, and every shot left bullet holes right where they were supposed to be.

Elly nodded as he replaced his clip, and looked at Dorney. He raised an eyebrow, wondering what he was waiting for. "You ready to channel your inner badass?" he asked.

Dorney took a deep breath and nodded. "I think so."

"Nope. Can't just think so, gotta know so. Do know so?"

"Not at all."

Elly chuckled. "Okay. So talk to me. You like to talk. What scares you so much about this?"

Dorney looked down the line at his target sheet, and shook his head a little as he thought. "Right now," he started slowly, looking back at Elly. "That's a piece of paper. That's not what I'd actually be pointing at. When the time comes, it's going to be a person, a human being, on the other end of that barrel. Not paper. I don't know if I can do it. I mean, maybe I could maim someone, but actually…" he shook his head, looking away in embarrassment and frustration.

"Ned, look at me." Elly's soft command demanded Dorney's attention, and he looked up, his eyes meeting Elly's dark blue. "When the times comes, not _if,_ but _when the times comes_ , you'll be able to do it. It won't be easy, and it is going to hurt like hell, but you'll do it. You'll do it because you'll be protecting yourself, or someone you care about, or someone innocent that deserves to be saved."

Elly saw the heavy rise and fall of Dorney's chest, and he felt like he suddenly understood him a little better, and respected the heart and care he had.

"We practice so that when the time comes, if we can take something other than a kill shot, we make sure we get it right. When a shot to the shoulder will work instead of a shot to the head, we need to make sure we can make that shot, not just shoot willy nilly. If blowing out some guy's knee will work, or his hand, wouldn't you much rather take that shot? Let him live to see real justice?"

Dorney nodded.

"Then that's what you need to practice. But if the time comes that it has to be a kill shot, you have to be ready, willing and able. If it's Greg, or Tony, or me, you _will_ take the shot without a second thought. If some douchebag has some kid, you're going to take it. When you're in that position, instinct kicks in, and nothing else matters other than ending that moment, and protecting the people you do this job to protect."

Dorney watched Elly's face and body language, a constant practice that he'd been taught by Parke. He saw the way Elly's normally over-energetic body calmed to a complete still. He saw the determined look in his eyes and saw the set to his jaw. He wasn't "Elly" at that moment, but Elijah Critten, Senior Field Agent, and Dorney swallowed.

"My first time firing my gun at a person was back in Minnesota. I had to do double duty the first six months, so I was doing beat work and working on the Finance Taskforce. Guy holds up a convenience store. I was in the library behind it, actually dropping off a book of my own while my partner was grabbing coffee for us at this little shop across the street from the store. We were on our lunch break, and the car had been parked right out in front of the coffee shop. The guy comes out of the store, and my partner is getting ready to get in the car, when he turns towards the racket and realizes what's going on. He draws his weapon, guy grabs a woman walking by, holds a gun to her head, and here I come around the side of the building, watching this showdown.

"I'm afraid to startle the guy because I don't want him to do something drastic, so I start to come around on his right side to where he can see me, and I announce myself. The guy I was working with that week was an idiot. We passed partners around since we rotated out with the taskforce, and it was never the same guy… anyway. He has his weapon raised, and starts moving towards the guy like he's going to be some badass. The guy turns the gun on him.

"It was reflex. I was able to get him in the shoulder as he raised his arm and let the woman go. It was a split second decision when the moment was just right. I had to consider the woman in his arms, the speed in which he was moving, what angle I could get him, and how to keep not only my partner, but my own ass safe.

"When that time comes, thought takes over. Feelings... well they take a back seat. Yeah, we feel panic, we feel pressure, we feel certainty, uncertainty, fear, anger, but it all gets pushed into the back, and our actions come from our thoughts. You will always be guided by your heart, Ned. You're just that kind of person. Reflexively, you're going to shoot to maim, not kill, but if that moment comes, your heart will protect the people you love, that you care about, that you're protecting.

"You've been sitting on people in protection for a while now. You know what you would have done if you had to. Your scores suck because you're afraid of having to one day do this for real, but without the clarity adrenaline gives you in that moment, you're simply overfeeling this, overthinking it. When you're doing it for real, you're not going to have time to consider the life of the person you're aiming at- you're going to consider the life they're holding hostage, the life they're threatening to take."

Dorney watched Elly as he talked, absorbing every word, every movement. He understood what he meant. He felt numb, but then he thought about Elly joking with him in the car about acting the part. He turned towards his target, and he imagined himself in a scenario.

He set the scene in his mind. Kids playing in a playground, man in front of him with a gun getting ready to start taking them out one by one. He felt the rush of adrenaline in him, and he raised his arms, pointing his weapon at the target. He first went for the shoulder, then the chest, then the head, and back to the chest. When he lowered his gun, the clip now empty, he stood back and stared at the shot holes. The target moved forward on its line, and he felt Elly's hand on his shoulder.

"You okay?" he asked quietly.

Dorney looked at him and back at the target. Every hole was exactly where the shot had been intended to go.

"He'd be dead, but they'd be alive," he whispered.

"Yeah, that's the goal," Elly said, his voice still quiet as he tried to figure out what was going on in the mind of the man in front of him.

All Dorney could do was nod.

"That's the job, Ned. Do you think you can handle it?" Elly was starting to get really worried about the expression on Dorney's face.

When Dorney's grey eyes looked up to meet his, he was relieved.

"Yeah, I think I can, and that's what scares me." He looked back at his target, and Elly bit his lower lip as he worried about him.


	4. Chapter 4

Monday morning sunshine drifted through the window, and Jethro rolled over to pull Tony against him tightly, unwilling to think about getting up, leaving the bed, and starting the work week. He'd gotten used to Tony's alarm rousing them instead of the smell of coffee rather easily. He loved waking up with Tony. On the rare occasion when Tony had been called out in the night, leaving Jethro to wake up by himself, the older man had been a bear to deal with for the entire day.

It was actually what instigated Tony's first official "decaf" call out, letting him know he was crossing the line. A few minutes together in the elevator with Tony tearing him a new one had put him in his place, and in response, all he could do was wrap Tony in his arms. They'd stayed that way much longer than they should have, and when both men left the elevator, the looks their teams gave them earned eye rolls and glares from both of them.

When it was obvious that both of their moods had improved though, Tony had to ward off IMs from the other side of the bullpen that were laced with insinuations, and then even got one from Abby asking for details of their rendezvous in the elevator. He sent her back a fairly honest response that doused the rumors of a sexual escapade up the ladder back to Tim and Ziva, and then Critten and Parke. Elly had intentionally not told Dorney that they had found out there was only talking going on, enjoying the expression on Dorney's face every time he looked up at Tony.

Their teams were working well together, and both of them were happy. However, no matter how great work was, Jethro still preferred lying in bed with his fiancé, detached from it all. He breathed Tony in, loving the smell of his soap that was still strong on him from their late shower the night before to remove the evidence of a long day of lovemaking around the house. He loved the way Tony's firm arms came around his even as he slept, instinctively holding him close in return.

 _This is what life is supposed to be like,_ he thought. _Waking up together, warm and close, feeling like nothing could go wrong._

The alarm started beeping next to them and he growled. Tony reached one hand out to smack the alarm, and then the arm fell back into position. He had learned weeks ago that Jethro needed two snoozes worth of morning snuggles in order to keep the decaf-growlies away, and he gladly obliged. They stayed just like that with Jethro nuzzling his neck and breathing him in for eight minutes, and then when the second snooze buzzed, he hit it and rolled over.

Jethro loved that sleepy glazed look on Tony's eyes first thing in the morning. He smiled and leaned in to kiss him good morning. Their voices were hushed as they spoke, afraid to ruin the perfection of waking up together with actually waking up.

"Morning," Jethro whispered.

"Good morning, sexy," Tony whispered back, a lopsided grin on his face.

Jethro reached up and brushed Tony's hair back from his forehead. It was sticking up in a funny way that made Jethro smile, and Tony rolled his eyes.

"Gonna have to jump in the shower to get it to do anything today," Tony said softly before clearing the sleep from his throat.

"I dunno; I kinda like it like this," Jethro said with a smile.

"I'm not leaving the house with my hair looking like this," Tony said with a quiet chuckle.

"Then maybe you shouldn't leave the house," Jethro said, leaning in to kiss him deeply. Tony responded immediately, but a minute later pulled back.

"As much as I would love to play hooky with you today, I have a case busting wide open, and I can't wait to go brag about my guys to Vance."

"Yeah. I guess it would be pretty obvious if we both called off on the same day," Jethro said with a mock serious nod.

"Ya think?" Tony asked, pretending to consider it. "I don't know. I think we could pull it off." The second snooze went off and Jethro growled, glaring in the general direction of the nightstand. "One day Jethro, when we have a minute, we're going to sit down and plan it so that we use some of this stockpile of vacation time we have on late mornings. Maybe pick a couple of random days where we don't come in until ten or something, and then we'll sleep in late together, or even better, don't sleep in but stay in bed."

"I like the sound of that," Jethro said, leaning in to kiss Tony quickly before rolling out of bed.

Tony reached over and grabbed his phone, turning the alarm completely off and checking for texts or important emails. Jethro beat him into the bathroom like he did every morning, so he stretched and yawned, then picked out his wardrobe for the day. Jethro left the bathroom and Tony headed in, his hand running across Jethro's waist on the way by. They smiled as they went about their morning. Tony jumped in the shower for a minute to wet down his hair and refresh, and by time he was back in the bedroom, Jethro was sitting a mug of coffee on the dresser and pulling his belt through his pants.

Tony took in the view, comforted by its growing familiarity and the way the sight still made him yearn to be back in the positions he'd be in the day before. He was startled out of his revelry as Jethro's phone rang. He started buttoning his shirt as he listened.

"Gibbs," he answered. "Whoa, there, Malek! Hold on! Slow down! Say that again." Jethro looked to Tony. "Okay! Okay, got it. I'll be there in ten. Just- just stay there! And calm Dina down will ya?"

"What's going on? Malek alright?" he asked, his heart beating wildly.

"He and the girls went down the road from the safe house for groceries. When they came back, the place had been tossed. They got the hell out of there and are at the rendezvous point. I gotta go."

"Okay. You want me to go with you?"

"No. Just tell Tim and Ziva to be on standby if they get there before I get back." He leaned in and kissed Tony as he slipped his jacket on. "Love you," he said, then grabbed his coffee before heading out the door and down the stairs.

"Love you, too!" Tony hollered after him. "Stay in one piece!"

"That's the plan!" Jethro said, the front door closing behind him.

"Yeah," Tony said under his breath. "That's the plan. We all know how well things work out around here when we try to plan something."

* * *

Gibbs headed for Rosslyn Station, hoping that the crowd was thick enough with commuters to hide his friends. He was glad that they had kept them in a safe house close enough that he could get to them if needed. He tried to focus on the situation at hand. He thought about what it could possibly be that someone would think they had with them. When they came to the States, the only thing they had was a small duffel bag each that Dina and Talia had managed to grab before jetting. Malek had come with even less, just the satchel on his back as he ran.

He followed the pieces in his mind. Since Malek had to run and leave behind all of this possessions, perhaps he left enough to lead the wrong people in the Iraqi village to him. Since he never came back to wherever he was staying for his things, it would be pretty obvious he was gone, but they had worked hard at planting the bug in peoples' ears that he was killed in the blast. If Talia and Dina's things were half gone, then it would look more like they had run.

He thought about Talia's more versatile talents. She had managed to spy on a lot of people in her time with more discretion than most agents he knew. She was a devout Muslim woman, and she believed in education and legal equality between the genders. She was discreet about it, working behind the scenes and under the table to educate young women, and as of yet, she had not been caught.

Malek had travelled with her for years. After her family was killed in an attack, he had taken her under his wing, being her unchallenged male guardian in the streets. He was her brother's best friend, and it had become a natural succession. Dina, with a natural talent for blending into the background, was her closest friend, by her side through her grief, and together, the trio had formed an inseparable bond.

Malek had been working with one of the many underground revolutions at the time, unsure of his future, but firm in his beliefs. In the wake of the attack, Talia and Dina had asked to join him in whatever ways possible, and when he discovered their talent for espionage, they began reaching out to greater allies with the knowledge they had gleaned together. Those allies contracted them, and eventually, so did the U.S. government.

When Gibbs' mission in Kabul was thrown, he learned to trust them quickly, and since then, he had kept a chain of contacts to them in case any of them ever needed each other. He wondered who it was that was looking for them, but he figured after so many years of working in such a way, the options were many. It could be related to the information that Malek had gathered from the man whose children were being used to smuggle weapons into the country, or it could be one of Talia's contacts with the women's education movements being compromised. It could be due to a dozen different reasons, and he had to pinpoint where the threat was coming from.

He parked his car and ran towards the station, his phone to his ear.

"What now, Gibbs?" Vance asked on the other end of the line.

"The Arlington apartment was just compromised."

"Aw, hell. Are you putting your team on it?"

"As soon as I get back to the office with our guests. I'm picking them up at the rendezvous point now."

Gibbs scanned the crowd of people from the staircase to see if he could locate his friends. The throng of people around him was great cover for three people trying to hide out, but it made things harder on him. He wandered through the corridor, wading through the masses as he hung up with Vance and searched.

He finally located them all sitting together on a bench. Malek was comforting Dina, and he had to wonder how such a normally unflappable woman could suddenly look so fragile. He watched her closely, looking for clues. He had never seen her come anywhere close to this shaken. He saw Talia and Malek exchange a concerned glance with one another, and then Malek spotted him coming towards them.

Malek helped Dina to her feet, and Talia wrapped an arm around her waist.

"Gibbs," Talia began. "We are glad to see you. Can we go, please?"

Gibbs nodded, meeting Talia's eyes. She was trying to tell him something with that glance, but all he was able to understand was that she was very frightened and concerned. Something wasn't right, and he felt her anxiety as his own.

"I'm parked right outside the entrance. Let's go." They made their way back through the station and up the stairs against the crowd. They all crowded into the car, Malek sitting up front with Gibbs while Talia consoled Dina in the back seat. They pulled off towards the Navy Yard, and Gibbs looked at the women behind him before turning to Malek. "What happened?"

Malek started giving him a rundown of their morning. "We have yet to get over the jetlag completely. Our days are running into the nights, and our mornings begin at about three o'clock in the morning. We decided we would go to the store while it was not busy, hoping to be able to slip in and out without attracting too much attention to ourselves and avoid the people in the building. There are less people in the stores then, and it is feels a little less dangerous to go out.

"When we returned home, the door to the apartment was unlocked, and upon entering, we found that all of our stuff had been gone through. We took a quick look around, trying to take a visual inventory without touching anything, and then got out of there as quickly as possible."

Gibbs nodded slowly, and then stopped at a light. His eyes searched the rearview mirror to try to meet Dina's. Her eyes met his, and then she looked down. He knew that something wasn't being said, but Malek and Talia looked just as confused as he felt. Once they got to the Navy Yard, he took the three of them straight up to the conference room. He grabbed a cup of the disgusting coffee that was waiting there for them, and then threw it away after the first drink.

"I'm going to get a cup of real coffee. Anyone want anything?" Talia and Malek agreed to coffee, and Dina declined. "Why don't you come with me, Dina? If you don't want coffee, maybe they have something else you would like. It's going to be a long day, you might as well have something. C'mon." He was surprised to find her jump at the chance to leave the other two. He shrugged at Malek and Talia as Dina led the way into the hallway.

Gibbs noticed McGee and Ziva over the railing sitting impatiently at their desks. Once he got to the opening of their cubicles, he stopped. "I need you two to go process the Arlington safe house. Someone tossed it this morning."

"Boss?" McGee asked, getting to his feet. "Everyone okay?"

"Yeah, McGee. Just find me something good." He led Dina to the elevator and got on with her before his agents could gather their belongings and follow. As soon as the doors closed though, he flipped the switch.

"Dina, what's wrong?" he asked, taking the direct approach. He saw her trembling as she tried to find the words.

"I have done something foolish."

Gibbs stared at her, waiting for her to continue. He thought he was going to have to pull it out of her, but she finally took a deep breath and started talking.

"I have been keeping a journal since Talia taught me to write when I was eighteen years old. It has always been dangerous, but it was something I felt I needed to do. I may never be able to write a book, but I could write my story. I always burnt them when I filled the pages, but with the laws changing in recent years, I have stopped. I keep them with me, in my bag. There are three books full and part of a fourth. They are missing. I did not see them on the bed with the other things where the intruder emptied my bag."

Gibbs watched her shivering turn into a hard shaking tremble as she continued slowly, carefully choosing her words.

"Two months ago, we were performing in a private party with multiple high ranking officials in attendance. I had slipped away to find the information that we needed, when I was interrupted by one of the men at the party. He…"

Gibbs began worrying more about the state Dina was in now than the trouble they would be dealing with when she finished her story. She was shaking violently, and he recognized the wild lost look in her eyes as the look of many he'd seen come home from rough combat when they slipped into a flashback. He wanted to comfort her in some way, but he was worried that doing so may trigger a violent reaction considering the path he feared her story was taking.

"He…" she tried again, still unable to force herself to speak the words.

"Dina, did he hurt you?" Gibbs asked quietly.

She nodded. "Yes, but not as badly as I hurt him. I was taken by surprise Gibbs. After he… there was a letter opener on the desk in the office, and I… I took it, and I…"

Gibbs saw a cold calm descend over the woman in front of him, and he felt a slight chill run down his back at the way she suddenly turned all emotion off.

"After he forced himself on me, I killed him with that dull blade. I pushed it into his frozen heart."

Gibbs nodded slowly.

"I got the information that we were looking for, and I gathered myself. In all of our missions, if any of us had to take a life, we admitted it to one another so as to keep each other safe. I could not tell Talia. I could not tell Malek. They do not know what that… creature… did to me. My journal was the only one who knew until now.

"I had never written about our missions in the past. I had never written of the lives we have had to take and the information we have searched for and obtained. That night was eating me alive, Gibbs. It was consuming my soul. I had to put it somewhere, or else it would have remained inside of me. That book contains every detail of that night. We will _never_ be able to return home now, or we will be killed. I have sentenced us all to a life in exile from our families and our friends, and if the events of that evening reach the wrong people, they will all suffer because of our actions being made public. They will hold our families responsible for what _we did._ "

Gibbs looked into the passion-bright and distraught eyes of the woman in front of him. He knew that there was no doubt to what she was saying. They had managed to keep their cover for many years, and this would prevent them from ever doing their work again. He knew he could get the three of them a safe place to live in the States for the rest of their lives based on their situation and the work they had done for the government, but the safety of all those that harbored them and helped them back in Iraq would be in jeopardy.

"Dina, how long ago were you attacked?"

Dina's eyes closed, and Gibbs noticed her demeanor soften. "It was the fifteenth of March."

Gibbs sighed. "Right now we have three priorities. The first, is we have to get you checked out. My friend Doctor Mallard is in this building. Would you agree to let him examine you?"

Dina looked at Gibbs with frightened eyes.

"I trust him with my life, Dina. We have been friends a long time. We need to make sure you are not injured, pregnant, or that he gave you anything." Gibbs witnessed her change back into the fragile shaking mass that she had been just a couple of minutes before.

"If you say that I can trust him, that would help put my mind at ease."

Gibbs gave her the slightest smile. "The second priority is telling Malek and Talia what happened. They are your friends, and they will stand by you, you have to know that."

Dina's eyes started flooding and she began crying in earnest. "I should have told them when it happened, but I was…"

"You were in shock. There's nothing to be ashamed of. They will understand."

She shook her head. "Because of me, and my cowardice, they have no idea what we are dealing with!"

"No!" Gibbs said in a low, fervent voice, taking the smallest step in her direction. "Not cowardice! Dina, no one should ever go through what you went through. You are incredibly brave and strong. Be strong one more time, and let them help you."

Dina took a heaving breath, and nodded once.

"The third priority is that we have to find that book. Let's take care of talking to Ducky, and then we'll tackle the rest."

"Ducky?"

"That's what we called Doctor Mallard, since a mallard is a kind of duck." The odd reference made the frantic woman stop and think, and it brought her back to the rational world. Gibbs turned and flipped the switch for the elevator, pressing the button for autopsy before she could change her mind.

Gibbs walked into autopsy with Dina, and Ducky looked up from his file. "Good morning, Jethro! And who are you my dear?"

She nodded, and looked up to Gibbs for support.

"Duck, we have a situation. This is Dina."

"Ahh! It is my pleasure to meet you, Dina. Any friend of Jethro's, is a friend of mine. What can I do for you?" Ducky used his gentlest voice, noticing Gibbs' tentative pose.

"Duck, Dina was assaulted two months ago. I know there's no chance for a full rape kit, but will you give her a check up?"

"Oh, my dear woman. I will do what I can." Dina nodded, unable to not feel comfortable with the doctor's compassionate gaze. "I understand that this is of a sensitive nature, but because of our difference in gender, I need to bring in another woman to be present with you while I do my examination. Have you ever met our forensic scientist, Abby Scuito?"

Dina shook her head no, and looked at Gibbs in a panic.

"It's okay, Dina. I trust Abby. I'll go get her." Ducky headed towards the door with him.

"I'll be right back my dear. Please, have a seat."

Jethro turned to Ducky with a raised eyebrow, but the older man shooed him into the elevator outside of the double doors to the room.

"How long do you think it's going to take with Dina?"

"Roughly an hour. This isn't something that can be rushed. Considering my gender, and her violation, coupled with unfamiliar surroundings, the nature of the situation is going to be, at very least, unsettling for her. Should we call her friend to be with her? Talia, isn't it?"

"Not yet Duck. There's a lot Talia doesn't know yet. Dina has a rough day ahead of her."

"Ahh. I think I'm starting to get the picture, or at least the part I need to concern myself with for the time being."

The two men walked into Abby's lab to discover Tony and his team working with Abby to explain the program they had developed, and why they were having her run such an old hair sample through the database.

"That is so totally awesome! You guys are geniuses! I'll get on your hair sample as soon as it gets here."

"Thanks, Abby! You're the best!" Tony said, and then realized they weren't alone.

Tony smiled, but then he realized Ducky looked distraught, and he looked at Jethro with concern.

"Abby, Ducky needs you in the lab," Gibbs broke in. "He has to examine Dina, and he needs another woman present."

"Dina? She's one of your friends from that op a couple of months ago, right?" she asked confused. "But why is Ducky examining her? Is she sick?" She turned to Ducky, and Tony looked at Gibbs with a crestfallen face as he realized what Gibbs was asking Abby to do. Gibbs nodded, and looked at Abby. It suddenly sunk in and Abby's face fell. She nodded, swallowing hard and turned to Ducky.

"Are you ready, my dear?" Ducky asked.

Abby took a deep breath. She hated doing these kinds of examinations, but she had been present through a few of them at that point. She put her game face on, pushed back her lingering fear of autopsy, and nodded.

"Yeah, Ducky. Let's go." She didn't stop to hug the guys, she just headed for the door, and Ducky squeezed Jethro's shoulder as he passed.

"Hey guys?" Tony asked. "Can you give us a few?"

Elly, Parke and Dorney had been watching the scene unfold curiously, none of them really understanding what was going on, but trying desperately to get a handle on it via body language.

"Sure thing, Boss. Let's head upstairs, guys." Critten said quietly as he shut down his laptop and pulled his bag over his shoulder.

Tony watched them go out the door, and then met Jethro's eyes. "What happened?"

"She was attacked during an information op two months ago. She's a tough kid. Took the bastard out, but she hasn't told the others. She did however write about it, and that notebook is now in the wrong hands. It was taken during a break-in this morning. Ziva and McGee are combing the apartment now."

"Shit, Jethro. I'm sorry." Jethro nodded and sighed. "Let me know what I can do to help," Tony added.

"I will, Tony. Thanks."

Tony nodded. "How are you holding up?"

"I've been worse. Just worried about Dina for now. I told Talia and Malek that I was going for coffee. I should probably go check in with Dina and then head out there."

"Care if I tag along? Could use a bit of caffeinating myself."

Jethro smiled and nodded his head towards the door. He and Tony walked towards the lab together, and Tony stopped outside, not sure if the exam had begun. Dina was still sitting up on the table though in plain sight, so they entered.

Tony watched as Jethro approached Dina and spoke quietly to her. She nodded to him when he asked if she was okay there alone with Abby and Ducky, and Tony saw the slight relief in Jethro's shoulders. This was never an easy thing, but being present for an examination was not something either of them ever wanted to go through.

Tony was impressed with how quiet, gentle and reassuring Abby's voice was as she promised to stay with her through the entire examination, and he was glad Dina responded well to her. As Dina laid down on the table, he could see her grab Abby's hand, and Jethro turned around to leave them alone. He met Tony right inside the door, and they walked out together.

"If she hadn't already killed the son of a bitch that raped her…" Jethro mumbled under his breath.

Tony's eyebrows arched in surprise, and then he shrugged, knowing that he shouldn't be shocked. From what he had heard, Dina was highly resourceful when she needed to be.

"Whoever has that journal right now knows what they were doing that night, and what happened. None of them will ever be able to go back home, which I suspected, but from how Dina sounded a little bit ago, they think they may be able to. Even without that, their friends, contacts and sympathizers will be in jeopardy now."

"Are they sure it wasn't just a normal burglary?" Tony asked hopefully.

"Come on, Tony. How many burglars do you know that steal diaries?" Jethro asked as they got into the elevator.

"Hey! Hey! Don't get all decaffed on me, just trying to think positive." Tony raised an eyebrow at Jethro who sighed.

"Yeah, I know," Jethro said, which was a much of an apology as Tony had ever gotten when the smart ass boss came out.

"So, not only is Dina getting a rape exam today, but she has to tell them that she's put them all in danger by writing about it."

"Not only that, but the fact that she and Talia can write as well as they do goes to show how long they've been at it. They work with the Women's Education Movement, and they've maintained a low enough profile to go unnoticed, but a lot of the teachers in the movement have been coming up dead, sometimes put on display for their supposed crimes. There's a chance it could lead up the chain."

They ordered their coffee from the barista and Gibbs got some for Malek and Talia. Tony was glad to help carry the drinks in, hoping to get a chance to say hello to them. They were halfway back to the building when Jethro's phone rang. Tony took on an extra coffee so he could answer it and listened closely as they stood outside in the early summer breeze.

"Okay. Thanks, McGee. We'll see ya when you get here." He hung up on Tim, and then took the coffee back from Tony. "They are finishing up at the site. There's not a lot to go off of, but he thinks he may have gotten a few good prints."

Tony nodded his approval, and they started back in the building.

"Are you going to tell Malek and Talia where Dina is and why?" Tony asked behind elevator doors.

"The where, yes. The why, no. That's her story to tell." Tony saw the frown deepening on Jethro's face, and he reached out to flip the switch. Jethro raised an eyebrow, and Tony leaned in for a simple kiss, then pulled back, flipping the switch again. He smiled at Jethro who was now grinning and shaking his head. The elevator stopped on their floor, and before the doors opened, Tony nudged him with his elbow.

"Come on, hubby!" he cajoled, knowing Jethro was rolling his eyes behind him dramatically. They headed for the conference room, and Tony greeted them with a smile.

"Tony! It is good to see you my friend!" Malek answered, taking Tony's hand in both of his as he shook it with a warm smile. Tony smiled back.

"I wish it were under better circumstances. Just wanted to come up and say hello while I had the moment. Gibbs told me you were here."

"Are you not going to help with the situation?" Talia asked, coming to stand with the men.

"Actually, I'm in charge of my own team now. A lot has changed since the last time we saw one another," he said, looking to Jethro for some support as he slipped his left hand in his pocket to hide his ring. It was suddenly very obvious how much of the past few months they'd been left out of.

"We'll need to do dinner when this is all over to catch you up," Jethro suggested. "Right now, we need to concentrate on what is going on with this mess, and make sure everyone stays safe."

"Where is Dina?" Talia asked cautiously, giving Jethro a confused look that Tony noticed held the slightest warning behind it.

"She is with Dr. Mallard. She'll be up soon."

"Why is she with your doctor, Gibbs?" Malek added with a little more protectiveness than Talia.

"She needs to tell you that herself when she is able." His slightly sad eyes threw all three of the other people in the room. Tony knew Jethro considered these people his friends, and it was strange to see him take down that wall with anyone outside of the team. The other two seemed to know the depth of that look, and Tony watched Jethro as he sat down at the conference table. Talia and Malek also dropped into chairs, suddenly much more somber than before. Tony gave Jethro's shoulder a little squeeze on the way by, excusing himself.

He walked into the hallway, shaking his head as he closed the door. A part of him didn't want to be on the other side of that door anymore knowing what they were about to go through, but there was a part of him that did. He wanted to have Jethro's back, he wanted to have their friends' backs, but he knew that it was going to get messy, and he had his own situation to worry about. He had to let go.


	5. Chapter 5

As Tony began descending the stairs to the bullpen, he heard a voice say his name and stopped. Looking over, Vance met his gaze.

"Got time to go over this?" he asked.

"Now would probably be the best time actually," Tony said. "Let me grab my file."

Vance nodded, and turned back towards his office while Tony headed for his desk. He picked up his file, and then turned to Elly.

"You're with me. Time to show Vance what we've done," he said with a smile. Elly looked back and forth between Dorneget and Parke with wide eyes, then stood up, grabbing his laptop and case file. "And you two," he said, addressing Parke and Dorney, "Had better behave yourselves while we're gone. I don't want to come back to anyone glued to anything."

"They're not you, Tony. They don't come to work armed with a bottle of superglue," Tim suddenly said over the partition.

"Then I haven't trained them well enough yet, McGlued," Tony said with a smirk.

Tim rolled his eyes. "Where's Gibbs?" he asked.

"What makes you think I know where he is?" Tony asked, moving through the bullpen. Tim met him at the bottom of the MTAC stairs and gave Tony a serious look, shaking his head.

"Now's not the time, Tony. Where is he?"

"What did you find, McGee?" Tony asked quietly, concerned by the look on Tim's face.

"Not enough. We're going to be busy for a while. Where's Gibbs."

It was a demand, not a question, and Tony nodded up the stairs. "Conference room." Tim turned to go, but Tony's voice stopped him. "Hey, Tim?"

McGee turned to look at him, confused by the use of his first name and the tone of Tony's voice.

"Be careful. They're his friends."

Tim nodded solemnly, silently promising Tony he would.

Elly watched the exchange between them, and felt the tension rising. Tim charged up the stairs with an even firmer resolve, and Elly and Tony walked slowly up behind him.

"You okay, Boss?" Elly asked quietly.

Tony smiled sadly at him. " _I_ am."

Elly understood what wasn't being said and nodded. He'd seen Tony's concern when Gibbs was hitting a rough case before, and he knew what it looked like. He was brought back to the situation at hand as he walked through the door to Vance's office. He'd rarely been in here, and it always put him on edge.

"Agent DiNozzo, Agent Critten," Vance said as he nodded for them to join him at the conference table.

"Director," Elly acknowledged with a nod. They walked over to the table together and pulled out chairs. Elly immediately opened his laptop to link it with the television on the wall so he could show him the results of their search.

"Sounds like you've had a breakthrough in your hunt for information on Melinda Stafford," Vance began. "I have to say, at first I hoped this wouldn't come to anything, but from what I hear, this could be one of the best uses of your time."

Tony smiled at Elly, proud of their accomplishments. He saw the nervous look on his face, and tried not to chuckle. He knew that Vance approved of Elly and his role on the team, but he hadn't told Elly to what extent. He thought he might need to in order to keep him from fidgeting across the room every time they came into the office together.

"Tell me how this works," Vance said.

"With the first two murders we saw in the Kenthauser case, we had videotape of a sort of sideways confession to her shrink. The details had been changed. She states in the sessions that the women she killed were her daughters, but in reality, they were her _grand_ daughters. We watched the video-"

"Over, and over, and over, and over…" Elly added, earning a smirk from Tony.

"-and gathered all of the specific details she provided. There were many that were spot on, but there were a few that had been skewed just enough to keep her lie straight under the heavy sedation. These details were also large enough that it kept those that investigated her claims far from the truth. She admits to killing her daughters? Heh, they're obviously still alive when checked on. So to the doctors this is no longer a confession, but a delusion of grandeur."

"She confesses to multiple murders in these sessions," Elly said, leaning forward on the table to try to keep from fidgeting too much. "We also watched each of those."

"Over and over and over and over," Tony added with a grin. Elly rolled his eyes and smiled, but continued.

"We gathered all of the details of each of the murders, and we've created a database to cross-reference them with the National Cold Case Database that's being formed. With Greg's background in profiling, we were able to isolate the details that she would most likely be changing. Based on the initial case's interviews, we know that she changes the relationship of her victims. She also changes location. She _doesn't_ however change any of the details of the actual murder. If she drowned them, she's giving explicit details of the drowning to her psychiatrist."

"One of the details we're finding she focuses on is the shock in the eyes of the people she's killing. They don't expect it, don't know it's coming, and she always mentions the eye color," Tony said, picking up the explanation. "That's helpful. The most demented part though, is what is making me think she's not _quite_ as crazy as she sounds."

Vance looked at him with slight exasperation, afraid they were going to try to overturn the insanity plea. Tony knew that was what he was thinking, and cut him off at the pass.

"Don't get me wrong, she's nuts, and she needs to stay just where she's at, but she's not killing the people directly responsible for her giving her daughters up for adoption. She's killing the children in their lives. She's making them feel the pain she felt by having her kids taken away from her. I had wondered about it, and Parke confirmed it for me when he said the same thing."

"This is Natalie Jericho," Elly said, beaming her picture to the plasma. "Based on the info we've gathered, we started running the cross-reference this weekend between our database of details and the national database. We had a hit within forty-eight hours. Natalie Jericho was the daughter of one of the nurses involved with Stafford's delivery. She was killed by a brutal stabbing to the abdomen, slaying her unborn child as well."

Vance got up and went to stand in front of the plasma, leaning back on the conference table. Elly and Tony moved to stand next to him, Elly with his laptop in his arms propped so he could put other information on the screen.

"The details that flagged in the system were that the location Stafford lived in at the time coincides with where Jericho was murdered, the relationship to her is directly related to the birth of her daughters, she was the child of someone she claimed to kill-"

Tony cut Elly off. "Stafford had stated in one of the videoed sessions that she had murdered a nurse at the first hospital she was at. Everyone assumed that meant the first _institution_ she had been placed in, but we've come to understand that it's the hospital the situation _really_ started at, where she was forced to give her daughters up."

Vance turned to cock an eyebrow at him, then looked back at the screen. "What do you have for physical evidence?"

Tony gave him a slight shrug. "There is apparently a hair in the cold case file we're having sent down from Albany. We have the DNA from Melinda Stafford, and we're hoping to run them against one another. There were some fibers, but the chances of us linking those are long gone. The angle of entry made the M.E. who did the autopsy believe that it was done left handed, and we have the measurements of the knife wounds. What we need, is to get a location for the knife. If she had someplace she liked to get rid of the weapon, we may be able to add that information to the database and see if anyone had turned in a knife found in the area."

"There was no DNA report listed on the file," Elly said, bringing up the evidence log from the file. "It was too early back then for an extensive DNA panel to be run like we run today for every case. Jericho died in '86, and forensic DNA was so new that I doubt they did anything beyond take a microscope to it."

"It sounds to me like you may have just solved a twenty-five year cold case based off of a combination of criminal profiling and technological know-how," Vance said.

"The scans are still running," Elly said. "It's going to take days for it to go through the forty years' worth of cold case files we have it set to run through from the various locations we could pinpoint Stafford living in. The syntax written is very specifically running each and every case through a series of "if this, then that" scenarios based on the psychological profiling we did the on the videos."

Vance turned back to Tony as he interjected. "And in her sessions, she cops to seven murders. We now know about three of them if you include Jericho. We think one of them might be the description of the attack they caught her in at the pool in Chicago back in 2006. She becomes rather agitated during that description, and she gets angry and violent, which is completely different from the calm and cold demeanor she takes on during the other descriptions."

Tony shot Elly a quick glance, and then went back to watching Vance's rather stunned expression.

"This is very impressive. I can't help but feel like this could have extensive uses down the line. Using profiling techniques to input a case into a database to run past the National Cold Case Database… it definitely feels like we're onto something big."

"I was thinking about this last night after something Tony said on Saturday," Elly said tentatively, looking at Tony for permission, and saw the slight nod to go ahead. Vance turned to him as well, and he sat the laptop down, clicking a few buttons to bring up three things on the plasma. He turned back around and started explaining. Tony noticed that all of the fidgeting stopped, and he smiled. He knew this Elly, and knew he was in his element.

"When we did the video analysis, we had an advantage. We were able to read body language, voice inflection, things like that. Not all cases are going to have anything close to that, but many have interview or interrogation tapes, and they all have case files. Compiling these things, analyzing them, extrapolating the data, and then entering it within what we have created could be used to create our own version of a cold case database.

"It would be much more extensive than what we're getting in the national database, and it would take a lot of time, but we've essentially found a way here to digitalize a psychological profile. In our situation, we're able to run these specific parameters by the files we need because they are measurable in the national database. There's location, relationship, things like that. There are other things though like, key phrases or keywords, that would make more sense for military use that we wouldn't see a lot of in the national database. Those could help direct where we look for internal connections.

"Right now, the rate our cold cases are being entered into the national database is excruciating. We have two people doing it, and most of the information we're offering is simply scanned in sheets for now until they can go back over them and actually enter the information off of the scanned sheets into the required fields.

"We spend a lot of time on cold cases, going over the information looking for new leads. If we're going through the information anyway, we could be entering it into the system, and being the investigators, not data entry techs, we know the pertinent details that need to be searchable. Once we enter it into the system, while we're following our own leads, the computer could be running the search through cold case files in chosen districts and jurisdictions.

"With McGee's help, I'm sure we could make the modifications needed to the database we've created so that it could feed information back and forth smoothly between the information the data entry cold case techs are putting into the National Cold Case Database. I think it could help us when reviewing the cases too. So many times we're looking over a file and nothing is really absorbing, but when we're interacting with it in some way, it helps our thought processes flow."

Tony was beaming at his agent, proud as hell of him for taking the opportunity to pitch them both such a bold proposition.

"You're saying we can modify our database to make cold cases a little less boring, and give them a shot to be bounced off of one another technologically, while improving on our entry process with the NCCD requirements," Tony restated to make sure he was understanding correctly.

"Yeah, essentially. A few minor tweaks, the addition of about a hundred drop down menus to help with the search syntax, but yeah. We could not only quadruple the amount of cases that are being entered into the NCCD, but enter tons more information than what you can currently search for, and at the same time it would create an in-house database that would be exchangeable with the rest of the alphabet."

"Is this something you would be able to do while maintaining your current close rate in the field?" Vance asked. "We need you there, and McGee. Your priority has to remain being SFAs for your teams."

"Definitely. It may take another several months to modify the database, but look what we've been able to do with just six weeks. We've created it, implemented it, and are already on the verge of closing a twenty-seven year old case." Elly's eyes wouldn't veer from Vance's. He was excited to see the approval in them, and as Vance nodded slowly, he turned back to his laptop with a smile. "This is something like what it would look like, only much more in depth." He brought their attention to the screen, leaning back against the table with the laptop in his arm.

"This is an actual cold case file I've been assigned. You fill out the basic information over here in the database. Then, you'd type in the notes from the original agent, and you'd use this highlight tool to highlight the parts you find most important: key phrases, sentences, details you feel other cases might be able to cross-reference with. Behind the scenes, those are placed onto this spreadsheet which becomes the basis for all searches down the road.

"So, if I wanted to search for similar stabbings with bone-handled knives where drugs are involved, I go to this database, and I can use keywords drugs, stabbings, bone-handled knives, and it will search, providing this case as a possibility because those are the words I've highlighted from the case file notes. You can also break it down with the normal search syntax tools. Time frames, location, gender and race, those kinds of things, will be options in a series of drop down tools to allow for quicker searches.

"The same kind of highlight tool can be used for a psychological profile, and it would mark it as such. If there are interviews, they can be transcribed, and those details will simply be highlighted, and a second spreadsheet would contain that information. We can also have set so that the search runs just the evidentiary profile, psychological profile, or both."

Tony watched the screen in front of him. He wasn't so excited about having to do the data entry on every cold case for probably the rest of his career, but he definitely saw the benefits to it. He looked over at Elly and then Vance. "Right now, when we have to search for a case, we're just as likely to find information through a Google search as we would from the NCIS database. It's outdated, and not nearly as in-depth as this is suggesting we could make it. And with 300 cold case files and climbing for the past ten years alone, and budget cuts eliminating the actual Cold Case team, I think this would be worth the time to pursue."

Elly smiled at him, grateful for the support. Tony watched as he tried not to fidget, and looked to Vance for a reading on what he was thinking. "What do you think, Director? Can we tackle this?"

Vance nodded slowly, turning to Elly. "Write it up for me, Agent Critten. Take your team's current caseload, get it programmed, and find out how to connect it to the NCCD. We'll give it a good test run, and then take it from there." Elly nodded emphatically, biting his lower lip.

"Not a problem. I can definitely do that. It's going to take some time though."

"I expect it to. We need this to be thorough. Take months if that's what you need. Document every step of the way. If we can make this succeed, we can start offering our process to other organizations, and not only expand on a critical piece of our technology, but we may be able to get funding back for our cold case team. This is good work."

"Thank you, sir," Elly said, trying to hold still while stealing a look at Tony who gave him two thumbs up behind Vance's back. "I'm going to start getting an outline together before the Jericho file gets here or we get a case. Excuse me."

Vance nodded, and Elly clicked a few buttons on his laptop to disconnect from the plasma, and then left the room. Tony watched Vance watch Elly leave with a smile, and was concerned when the smile was turned on him.

"He's coming into his own nicely," Vance said. "I was really worried when your team started looking into this that it was going to go somewhere messy, and with the cases you're working on being outside of NCIS jurisdiction, I was hesitant to let you go out on that fine line. You're going to want to cover your asses and pull in the FBI when you go after Stafford for any other murders you find."

"I was talking about the case with Agent Fornell this weekend, and I'm sure he'd love to get involved with not only the case but the database," Tony said, and then a thought occurred to him. "Critten has a lot of special talents, and I'm extremely lucky to have him. One of the things I've been wondering is whether or not he would be a good candidate for interagency cooperation. He doesn't have that alphabet angst yet that we all come to know and love. He connected really well with FBI Agent Galto when Malcom died, and I know they've exchanged communication a few times since then. If we're going to share the technology, that would probably be a good segue."

Vance looked at him through slightly squinted eyes. "If you repeat this outside of this room, I'll deny it to the grave, but I'm really glad you've moved into a lead position. Your team is really taking off. I never would have expected this from Agent Critten so soon, and being able to naturally step in just now and explain it so persuasively was incredible." He started to walk towards his desk, but stopped and turned back to Tony. "You know, I actually had a normal conversation with Agent Dorneget this week? He didn't stick his foot in his mouth once. That might be even more impressive."

Tony chuckled and Vance grinned.

"Parke's been working with him on his social awkwardness. His profiling during the review of the video sessions has been invaluable," Tony said. "That's something else he's been working with Dorneget on, and I think Ned might actually end up taking some classes in it. He minored in psyche and drama, and it suits him. I think he's going to fit in just fine where he's at. I got his range scores sent to me this morning from a trip to the range he and Critten took yesterday, and I don't know what Elly did, but they were damn near perfect."

"That's a huge leap from what we've been hearing," Vance said with wide eyes. "His range scores have had me a little more than worried."

"Yeah, me too. I haven't had a chance to ask Critten about it yet, but I need to."

"Let me think about what to do with the interagency thing. In the meantime, keep me up to date on how things are going. Any word on how bad things are with Gibbs' case?" Vance moved to his desk, and Tony followed.

"They're bad. I don't have all the details, but I have a feeling we're going to be standing in this week if something major happens."

"Probably. I hate to say it, but your team has more talent and expertise than Balboa's team, even with all their seniority. They're good agents, but when it comes to high profile cases, I'd rather send yours out."

Tony blinked hard and nodded, unsure of what to think of the compliments he'd received in the past few minutes. "Thank you, Director- I think."

Vance chuckled.

Tony considered what he was about to say, and then moved closer to the desk. "I do think we need to be careful not to step on any toes until we're clear of any possible repercussions that Simmons might try to take after it becomes public that Jethro and I are getting married. We don't need any more enemies."

Vance looked up at Tony, and nodded thoughtfully. "True. I have to consider what's best for the agency though, and if your team fits a case better, I may have to make that call."

"Yes, but if what's best for the agency is that we are able to stay together to continue the progress and work we're doing, I will understand my team having to take a back seat while Balboa's goes out."

"Understand or prefer?" Vance asked.

"That's situational."

"I understand the sensitivity of our situation. I won't put your team in harm's way."

"Thank you."

"How are the wedding plans going, anyway?"

Tony groaned and plopped down in the armchair across from Vance's desk, making him laugh. "I think about it, and consider jumping off a nice tall building."

"That bad, huh?"

"We know that it's going to be outdoors, and it's going to be very small. That's about it. And _that_ was just decided this weekend. The push is on though, and we're feeling it, or at least I am."

"Ms. Scuito giving you a hard time with it?" he asked, thinking about how he'd witnessed her barraging him with questions as she hopped around the bullpen one night when it was just Tony and Gibbs left on the floor.

"Ohhhh, yeah. Jethro is going to talk to her though, so hopefully she'll lighten up a little. McGee is trying to keep things under control for me from the sidelines, but he can only intervene so much."

"Jackie was a bridezilla," Vance said with a smirk, and Tony laughed. "Had to have everything perfect, but in the end, watching her walk up that aisle, and the way she smiled, it was all worth it. When we were dancing later, I asked her if everything had worked out how she wanted it, and I'll never forget what she told me. She said, 'Yes, it's been the perfect way to celebrate the most important day in my life.'"

Tony smiled. He'd come to enjoy these little personal talks with Vance, and he was surprised at that. He thought about the night he realized he wanted to marry Jethro, and the vision of the two of them standing together, looking into his eyes as they slipped the bands onto one another's fingers, flooded his memory.

"I know it will all be worth it. Just need to survive the planning first." Tony got to his feet. "Gotta get going. I'll keep you in the loop."

"Let me know if you want me to get Jackie to plan your wedding," Vance joked.

Tony laughed. "Just what every man wants to hear, I have a bridezilla standing by!"

He left the office with a bright smile, and nodded at Pam on the way by. As he walked along the railing, he looked over to see Parke and Dorney gathered around Critten's desk. He came down the stairs and joined them.

"I take it Elly told you the good news?" They all looked up at him with matching smiles.

"Yeah! That's fantastic! He was asking us for some input." Parke was standing on one side of Elly, closest to the aisle, and Dorney had wedged himself on the other side between the wall and Elly's desk chair. He bent down and murmured something to Elly as he pointed to the screen, and Elly nodded.

"Definitely," Elly whispered to himself, then bit his lower lip as he worked.

"While we have the chance," Tony directed, "I want you to pull all of your cold cases and get them in a prioritized order for entry. That doesn't mean you're going to stop working on them, but if you have one with a lot of case notes, type them up in a document as you go along so that way when the database is ready, you can just copy paste them into it. Let's get into the habit now of doing that with our cases. You guys are brilliant, and you're revolutionizing how we're doing cold cases."

Parke nodded and clasped Elly on the shoulder. "Congrats man! This was all you!"

"Like hell it was!" Elly said with happy wide eyes. "We _all_ sat through hours of video, and McGee, Ned and I have _all_ spent hours in front of our computers writing the programs we needed to do this with and keep it secure. This has been the definition of a team effort. I just figured out what's next."

Tony smiled at Elly from behind his desk. He was glad Vance had encouraged him to give Elly his chance to shine, because he was doing an incredible job as SFA. He was innovative, supportive of the team, and had a natural leadership that had blossomed when confidence had been shown in him. His decision to take Elly to his meeting with Vance had been split-second, but he knew that Elly could explain the database better than he could, and he hoped that Elly knew that's why he was brought in.

Pulling out his own stack of cold cases, he began shuffling through them for the ones he wanted to see entered into the database first. He opened one to read it over, then set it aside. Two more ended up in the pile before he found one that he thought would be good for the first trial. It had three pages of case notes from various people that had worked on the case over the years, and he began a document, typing up the notes.

Halfway through the second page, he looked up to see that Elly and Dorney were talking softly, Dorney still at his side as they went through the possible drop downs they wanted to add. He smiled, glad that they had gotten so close, and then he remembered what Vance had said about Dorney having a normal conversation with him. He glanced at Parke and smiled.

"Almost noon, Greg," he said.

Parke looked at the clock in the corner of his computer with a smile. Any minute now, Tony's cell phone would ring with a call from Shane to check in. Shane was often in the middle of the park for days on end, but every Monday at noon he called Tony for a security check-in before heading out into the field after their weekly planning meeting.

Tony had witnessed Parke relaxing more and more over the past month since he knew his brother was safe. He had gotten more comfortable asking questions in the field when he didn't know something, trusting that Tony would tell him and not leave him hanging. There were still times where Tony saw he was trying to figure things out on his own, and sometimes he let him, and others he would step in. He knew that came from a long history of not having anyone to ask, not just his few months with Kathy.

Tony went back to typing up the case notes, and at exactly noon, his phone rang. He answered it, Parke already at the side of his desk. "DiNozzo." He looked up at him with a smile.

"Heya, Tony! How's it going?" Shane greeted him.

"Hey, Shane! Fine here. Everything good?"

"Yeah! Getting results already on the transplants, so life is good!"

"Nice! Any new people this week in your park?" He asked.

"Yeah, two. Got names for you when you're ready."

Tony turned to his computer and wedged the phone between his ear and shoulder as he brought up the background search tool. "Go ahead."

"Preston Mooney, that's M-O-O-N-E-Y," Shane said quietly. "And Bianca Borne, B-O-R-N-E."

"Sounds good. I've got them running now."

"Cool. Phil says hey and that if you need anything, he's working in the center this week, to give him a call."

"Will do. I think Greg may wanna talk to you. I'm not sure. Hold on." Tony looked up to where Parke was smiling at him and reaching for the phone ready to snatch it from him. "What's that Greg?" he joked. "I'm not telling him you ran away to the circus. He didn't believe you last time, he isn't going to believe you this time." He swatted at Parke as he ducked down, keeping his phone from him as Parke climbed over him to try to get it, both men laughing, causing laughter on the other end of the line and from behind Elly's desk as they witnessed the hilarity.

"Gimme that!" Parke said, grabbing the phone finally from Tony, breathing heavily. "Hey, little brother!" He took Tony's cell and went to sit at his desk. "Yeah, you know Tony. He's just being a PAIN IN THE ASS!" He hollered across the desks, making Tony grin, and Elly and Dorney exchange smiles.

Tony eavesdropped while he typed, but nothing revealing was said. Parke told him they had implemented the database they were working on and gotten a hit, and Tony looked up, seeing all of his agents wearing the same shy smile as they could hear Shane's proud voice celebrating on the other end of the line loudly.

Tony finished typing his notes as Parke finished his conversation, returning his phone to him. He looked at the time and saw it was almost 1230. "I think it's time for lunch. What do you guys think?"

"I packed for once," Parke said. "We went out to dinner after that god awful fundraiser yesterday, and I have leftover shrimp alfredo. Pretty excited."

"I have to run to the dry cleaners," Dorney said, crinkling his nose. "Got all of my other laundry done yesterday, and dropped off the good stuff. Need to pick it up now since I have an appointment after work." He finally got to his feet from his crouched position next to Elly on the floor, steadying himself with his hand on Elly's shoulder.

"No falling over on the laptop!" Elly joked as Dorney shook his head and squeezed past him to get to his own desk. "I think I'm going to go down to the deli if you want me to grab something for you, or you can come with."

"I think I'll tag along. It's beautiful out today, and the walk would be nice." They locked down their computers, and headed for the front elevator as Dorney headed for the back. "No throwing some wild party while I'm gone, Greg. I'll tell Shane on you!"

"Heh, what's he gonna do?"

"Get jealous?" Tony said with a shrug as he turned back around at the elevator, boarding with Elly.

As they headed for the front entrance, Tony noticed that Elly was practically bouncing across the foyer. He was glad to see that he was having a good day.

"I got a question for you," Tony started as they headed down the sidewalk.

Elly raised an eyebrow at him. "Shoot."

"Well, that's kinda what it's about. What happened with you and Dorney at the range yesterday?"

Elly sighed, not sure how much he should divulge of the conversation they'd had.

"I'm not really sure, honestly. I knew he was nervous, and asked him why. He's got a good heart. He wasn't comfortable with the idea of having to hit a live target one day. We talked, and next thing I know, he's taking out the target like it had just killed his mother. Maybe that's what he was actually thinking, though I doubt it knowing his relationship with Mama Dorney isn't so great." He shrugged.

"Afterwards, he was a little… I don't know, off?" He looked at Tony for a minute, and then looked away and stopped. Tony stopped too, watching him closely. "I asked if he thought he could do it, and he said yeah, and that's what scares him."

Tony nodded, looking Elly in the eyes. He watched them drop, looking around them at the ground as he shook his head. He knew that Elly was uncomfortable with the conversation.

"Hey, don't ever feel like you have to tell me personal details of your conversations if you're not comfortable with it," Tony said, trying to meet Elly's eyes again as he nodded. "That's good to know, though. I don't know what you talked about, what you said to him that sparked such a change, but I'm grateful. I've worked with him, Ziva has worked with him… I was getting to the point I was going to ask Gibbs to take a whack at it." Elly's eyes shot up to his as he shook his head emphatically.

"Don't do that. He wouldn't have the patience for Ned."

Tony smiled. He hadn't wanted to go that route either, for the same reasons. Dorney's confidence was just starting to develop, and he didn't need Jethro's impatience wearing it down.

"You're doing an amazing job, Elly." Tony said, and then turned from the suddenly embarrassed look on Elly's face and started heading for the deli. Elly squinted at him in surprise, and then rushed to catch up with him.

"Hey, Tony?"

"Hmm?"

"Can I ask _you_ something?"

"Sure."

"Why did you decide to make me the SFA? You could have brought someone in with much more experience. You have an agency full of agents. Why me?"

Tony stopped and looked at him again. "I didn't want anyone from the outside. You and Greg already had a pretty strong bond, and it was built on an experience they would never be able to understand. Bringing in someone new to the mix, and giving them power, would have sucked for all of us. I needed someone I can trust, and you guys could trust.

"Honestly, at first, I thought Greg would be SFA because you followed his lead so well, but it didn't take long to find out that's situational. You follow him in personal matters, and you're close friends, so that makes sense.

"What really did it though was how you kept your head during the blow out at the motel. You not only stayed calm, but you handled receiving and giving directions well, and then the way you handled things at the hospital afterwards… When you were talking with Galto, he responded well to you. When you talked to Tiffany, she responded well to you.

"You relate well with people, you care about them, and more than the enormous amount of paperwork and procedure, which I knew you'd handle easily anyway, _that_ is what matters in your position. It means you'll put the team's needs first, and you'll protect them. That means something to me that I can't begin to explain." Tony watched Elly's eyes soften, and he shook his head with a smile. "See? That right there. You have an urge to know, to help, to heal and fix." Elly smiled and looked away, shaking his head.

"I thought Greg was supposed to be the profiler."

"I can tell you right now that this is a stepping stool position for you. You're going to go places that you never thought you'd go here. I hope you take your time though, because I want you to stick around on our level for a long time before you run off and become a big shot."

"I really, really like where I'm at. Not looking to go anywhere," Elly said, making eye contact again. He suddenly grinned. "That is, unless you start supergluing me to shit, then all bets are off."

Tony laughed and clapped him on the back as they started walking towards the deli again. "No promises, kid. No promises."


	6. Chapter 6

Tim walked into the lab to find out if Abby had made any headway on the things they had gathered from the apartment. Seeing his girlfriend in her element made him smile. He discreetly checked her out, and moved to stand next to her.

"Hey, you!" she said, bumping his hip with hers as she swayed to the music playing. "Results aren't back yet on the fingerprints, but I was able to get a few more off of the things you brought me. They're running too, and we have already cleared all of them as belonging to someone other than the residents."

"That's great news. We need to find the people who did this. We gotta get those journals back before the information makes it into the wrong hands."

Abby nodded. She had gotten the story from Dina during the examination, and she was determined to do what she could to help.

"I've already called and rescheduled the viewing we had set up this evening."

"You're amazing, Abs," Tim said while clicking away at the computer next to hers to try to get into any video feeds he could close to the apartment.

"Not that amazing. We need to wrap this up by tomorrow night, at least enough to get away for two hours. There is someone else looking at it on Wednesday afternoon."

"Oh, that's not good. This is the best place we've found so far, and it sounds almost perfect. What time is the appointment?" he asked.

"It's not until 7:30. I'm going to see what I can do to ask Gibbs to let you slip away for it if things don't get resolved by then."

"Better you than me. You'll always be his favorite." Tim hadn't stopped looking away from the screen. He found two angles he could work with that were a block apart with the apartment building in between. He sent the information to his computer upstairs, and then reached over to kiss Abby on the cheek. "Love you, Abs. Gotta go."

"Love you, too, Timmy," she said with a smile over her shoulder as he rushed out of the lab.

* * *

Gibbs sat next to Dina as she explained what had happened to their friends. Her face was tear-stained, and her eyes were bright red and wet. He watched Talia and Malek's reactions closely. Talia reached her hand across the table to take Dina's as she talked, and Dina held onto it tightly. Her words from that point on were more emotional, and she wept as she explained to Talia what had happened. Gibbs' eyes focused on Malek's blank expression, and he wondered how his usually warm friend was able to show no emotion.

As Dina finished talking, Malek stood up. Gibbs thought he was going to come over and offer Dina support, but when he walked by, Gibbs got to his feet and followed him into the hall.

"Where are you going, Malek?" Gibbs asked, trying to reign in his temper, still unable to read the expression on his face.

"I need some air," he answered.

"You need air more than Dina needs your support right now?" he asked bitterly.

"I need air so I can think!" Malek came back with.

"Think about what?!" Gibbs practically shouted, earning stares from Tony's team and everyone else in the bullpen below within earshot. Malek glared at him, and turned away to walk down the steps and then out of the stairwell door next to the elevator. Gibbs shook his head at him in disbelief before going back into the conference room with the ladies.

Tony looked down at his desk, and then jumped up, grabbing his gun and creds. He jogged to the staircase door, and headed down the steps to the exit for the ground level before getting to the garage. He found Malek walking across the square, and hurried to catch up with him. He told himself the entire way that this wasn't his case, wasn't his fight, and he shouldn't get involved, that Jethro would be pissed, but something about the idea that Malek was Jethro's friend kept him going towards him.

"Malek! Hey! Wait up!" Tony shouted. Malek turned to see him coming at him and stopped with a heavy sigh. "Hey, what just happened?"

"It is not your concern," Malek answered, trying not to lose his patience. Tony ground his teeth.

"Why are you and Jethro arguing?" he asked again, more specifically.

"What does it matter, Tony? You are not on his team any longer correct? Then stay out of it."

Tony wasn't sure what had suddenly turned the jolly giant in front of him into a dick, but it tripped a fuse in him he wasn't aware he had.

"It _matters_ because when my fiancé is arguing with one of the only people I've ever heard him call a _friend_ , I get a little worried!" he said with a low growl. "Now what the _hell_ just happened up there?!"

"Fiancé?"

"Yes, my fiancé. Those changes he said we'd have to go to dinner to catch up on include the announcement of our engagement. When we all went to dinner when you hit stateside, and our love lives came up, we had been talking about each other, but we couldn't tell you because the Director was there, and he didn't know yet. We're getting married in September.

"Look, I probably know Jethro better than anyone on this planet, and he doesn't call people friends easily. He knows a lot of people, and he's on good terms with more than half of them, but he planned dinner that night so that I could meet his _friends_ \- you, Dina and Talia. I also know what happened to Dina, so whatever went down just now upstairs must be pretty messed up for you to walk away from her. Either that, or you have a shitty idea of what it means to be a friend."

"Friends…" Malek said with a scoff. "Friends." Malek shook his head and sat down on the wall around the center gardens. Tony sat down on the wall next to him, seeing the sudden defeat in Malek's eyes, and he waited.

"Talia's brother was my best friend. She is like a little sister to me. She means so much to me, but Dina? Dina stole my heart. Dina means everything to me, and I… I mean nothing to her. I would do anything for her, and she knows this. I have told her how I feel, and she has told me that she does not feel the same way. I have understood. Love is not always returned. But she didn't…" Tony watched Malek's shoulders heave, and heard his voice catch in his throat.

"She has been dealing with this for months now, and she did not feel she could come to me? She did not tell me? That monster violated her, and she had to take his life, but she could not tell me? She could not tell Talia? We have been through fire and rain together, and she could not tell us? All she would have had to do was say the word, and I would have killed him myself for her, and yet, she could not even let me help her carry the burden of at least knowing what had happened?"

Tony took a deep breath, understanding things a little better. This was grief, and the ugly head of grief often began with anger. He wasn't sure if he was the best person to be having this discussion with him, but he knew that he had to say something while he had the moment.

"As personal as your feelings are for her, you need to think about this with your head, not your heart. Many women can't talk about the trauma of rape for a long time after the experience, if ever. If the journals had not gone missing, then you may have never known. It's not personal, Malek. It's a survival technique programmed into us. If you don't talk about it, it didn't happen. If no one else knows, it didn't happen. She didn't just keep _you_ in the dark, she kept _everyone_ in the dark.

"You need to get your head out of your ass and go be there for her, otherwise, if you think you're cut off now, you'll learn just how cut of you can really be. If you really love her, if you care about her at all, you'll get up, go back up there, and let her know that you're never going to walk away from her in a time of need ever again."

Malek looked at Tony with tears in his eyes. "I could not let her see me like this. Like I told Gibbs, I needed some air to think and get my head together. I do not know what to say."

"In moments like that, you don't always need words." Tony watched Malek shudder. "Come on, I'll take you back in."

Malek nodded and stood up, and Tony led him inside silently. Once they were in the elevator, Malek turned to Tony.

"I am worried about what Talia will think of your engagement. You may want to warn Gibbs not to tell her right now. She is the most conservative amongst us, and though I know Dina and myself will be very happy that our friend has found love, your gender may cause a rift between the two of them."

"Thanks for the warning," Tony said as they got off the lift.

"Thank you for the ass-kicking," Malek said, looking at Tony sheepishly. Tony opened the door to the conference room, and Malek walked in. Jethro looked up at Tony in confusion, and came to join him at the door. Dina looked up at Malek, and he went over to her, dropping on his knees and pulling her into his arms. She held onto him tightly and together, they wept. Jethro put a hand on Tony's shoulder and steered him out of the room.

"What just happened?" Jethro asked in confusion.

"Grief just happened," Tony said as sheepishly as Malek had just addressed him. "By the way, he knows, and don't tell Talia, she won't be happy." Tony turned to walk away, and Jethro dragged him down the hall and into the bathroom. Once he checked to make sure all of the stalls were empty, he glared at Tony.

"Try that again."

Tony steeled his resolve, and kept eye contact with him. "If it was anyone else, I wouldn't have gotten involved. They're your friends, Jethro, and by extension, that kinda means they're my friends. So, I went after him. When I caught up with him, he was being a total prick, and then when I said I knew what had happened to Dina, he broke down and told me that he was in love with her, and that she wasn't in love with him, and that he was hurt and angry that she hadn't come to him when it happened. So, I tore him a new one, and here we are."

Jethro sighed, one hand on his waist and one on his forehead as he turned and thought it through.

"I mean it though," Tony said quietly, taking a step closer to him. "If it was anyone else, I wouldn't have gotten involved. This isn't just a case though, it's personal."

Jethro let his hand run down his face and nodded.

"Yeah, it's personal- too personal," Jethro said quietly. "I don't know if I can separate, Tony."

"Yeah, you can," Tony reassured, but then Jethro's eyes locked onto his.

"No, Tony, I don't think I can. The whole professional-personal boundaries here are so blurred, and I have crossed them so many times over the past few months... I don't want things to come to light at the end of this case that come back to bite us because I have personal ties with them."

Tony nodded slowly, trying to absorb what was being said. "Are you saying you're going to turn it over?"

"I don't know."

"You know that at this point, that means they'll go into protective custody and you may never see them again."

Jethro nodded. "Yeah, I know."

"Don't do it, not yet," Tony said.

Jethro looked up at him, and Tony shook his head.

"Not yet. Let Tim, Ziva and Abby do their thing, and see what they get, and then decide. If you wanna keep it in house, let me know, and I'll step in. If you want it even further detached, we'll call Fornell. Don't turn it over though, Jethro."

Jethro squinted at him with his head tilted to the side, trying to get a read on why Tony was so against it.

"I've never heard you call someone your friends before them," Tony said quietly, and shrugged. "I don't want to see you lose any more friends." Jethro blinked and looked up at the ceiling before nodding.

"Okay. I'm going to go check with McGee and see if they've gotten anywhere yet," Jethro said quietly.

Tony reached out his hand, and Jethro took it, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Thanks, Tony."

"Anytime."

They returned to the bullpen, splitting to go their opposite ways. Tony sat down at his desk, pretending to go back to work while eavesdropping on the conversation behind him.

"What do ya got, McGee?"

"Hey, Boss. We were able to get a BOLO out on the vehicle we believe was carrying our journal thieves. It's a black Ford Focus. It's the only vehicle that entered the block and didn't immediately exit it. Traffic cams see it entering the 600 block of Center Street, and then an ATM camera shows it exiting approximately twelve minutes later. There are no other ways in or out of the area by car, and the block is completely street parking.

"Driver must have been waiting for them to leave though, because it goes through the traffic light camera just two minutes after Malek, Talia and Dina walked past the ATM at the other end of the block. No front plates on the car, so the traffic cam can't help with that, but we got a partial from the rear plate from the ATM cam. Abby is running it and trying to clear the picture of the ATM cam footage, but it was really dark, and we may not be able to get more than what we have."

Ziva came rushing into the bullpen, her phone in her hand. "My contacts were able to tell me that we have an unwelcome visitor in the area." She went behind her desk and ran a quick search, then sent the file to the plasma and joined Gibbs and Tim at the screen. "Meet Isa Ali Bak. He is an Iraqi national that has been linked to several honor killings, and has connections with the Qureshi faction."

Tony suddenly turned around in his seat, standing up to look over the partition. "Did you just say the Qureshi faction? As in the guys behind the terrorist attacks from the op we were running in March?"

All three of them turned to look at Tony. Jethro nodded and Tony bit his lip, shaking his head before sitting back down. Tony's team watched him crack his neck and squirm behind his desk.

Dorney heard the mention of an op, and he felt compelled to ask if he could help. He looked to Elly and Parke for some kind of support, and he saw them both shaking their head 'no' at him as inconspicuously as possible. Dorney's gut churned though, so he open an IM window to his boss and asked.

NDorneget01: _Anything I can do?_

Tony was startled when the window popped up in front of him. Pieces of track began to lay themselves in his mind, and he started plotting.

TDiNozzo01: _Not sure yet. The op was classified, but involved the Qureshi Faction. Read up on them._

NDorneget01: _Right away._

Dorneget was on it like flies on honey, excited to be included in the hubbub. He started with external sources, reading what he could, and then moved on to internal sources.

Meanwhile, Tony was eavesdropping again on the case.

"How can we connect Ali Bak to Dina, Talia and Malek?" Gibbs asked.

"We need to ask them that. It could be a lot of different things with what they did for various governments. We need a direction to start the search," Tim said quietly enough that Tony had to strain to hear.

"I'll go talk to them," Gibbs said. "In the meantime, start piecing together what you can." Tim and Ziva turned immediately to go back to their desks, and Gibbs headed for the staircase.

He knew that he should probably check in with Vance and let him know what they had so far, but he wasn't really sure where it was going yet, and like McGee had said, they needed a direction. He carefully opened the door to the conference room, unsure of what he was going to walk into. The scene he had left behind twenty minutes earlier had been painful, and what he saw before him wasn't much better.

Dina had laid down in one of the armchairs, her feet up on a conference table chair. She looked like she was out cold. Malek and Talia were standing close together at the other end of the room close to the windows, talking in hushed voices. When Gibbs closed the door, they turned to look at him. He could tell they had both been crying, and his eyes met Malek's, who looked down at the table, obviously ashamed of his earlier outburst.

He went to the far end of the conference table, and leaned against it. He bypassed the emotional part of the situation, and tried to stay on the professional side of that blurry line.

"We have heard that Isa Ali Bak is in town. Do you know who he is?" he asked.

The two people in front of him looked at each other for a moment with grief-stricken eyes, and then back at Gibbs.

"By reputation only," Malek said. "His name is well-known by people who seek revenge on those that are believed to have shamed their families."

"And by those who are afraid of their families because of their disagreements. As I have no family any longer," Talia said quietly, "I know it is not I that he would have come after."

They all looked over at the sleeping figure across the room, and Malek shook his head.

"Dina's family would do this," he said quietly, a slow rage burning in his voice that Gibbs recognized immediately. "The Ta'anaris are not good people, Gibbs. Dina does not go back to her village for any reason now, and we would never take assignments there. They are violent people, involved in many uprisings on the opposite side of the war than what we fight."

"Things must have… progressed for them," Talia said, looking at Malek and then back at Gibbs. "They are very bad people, but they do not have the…" She struggled for the word, looking to Malek for help.

"The clout, the connections," Malek offered.

"Yes! The clout," she said, trying the word out. "They do not have the clout to hire someone so well-known and send him here."

"Or at least they did not when Dina left the clan," Malek said.

"Why did she leave?" Gibbs asked quietly, looking over his shoulder to see if Dina was awake to tell the story herself. She was still passed out. When he turned back to Malek, he saw his eyes were on her as well, and he knew that what Tony had said was undoubtedly true. The look he had was that of a man in love, and he wondered why he had not seen it before.

"She is stronger than they are. Braver, wiser, kinder. She wants change, but it is not the change that her family wants. The fact that she can read and write alone would anger them greatly. She began receiving threats from her family, and ran from home in the dark of night with not much of her own."

Talia picked up the story. "She and I met in the market when my family traveled to her village to sell some of the things they had made. She found us that night, and asked if she could come with us, afraid for her life. My own parents were very kind people. They hid her, and we took her out of her village and back to ours. When I lost them and my brother, she was there for me. I hope I can be there for her now. What I can do, I will do. Please let me know."

Gibbs looked at her warmly, understanding that sense of loyalty. He thought of Tony's unwavering loyalty to him, and his words that Talia would not approve of them. The idea suddenly hurt him. Tony was right- these were his friends, and the thought of losing them was painful, especially over a bigotry that he hadn't expected any of them to have. He pushed the emotions back over to the personal side of that blurry line, and nodded.

"We need to know if any of your assignments other than the most recent op would have put you in the cross-hairs of the Qureshi faction. Ali Bak has ties to them, and we're trying to find some sort of direction. What can you tell me about what you've been working on this past year?" Gibbs took his little notebook and pen out of his pocket, and Talia and Malek moved to sit down. Gibbs sat at the head of the table, and started taking notes as they explained their most recent missions. Most of the contracts had been through the US government, but there were a couple through other NATO allies as well.

Most of the things they had worked on were fact-finding missions. Though Malek did have to take out one target this year, it was not anything that would have connected them to the Qureshi or earned them a bounty. He was missing something, he knew he was, but he couldn't put his finger on it. Something wasn't adding up, but the most likely scenario they had in front of them was that Isa Ali Bak was in town to kill Dina.

"I'm going to find out where you will be staying tonight, and come let you know. Until then, hang tight." Both of them gave him a nod, and he got up to leave, glancing at Dina on the way out. She was paler than usual as she snored lightly, and he worried about her. _I hope Ducky's tests come back soon for her,_ he thought as he headed down the stairs.

"McGee, Ziva, anything new?" he said, going behind his desk.

"Nothing on the BOLO," McGee said.

"I have a contact who is trying to find out more information about Ali Bak and what he plans on doing in D.C. She says that he hit their radar two nights ago, but she does not know for sure that is when he arrived."

"Any word on _how_ he got here?" Gibbs asked.

"She cannot say," Ziva said. He nodded, understanding that many of Ziva's contacts were speaking as unofficially as one can get.

"I'm trying to find out how anyone could have known where they were staying, Boss, but there is no sign whatsoever that the system has been breached, and only the three of us, Vance and Tony knew where they were staying. They don't even have a protection detail assigned to them." McGee shook his head as he typed away at the keyboard in front of him, a confused look on his face that matched what Gibbs was feeling.

"Could the information have been intercepted when we were setting up the place? Before they even got in there?" Gibbs asked, trying to think of different ways to look at this since the way he had been simply wasn't working for him.

"No. I set it up with complete anonymity. They only thing that's attached to that file is my name and that the apartment was being used for protective services related to a classified op. Not even your name or Tony's is attached to it, and with it being tagged as in connection with a classified op, if the protection staff would have wanted to inquire further, and they would have had to go through me or you, or at the time, Tony, to find out more information. None of us were contacted. They generally will leave it alone anyway when they see that flag."

"What about the building landlord?"

"The management company is Greenfield, and they have processes in place with us for multiple units around the city. They leave them empty, DOD pays for the utilities to remain on at all times in the units, and we fill them as needed. They have no idea who is in the unit, their background, or anything. The protection staff cleared the place and were gone before we ever transported Malek, Talia and Dina to the site." Tim kept his fingers on his keyboard as he looked up to go over the details with Gibbs, and saw him shake his head. "I know that's not exactly what you wanted to hear," Tim said with a wince.

"Ya think?" Gibbs shook his head, then looked up to see just how haggard McGee looked. He knew he felt responsible, and that he was making it worse. There's no one else he would trust more with the job of placing his friends than the kid, and damn it all if this case wasn't making him sentimental enough to give a damn about it. "Concentrate on finding Ali Bak, and see where Malek and the ladies can go tonight. I want agents on their door around the clock."

Tim nodded and started typing again, changing tactics.

"Ziva, what did you get from the other tenants in the building?"

"Everyone was asleep. No one heard anything unusual, nor did they see anything. It was still very early, or very late, depending on how you look at it." Gibbs nodded. That was what he had expected.

"Okay. I want as much information on Ali Bak as soon as you can get it." Gibbs turned to his own computer, pulling up information, determined to find the answers he felt just out of reach.

* * *

Tony couldn't take the tension of listening to the case going on behind him anymore. He corralled his team, and they headed for the gym for some sparring. He and Parke were teamed up, and Dorney and Elly were together on the mat next to them. Tony swiped Parke's feet out from under him, but his baby agent rolled from him quickly before he could pin him down. Both of them were back on their feet. and Tony smiled at his fast recovery.

"Completely expected that to bring you down since you landed on that shoulder," Tony said.

"It's a lot better, and I make sure to do my physical therapy," Parke said with a smirk as they circled one another.

"Good," Tony said before coming at him again.

Parke dodged again, and as Tony slid past him a foot, he hit Tony across the back while tripping him, landing Tony on his chest. Tony turned and grabbed Parke's foot as he tried to press it on his back, pulling and then twisting to knock him off balance and bring him down hard on his side. Tony swung to his knees and pinned Parke to the ground, pulling his hands behind his back. Parke attempted to buck him off, but Tony tucked his feet under Parke's legs, making it impossible. Parke laid his head down on the mat in defeat, breathing hard.

"Gotta keep moving," Tony said as he caught his own breath, then got to his feet, offering Parke his hand. Parke took it, and let Tony pull him to his feet as he nodded.

"Yeah, that one hurt though," he admitted, rubbing his shoulder and shaking it out. Tony nodded, understanding and watching him with concern for a minute.

"It gets easier," he said with a smirk as Parke raised an eyebrow at him. "Every time you get shot you'll find the recovery time gets cut in half." He shrugged as Parke rolled his eyes. "I'm partial to the concussion myself, as McGee will be glad to give you details and stats on, but I've definitely had my share of lead taken out of me."

"I will expect the worst and hope for the best," Parke said, then froze and stared at the other mat in disbelief. He then burst out laughing. Tony turned to see what was so funny, and found that Elly had Dorneget on the floor, tickling him mercilessly.

"If you hate it so much," Elly shouted over Dorneget and Parke's laughter, "You'll kick my ass, and make me stop!"

Elly wasn't expecting the kind of revenge that Dorney had in mind though. Ned reached up through his fit of giggles and started pinching Elly's sides hard, making him yelp and jump back. Dorney took the advantage and rolled so that Elly was now pinned beneath him. He grabbed his arms and pressed his knees into the crooks of his elbows, sitting across his chest as he caught his breath.

"You're evil!" Dorney said as Elly chuckled below him. "That was cruel and unusual punishment! Isn't that outlawed in the Geneva Convention or something? I'm pretty sure tickling is why they closed Gitmo."

"That and the Barney theme song being blared over and over again," Elly agreed with a smile, not attempting to move as he caught his own breath.

"I'm pretty sure it was the waterboarding," Tony said, suddenly standing over both of them.

"Hey, Boss!" Elly said with a smile. "Finally got him to pin me!"

"Yeah, so I see."

Dorney was suddenly on his feet, helping Elly up, his own expression much more concerned than Elly's.

"Alternative tactics seem to work best," Elly said with a smirk as he looked at Dorney.

"I'd rather be shot than tickled," Ned grumbled, making Elly laugh. Tony smiled, and shook his head.

"Well, at least you know your options. Come on guys, time for showers." Tony turned to walk away, and a few seconds later heard a thump and groan. He turned around to find Elly on the ground on his back again. Dorney just smirked and headed for the showers. Tony walked back over to Elly, and looked down at him.

"What just happened?" he asked.

"I tried to tickle him again," Elly said with what little breath hadn't been knocked out of him. Tony started laughing and turned around, leaving Elly to compose himself on the floor.

 _Alternate tactics,_ he thought to himself. _Kid is full of them, and they manage to always work. Starting to understand why Jethro always kept us so close._ He stopped as he reached the doorway to the locker room, and turned to see Elly trying to sit up. _Don't want Vance to send him up the ladder yet, but I won't make the same mistake._ He nodded to himself. _Gotta make sure he gets his chance to shine._


	7. Chapter 7

Ziva looked down at her phone for the hundredth time, watching the message notification light blinking. She was on the phone with a contact, trying to see if they had any information on Ali Bak's arrival. The text was undoubtedly from Dion about their plans that night. She hated to tell him that she was going to have to cancel, but she knew that he would understand. That was the most amazing thing about the man. He wanted her in his plans, but he wasn't mad at her for having to bail because of work. He would be upset, but not at her, and she appreciated it more than she had ever thought she would.

She hung up the desk phone finally, and grabbed her cell. Flipping it open, her fear was confirmed. Dion was asking her if she was going to make the taste testing that night at the restaurant. She shook her head, wanting to be there much more than where she was right then. She put off replying, and relayed to Gibbs that her contact had no idea where their bounty hunter had slipped off the grid to.

McGee confirmed that he had agents waiting downstairs to escort their trio to the motel they would be staying in for the rest of the case, and Gibbs nodded.

"Something's missing," Gibbs said, shaking his head. Tony and his team came back into the bullpen, and their laughter and amusement in one another caught Gibbs' attention, making him smile as his eyes met Tony's. He watched as everyone but Tony grabbed their stuff, and then said their goodbyes. He thought for a moment about what Tony had said earlier, and about what he had said to Tony. This was personal, not just a case, and Malek, Talia and Dina were his friends by proxy. He looked at Tim and Ziva as they watched him for their next step.

"McGee, make sure our displaced visitors get transferred to the protection detail. Ziva, keep your lines open tonight for your original contact to get back with you. If you find out anything, you call me immediately. Same with the BOLO, McGee. Go on, get out of here. We'll come back to it with fresh eyes in the morning. I got something I gotta do." Gibbs grabbed his cell, and headed for the bathroom, flipping it open and texting Tony.

_Meet me in the can?_

Tony got the text, and looked at the phone with a raised eyebrow. He had heard what Jethro had just told the team, and was curious about what it was he had to do. He figured he was about to find out. He casually got up, and headed for the bathroom. He went in and found Jethro leaning against the sink. Tony glanced at the other stalls to find all of their doors open. He turned and locked the main door, and looked at Jethro.

"What's up?" he asked quietly.

"I need you to do something with me."

"Anything," Tony said, leaning against the sink with Jethro, his head turned to watch him.

"I'm going to go back to the apartment, and see if I can get a feel for what happened. There is absolutely no way anyone could have known where they were without someone on the inside turning, and the pool of people we have to choose from only includes our team- well, my team and you, and of course Vance. Something isn't right. I think we're barking up the wrong tree."

"You want me to go with you?" Tony asked, somewhat confused.

"Yeah. I wasn't at the scene earlier, and I don't want McGee and Ziva to think I don't trust them. McGee is taking this kinda hard, considering he set up their safe house. He thinks he's screwed it up somehow, but I don't think so. I really don't. I think we're looking at this from the wrong angle. Somewhat impartial eyes may help."

Tony nodded. "Yeah, sure. Anything. Are we waiting for them to leave?" he asked.

"No. Let's just get going. I think the sooner I can cross something, anything, off the list, the better I'll be able to get a handle on this thing."

"Alright. Let's go," Tony said. "Should probably…" Tony nodded to the urinal with a shrug. Jethro smirked and unlocked the door, leaving Tony to do his business.

* * *

Tim and Ziva didn't waste any time in getting their responsibilities in place so that they could leave. Ziva was ecstatic to be able to tell Dion she would be there tonight, and Tim was hoping to get a little bit of privacy to look further into his coding to make sure there wasn't any way someone could have compromised his system when he had put the orders through for the apartment acquisition.

Gibbs came back through the bullpen, grabbing his stuff and turning off his desk lamp, leaving in a rush. Ziva was already gone, and Tim was on his way up the steps to get Malek, Talia and Dina. Gibbs had to fight back the urge to join him and explain what they knew so far, but there wasn't much, and he couldn't face his friends without any answers yet.

Tony was right on his heels as they went down the staircase together. Tony could tell that Jethro was still in "Gibbs mode" before they had made it down a full flight, because he didn't get pulled into the blind spot for a quick kiss, which had become their thing. He furrowed his brow as he kept going into the garage, following Jethro to their cars.

"You wanna drive separately or together?" Tony asked.

"Together, if that's okay with you," Jethro said, looking over at Tony, searching for the comfort the younger man's eyes always offered him.

"Sure," Tony said with a small smile, meeting Jethro's eyes before getting into the passenger side of the Challenger. "I take it we're doing this off the books?"

"Yeah," Jethro said, backing out of the space. "I don't plan on collecting any evidence unless we need to. Just feel like if I knew the environment, I'd feel a little better. Not used to _not_ visiting the scene."

"I get it," Tony said. "Were you able to get anywhere with Ali Bak?" Tony asked as casually as he could, glancing out of the corner of his eye at Jethro for his reaction.

Jethro shook his head and smiled at Tony's apparent eavesdropping, taking his hand as they drove through the city.

"No. Dina's family is on the wrong side of the war, and though they're the types to do something like send a bounty hunter after her, the last time anyone checked, they didn't have the means."

"Even with their connections to the Qureshi faction?" Tony asked.

"We don't know if they have connections to them yet," Jethro said with a shrug.

"Uh…" Tony wasn't sure how to say it without giving up what he and Dorney had been researching. He thought about it for a moment, and then exhaled, knowing he would just have to accept being busted. "Yeah they do."

Jethro turned to look at him with a raised brow.

"When I heard you bring up the faction earlier, and I asked if I'd heard you right, it peaked Dorney's interest since it was connected to an op. He knows what we're setting him up for, and he asked if there was anything he could do, so I told him to start learning about the faction. He went a little further than just the faction though, and he sent me his findings. I looked into them myself, and together, we gathered that the Ta'anaris are a major supporter of the faction, and have been helping them gather materials and information for the past five years."

Jethro groaned, and Tony was afraid it was because he had gotten involved with the case. Before he could apologize though, Jethro started speaking. "Dina hasn't been home in over fifteen years, so she wouldn't have known that. Talia and Malek have obviously been keeping tabs on the situation from afar, but they didn't know they had those kinds of resources now either."

"Yeah, it appears they do." Tony left it at that.

"Can you send me the information when we get back to the Yard?" Jethro asked.

"Yeah, definitely."

"Thanks, Tony, for having my back," Jethro said, looking over at him.

"That's what I'm here for, Jethro," Tony said with a small smile. "Like I said, I'll always be one of yours."

Jethro smiled broadly at that and shook his head a little bit. "So, I see."

They pulled up outside of the building and got out, making sure to scan the area. It was warm and sunny still, and the light reflected too much off of the windows of the building to see if anyone was watching them from above. They headed into the stairwell, and up one flight. Jethro pulled out his lock picking kit, and Tony stood guard. It took a couple of minutes since McGee had locked the deadbolt as well behind him, but they got in without incident.

Tony pulled a glove on, and flipped the light switch. It was obvious that the placed had been tossed. Stuff was everywhere, seemingly thrown around at random. They started looking through the apartment, though Tony had no idea what they were looking for now. It was a large two bedroom with a small alcove for an office that it appeared Malek had made his bedroom.

"If you want, we can gather some of their things to have waiting for them when they come in tomorrow," Tony suggested. "Give some credence to why we came over."

"Nah. We'll let protection bring them over after they get situated, but I don't want it out that we're here yet."

"Okay," Tony said, wondering what was going on in his partner's head. "Anything you want me to look for?"

"If you see the damned diaries, it would make my night, but I don't think they'll be in here anywhere."

Tony nodded, going down the hallway to the back bedroom. He noticed something lying across the nightstand, and carefully picked up the wadded up tissues there, finding a silver chain with a blue turquois stone on the end. It was beautiful, and he wondered why it hadn't been taken. He looked around, and he found plenty of things that he would have stolen if he was there to rob them. He wondered if the drawers to the dresser in the room had been left open by Ziva and McGee, by whichever woman was staying in that room, or by the intruders. He figured it would have had to have been left open by Ziva and McGee. He laid the necklace back on the nightstand and moved through the apartment.

"Well, it wasn't just a normal robbery," Tony said nonchalantly. "There are too many things left in here I'd have stolen if I robbed the place." He watched Jethro moving through the apartment, taking stock. He noticed that Malek's things were just as equally tossed as Dina and Talia's, and something about it struck him. "If they were after Dina, why would they have gone through Malek's things?"

"Probably just covering all of their bases," Jethro said as he looked down at Malek's cubby hole with Tony.

"But McGee said that they only had twelve minutes, including the time to pick the locks, get back out to the car, and leave based on the video footage, right?"

Jethro nodded, looking at Tony with that cocked eyebrow again.

"That's not really enough time to do all this, unless there was more than one person. Ali Bak would've had to of had someone working with him. I wonder if Abby was able to clean up the footage enough to possibly be able to make out whether or not there were one or two people in the car."

Jethro smiled at Tony. "And that's why I love you," he said, leaning in to kiss him quickly. Tony was pleasantly surprised, and grinned to himself as he watched Jethro pull out his phone to call Abby.

Tony followed Jethro out, flipping the light switch off again in the entrance. They closed the door behind them, and Tony pulled his glove off. Jethro started going down the steps as a medium build man started coming up them. Tony was still standing by the apartment door, and the guy eyed him carefully. Tony watched him go up the second flight of stairs, and the guy looked down after Tony who was still staring at him, watching him closely. Tony moved to the bottom of the second flight of stairs, and heard the man unlock the apartment door right above the one they were just in.

He turned and looked around him, checking to see how the apartments were numbered, and then went down the stairs, stopping at the mailbox to see the last name of the tenant in apartment number nine. He cross-referenced it with the door entry system outside, and saw the names matched. _J. Brand._ He headed towards the car to find Jethro waiting for him, watching him from over the roof of it.

"Whatcha thinking?"

"I just got the stink eye from some guy that went into apartment nine. Got an uneasy feeling about it. Name on the doorbell says J. Brand. Might look into him a little," he said with a shrug as they got in.

"Abby is going to try to clear the video enough to see if there is a second person in the car. If there is, that may put us on a different course. Ali Bak is renowned for working alone."

"Good," Tony said, smiling at the improvement in his lover's demeanor. "So what are your plans for the rest of the evening?"

Jethro looked at Tony before turning the key over. "Wanna get some dinner?" he asked, smiling at Tony as he watched the grin spread across his face.

"Would love to. Where do you want to go?" Tony asked, his voice changing to the more personal, familiar tone they took with each other.

"What about the seafood place that we went with our teams that day for lunch?"

"Herman's? Sure! Sounds good."

Jethro turned the key in the ignition, and then reached over and took Tony's hand in his, entwining their fingers. He had known that Tony would lead him to the answers he needed. He appreciated McGee and Ziva, but Tony had a natural investigative edge that led to the kind of babble that kept everyone's thoughts flowing, especially his. He relied on his yabba yabba, and it meant more to him than he thought it would to have Tony be there for him like he had been today.

He'd pulled Malek back around, supported him when he thought he was going to have to turn over the case, was doing research for him, and had just gone with him to the scene. He smiled and squeezed Tony's fingers as he thought about what Tony had said earlier. _I'll always be one of yours._ He'd said those words to him on the Americana, and even over two months later, they were still just as true.

Tony had his phone in his right hand, making a note to look into J. Brand in apartment nine, setting the reminder for an hour and a half later.

"Talked to Vance earlier about the Stafford case, and I brought Elly with me to explain it. Turned into something kinda big," Tony said casually, still looking at his phone.

"Oh, yeah?" Jethro asked.

"Yeah. Elly explained to Vance what we'd done with the database and an idea he had about changing how we do cold cases. You know that big nationwide database they're doing?" Tony asked, looking up at Jethro to find him nodding. "We're going to start one of our own, only we're going to be able to choose the parameters we can search by. Elly has it all worked out, and though some of it is going to suck, it's brilliant. He pitched it, totally pitched it, and totally nailed it. I had no idea he was even thinking about it."

"What's going to change?" Jethro started looking for a place to park on the block of the restaurant.

"Well, right now there's a couple data entry people scanning a bunch of stuff into the database, and it takes them forever, and we can't really search by that. We can just pull up those digital scans for now. What we're going to do though, is start entering the cold cases ourselves when we're working on them.

"Elly's got basically a worksheet put together. Certain details will have drop down menus we can choose race and gender and stuff from, but the part that both sucks and kinda revolutionizes this for us, is that we're going to have to type in the original agents' case notes. The cool part is that there's this little thing you highlight important words and phrases with, Elly's example had drugs, bone-handled knife, and something else, I don't remember, but then those words that you highlight, get put into the searchable database. So if you were to come across a weird case and you needed to know if there were similar cases out there, you can type in bone-handled knife, and that case will be one of the ones that came up. You can review it, see if it's similar or not, and take it from there.

"You can also add your own notes and highlight. If there is an interview, interrogation, any kind of video or audio, it can be transcribed by either us, or a tech, and then we can highlight the phrases we find important. That means we can highlight phrases that fit a psychological profile as well as general evidence based information.

"Right now, it would take McGee hours to research based on those kinds of details to find cases alone, nonetheless the process of whittling them down. If you do it with the database though, we can choose to search through NCIS, the entire alphabet, or nationally. If we're doing it in-house, I'm expecting an immediate turn around. The extended alphabet, probably a couple of minutes. Nationally may take an hour or so to run, but right now, we can't even _do_ that nationally."

Jethro looked at Tony, smiling at his excitement and obvious pride in his agent. "This is something that the FBI and CIA and them are doing, too? I thought Tobias said the other night that they didn't have anything like that."

"They don't yet. Vance is going to let us design it, get it together, and then pitch it to the other agencies. Specifically, he's going to let Elly and McGee do it. It's only to be worked on during our downtime though. He thinks that this might be what we need in order to propose the funding to reclaim our Cold Case team."

"That would be incredible. Proud of you Tony."

"It was all Elly's brilliance! Talked with Vance afterwards about possibly making Elly an interagency liaison of sorts. I've noticed he has a certain comfort level with talking to other agents, and keeps a good rapport with them, no matter what the agency. I've got to talk to Fornell about helping us with the Stafford cases since the victims we're working with now don't have any real connection to the Navy. I plan on asking him if he thinks his director would be interested in the database."

Jethro leaned forward and pulled Tony towards him, kissing him slowly. He loved to see Tony so excited about work. To see him this worked up and proud of his agents made him happy. He had beaten himself up over holding Tony back for a while, but like Tony had said, it all happened the way it was supposed to. He pulled back from the kiss smiling.

Tony smiled too and blinked. "Are you trying to shut me up?" Tony asked with a smirk and raised eyebrow.

Jethro chuckled.

"No," he said, shaking his head and looking at Tony's lips again. "I just… I'm glad you're happy, Tony."

"Got everything anyone could ever ask for, only I never knew to ask for it."

Jethro leaned in with a smile and kissed him again. "Come on, let's go eat."

They went in and were seated, and looked over the menu. Once their orders were placed and their drinks set in front of them, Tony started talking again, unable to get work out of his head.

"I came in today, and I had a set of range scores in my inbox."

Jethro looked at him over his cup of coffee.

"Elly took Dorneget to the range with him yesterday. Ned's scores were almost perfect."

The surprise on Jethro's face was obvious, and Tony chuckled.

"Yeah. That's what I thought, too. I called the range to verify that I had gotten the correct scores, and they were right. Talked to Elly about it, and he apparently had a heart to heart with Dorney at the range, and something clicked for him. Elly's been really good for him. Parke too, but Elly's taken him under his wing, and something he said in the gym today made sense. He said that alternative tactics work best with him. Dorney was _finally_ able to pin him down in sparring practice after employing some of those _alternative tactics_. It was hilarious. Tickle torture." Tony chuckled at the horrified look on Jethro's face. "I know! Then we're all heading back in, and he apparently tried to tickle him again, and Dorneget knocked him on his ass! It was great!"

"Well, at least we know he's capable of it." Jethro looked confused, but shrugged and took another drink of his coffee.

"From what Elly was saying, that's the problem. Ned knows he capable of it, and it scares him."

Jethro's eyes closed, and he nodded as if though everything made sense now.

"What?" Tony asked, taking a drink of his iced tea.

"I've met the type, that's all. They'll do what they need to do when the time comes, but when you meet them, you'd never know they were capable because they're just too _nice._ Kind of like how we felt when we saw his test scores in strategic planning. You wouldn't think he's capable of handling complex maneuvers, but I bet we won't really get it until you let him loose in MTAC."

Tony nodded, sheepishly. "I have a feeling that's kind of what everyone thought when I was made team leader," he sighed, not quite able to meet Jethro's eyes. "Everyone acts so surprised that things are turning out as well as they are. Vance was all starry-eyed when I mentioned Elly possibly being a liaison today. Kept complimenting me. It's weird when it feels so natural do be doing this." He finally looked up at Jethro, and then looked back into his iced tea.

"He had the same reaction when you came on with the op in March. He'll get past it soon enough. You're setting the bar high; always have."

Tony felt his cheeks getting warm. "He, um, told me today he'd rather send us out this week on a high profile case than Balboa's team since you guys will be busy. I asked him not to put us in the position to step on anyone else's toes."

"What did he say to that?" Jethro asked.

"He agreed. Said that he'll keep a balance between the agency's needs and ours."

Jethro nodded. "I emailed him an update on the mess I'm stuck in this afternoon. He's gunning for me to go after Ali Bak. Would be good for the agency to be the one to bring him in, but something just feels off about it. Yeah, I'd love to bring the bastard down, but I don't know. It doesn't _feel_ like it's him. Hard to get a read on it when I'm so personally invested in it."

"Sometimes the obvious solutions aren't the right ones," Tony said, shrugging. He'd long since come to understand Jethro's gut was more accurate than any kind of barometer ever created.

The waitress brought them their food and they dug in.

"We still doing that thing with Ziva on Friday?" Jethro asked Tony between bites.

"Yeah, as long as there isn't anything to keep us from it. She's so excited about the restaurant opening. She's put so much work into it with Dion over the past few months. I think he's good for her."

Jethro smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I think so, too. She seems happier over the past couple of months than I ever remember seeing her with."

"I'm just glad he's so far removed from the job. She needs that."

Jethro nodded emphatically, his mouth full.

"Stopped down to see Abby earlier. She and McGee were supposed to go look at that apartment they really want tonight, but they'd rescheduled it for tomorrow since it looked like your case was getting hot. I told her I'd let you know. Someone else is looking at it Wednesday morning, so they really need to sneak away to go look at it."

"As long as we're not breaking things wide open, they can probably get away for an hour or so."

"I'll text her later and let her know. I still can't believe they're moving in together. That's a little crazy. I'm happy for them, but I still can't get over how quickly everything is changing around here."

"They're all good changes. That's what scares me."

Tony raised an eyebrow at Jethro.

"We don't exactly have the best track record for good news," Jethro said out of the side of his mouth before forking a bit of crab cake.

"Plan for the worst, hope for the best," Tony said, reiterating Parke's sentiment from earlier.

They ate the rest of their meal talking about the wedding. They still had no idea what they wanted to do by time they were heading back to the Yard, but Tony wasn't stressing about it.

Tony got out of the car, stretching. "We going up so I can send you what we got on the Qureshi and Ta'anaris?"

Jethro nodded getting out. They got out of the elevator in the bullpen and found Abby and Tim talking at Tim's desk.

"What are you still doing here, McGee?" Jethro asked as he headed to his own desk.

"Gibbs!" Abby said. "Will you please tell Tim that there's no way he screwed up?"

McGee rolled his eyes, and turned to look at his boss. "Don't listen to her, Boss. I'll figure out where the weakness is."

"McGee, she's right. There's no way your acquisitioning the apartment could have been compromised. I pulled the sheet earlier to put in my case file, and there are no names listed on the report. You and Ziva weren't officially ever listed as part of the op, so no one outside of our team would've been looking for it to come from you. We're missing something here, and we're going to find it, but not tonight. Go home."

Tony smiled at his desk on the other side of the partition, eavesdropping on the whole conversation.

"McGee!" he hollered over his shoulder. "Did Critten find the time to tell you today about the database?"

"What about it?" Tim shouted so he could be heard.

"Give him a call. I'm sure he'd love to tell you."

Tim looked at Abby and then Gibbs with a questioning look.

"Sounds like you've got your work cut out for you," Jethro said. "Go ahead and give him a call, but on the way home. Go."

Tim nodded slowly, and started to shut down his computers. Abby smiled at him and jumped up.

"I'll go get my stuff, and meet you downstairs," she said.

"I'll do what I can to get you two out of here for your appointment tomorrow night," Jethro said, looking at his computer as he pulled up his email. "No promises though."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Abby said, coming around his desk to give him a quick hug.

"Yeah, thanks, Boss. That would be awesome," Tim said, suddenly in better spirits.

"Have a good night," he said, trying to get the point across that he wanted to be alone with his work. Abby hopped away to go downstairs to her lab and gather her things, and Tim walked across the bullpen to the stairwell door slowly, still lost in thought.

As soon as he knew they were alone, Tony hit send on the email he had with the gathered intel. He heard the little beep from Jethro's computer informing him that the mail had arrived, and then heard the click of his mouse. The bullpen was completely silent other than the sounds of the two men typing away at their work.

Tony started running his search on J. Brand and found that his name was James. He looked into his background and found multiple indictments of Aggravated Menacing and Domestic Violence. He also had a weapons charge brought against him that was dropped due to a technicality. Further searching proved that he couldn't hold a job, and that he had lived in over a dozen places over the past five years. He didn't sound like a good guy, but he didn't have a history of breaking an entering or theft, at least not that was on record.

"Hey, Jethro?" he said as he read over the reports.

"Yeah?"

"James Brand, the guy in apartment nine? He's done a little time for aggravated menacing and D. V. and he's got a failed conviction for a weapons charge. Sounds like a bad egg, but nothing for theft."

"Probably why he was looking at ya all funny. You look like a cop, he doesn't like 'em."

Tony turned around in his chair to smile towards Jethro. The last bit of daylight was coming through the big paned glass window on the far wall, and he was glad to see summer's longer days finally upon them. He got up to stretch and wandered down to it, looking out on the square. It was beautiful like that. A little oasis in the middle of the chaos. He was definitely a city boy, but he'd come to learn to appreciate those little pieces of natural beauty in the concrete jungle.

He wasn't sure of how long he was standing there when he suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to smile up at Jethro, then looked back out the window.

"Feels like home," Tony said quietly.

"It is," Jethro said simply.

"Kinda wish we could have the wedding right out there," Tony said softly. Jethro raised an eyebrow at him. "Simmons would be all over it though, and anyone else who might have their own thoughts about it. The drama wouldn't be worth it."

"We'll figure it out, Tony."

Tony nodded.

"Did you find out what you needed from those files?" Tony asked, still looking at the orange glow on the courtyard.

"Yeah. It looks like it's him. Still doesn't feel right, but maybe… I guess I just don't want to think about what's going to happen if we fail."

Tony turned towards him, the exhaustion in his voice worrying him. "You'll get the bastard, Jethro. I'll be right there with you every step of the way if you want, but you _will_ get him."

"Yeah," Jethro said, nodding and sighing. "At what cost?" Their eyes met.

"What cost is too much for a friend?" Tony asked quietly. Jethro smiled crookedly at him. "Come on, Jethro. Let's go home."

They turned back to their desks, and gathered their things. This time, when going down the stairs, they stopped in their blind bend and shared a quick kiss, making both men smile.

Tony parked on the street, letting Jethro have the driveway to himself in case he needed to pull out for the case in the middle of the night. He smirked at the lights already on in the house. Jethro had flown out of the parking garage at lightning speed, eager to get out of the work headspace, while Tony, having a great day, took his time. He switched gears as he came up the driveway, turning work off and concentrating on what he could do to make Jethro feel more relaxed.

He closed the door behind him, and hearing noises upstairs, headed up himself. He made his way to the bedroom, peeling out of his work clothes and slipping into a t-shirt and basketball shorts. He peeked around the door into the bathroom to find Jethro about to step into the shower. He raised an eyebrow, watching with rapt attention, pulling his top lip in between his teeth.

"Hey," he finally managed.

"Hey," Jethro said, looking at Tony through the clear shower curtain as he turned on the water.

"You heading to the basement, or you wanna catch a game with me on the couch?" Tony's voice was broken and distracted as he watched the water running down Jethro's body.

Jethro looked at Tony watching him through the shower curtain and smirked.

"What are you doing?"

"Wh-what am I doing?" Tony asked, confused.

"Yeah. Why are you out there?"

A broad smile broke across Tony's face, and he was peeling off his clothes in record time, pulling back the curtain to join Jethro under the stream of water.

"That's more like it," Jethro said softly, pulling Tony towards him, and leaning in to take his mouth in a starving kiss.

"Wasn't sure…" Tony tried between kisses. "If you… wanted… to be a-… lone or not."

Jethro's hands were on Tony's ass, kneading the muscles there as he moved his lips to Tony's neck, kissing, suckling and nibbling on it.

"Always…" he said before running his tongue up Tony's neck to his ear. "Always want you in here with me."

The raspy voice in Tony's ear made him shiver, and Jethro pulled him closer so that their cocks rubbed against one another. Tony gasped at the friction, and Jethro smiled, leaning in to kiss him again. Their tongues slid over one another, their teeth took turns nibbling each other's lips, and the water streamed down their faces and bodies.

Tony reached for the soap from behind Jethro's shoulders, and began lathering his hands. He put them to good use on Jethro's shoulders, trying to massage the tension out of them as much as possible while still kissing each other. Jethro groaned into the kiss, and rested his head on Tony's shoulder while Tony worked at the knots there. His hands slipped down Jethro's back, and finally he turned his lover so that he was facing the wall, propped against it while he used the soap to ease the way his hands slid over his back and shoulders.

Jethro hummed in pleasure. He'd gotten used to the healing powers of Tony's touch over the past couple of months, but he never failed to appreciate their magic. He wanted to feel those hands all over his body though, not just his back and shoulders. As soon as he was sure the soap was all rinsed off of him, he reached down and turned the water off.

Tony stepped back, wondering if Jethro was okay.

"Let's take this in the other room," he said, turning to kiss Tony thoroughly.

"Uh-huh," Tony managed, dazed by the passion in the kiss. They stepped out of the shower, drying off quickly as they moved into the bedroom.

As they reached the bed, Jethro pulled Tony close to him by the hand, kissing him again and pulling him down on the bed, turning to lay Tony on his back. He loved how pliable the younger man was to his demands, simply enjoying everything they did together. He knew that if Tony wanted something different, he would take it, and there would be no doubts about what he preferred. Tonight though, Tony was willing to give himself up to whatever Jethro wanted, and he relished in that.

He felt Tony's hands caress up his chest, and his fingers elicited a shiver of pleasure from him. He loved when Tony touched him, explored him, and each time felt new and exciting, yet comfortably familiar. Jethro let his mouth move to Tony's collarbone, nibbling in that place he knew would make Tony whine. He groaned this time instead, and Jethro inhaled sharply.

"All mine," he growled. "All mine forever."

Tony nodded fervently as he panted. He loved when Jethro got possessive like that. He'd never felt as wanted as he felt with Jethro, whether in or out of the bedroom, but especially in. There were no barriers between them when they were like this, wrapped up in each other's senses, experiencing each other on a level Tony had never experienced before Jethro. It was the essence of being together, merging, making love.

Tony's hands went to Jethro's shoulders as he felt him travel down his body, feasting on his skin as he went. The firm muscles under his fingers rippled as Jethro slipped his hands under Tony's body and pulled him down the bed a couple of inches towards him. Hot, moist lips travelled back up Tony's torso, and he felt teeth start to graze him.

"Oh, yeah…" he moaned. Jethro took his time scraping his teeth along the skin by Tony's rib, and Tony's legs came around him, locking him in place. "Please, Jethro! Harder?"

That's all that Jethro needed to hear, and his teeth were clamping down on the flesh he'd been teasing.

"Fuck, yes!" Tony yelled, his nails digging into Jethro's back and making him moan around the skin he was sinking his teeth into.

Jethro let go and lapped at the marks he had left, letting the tip of his tongue feel each indentation he'd made. He kissed his way back up across Tony's chest, lavishing attention on Tony's nipples, making sure not to pull his chest hair out with his teeth as he carefully tugged the tender nubs. He was pushed against Tony's groin by the way his legs were wrapped around him, and he groaned before bending to bite Tony's shoulder.

"Oh, God!" Tony said, panting even harder. "Please, Jethro!" he shouted, not even sure what he was begging for.

Jethro relinquished his shoulder, licked the marks like they were in a popsicle, not a man, and then moved to kiss Tony deeply. Tony's arms wrapped around him tightly, holding him to him as their mouths ravaged one another. Jethro reached up, fumbling around on the nightstand for the lube, and then found it, popped the cap open and reached between them to squirt it out.

Tony felt the cool liquid running down his crack and moaned into the kiss. It was such a tease, and Jethro knew it. Ever since the day he'd admitted it, tied to the bed and blindfolded, Jethro had used it to heighten the pressure. He let Jethro go, unwrapping his arms and legs from around him for a moment to allow him to get into position. Seconds later, he felt Jethro's cock poking him and breaching the tight ring of muscle. It barely stung, still fairly stretched from their multiple rounds the day before, and he grew immediately impatient with how slow Jethro was moving. He wrapped his legs back around his waist and pulled him towards him, making his hard cock plunge deep into him.

Both of them moaned at the satisfying feeling it gave them, and Jethro bent down until he was almost nose to nose with Tony. He reached up, brushing his hair out of his face, slicked to his damp forehead and looked into his eyes.

"Is that how you want this?" he asked, his whispers caressing Tony's cheek and lips. "Quick, hard, deep?"

All Tony could do was moan and nod, and Jethro started thrusting deeply into him at such a fast and hard pace that the bed rocked, making the headboard pound against the wall. Tony tried to shift so the angle would feel better, and Jethro pulled his legs from around him, and put them off to the side, rolling Tony halfway over in the process.

Tony's hands went to the rungs in the headboard, and he hung on, as now every one of Jethro's thrusts slid across his prostate, sending a shooting pleasure through him. His cock was wedged between his thigh, his stomach and the mattress, and he only had the merest amount of friction rubbing the head, driving him crazy.

Words drifted from both of their mouths, though neither comprehended what was being said. Jethro had one hand on the bed, the other on Tony's leg as he pushed in and out, pinning Tony down in the process. He lost his rhythm as he felt the orgasm coming at him, and Tony knew that soon, it would be his turn. He was torn between wanting it to last forever, and wanting Jethro to come so he could unfold his body and jerk his own orgasm from him.

Jethro came with an animalistic howl, filling Tony with his warmth. He let his fingers drift to his shaft, milking himself as he pulled out, and then the hand on Tony's legs slid down to pull them apart. Without wasting a moment, he bent and took Tony's head in his mouth, sucking hard and twirling his tongue around it. Tony's gasping moan spurred him on, and he took him further into his mouth, sucking, licking and tasting.

Tony's hand went to Jethro's head, and he pulled slightly on the short strands there, trying his best to give Jethro a warning that the man never heeded. He descended lower, taking Tony's full length down his throat as Tony came. He pulled back, tasting what he could, letting it smear across Tony's head and his own tongue, relishing in the taste and texture.

Tony's hand limply fell from Jethro's head onto his shoulder as he caught his breath. Jethro finally released him, and laid his head on Tony's thigh, panting. Thoughts wouldn't form for a long time. They were lost in the comfort of one another, drifting along their orgasmic high.

Tony finally sighed happily, a wide grin on his face. "I really, really love you Jethro."

"Yeah, me too," Jethro said with a quiet joy, still lost in his fog.

"I really, really need to get in the shower," Tony said, chuckling almost drunkenly, causing Jethro to join in.

"Okay, let's go," Jethro said, slowly rolling off of Tony and to his feet, reaching a hand out to pull Tony up. Tony smacked right into him, chest to chest, and Jethro kissed him lazily.

Tony finally pulled back with a, "Mmmm…" His eyes opened to take in Jethro's blue eyes, staring at him in amazement.

"Come on. We'll get cleaned up and then get some sleep. We both got a busy couple of days ahead of us," Jethro said quietly.

Tony nodded and they headed for the shower. Fifteen minutes later, they were both in boxers, under a light blanket, the lights off and window open with a warm breeze swaying through the curtains. Jethro fell asleep with his head against Tony's chest almost immediately. Tony laid there for another half an hour thinking about their wedding, and what Vance had said.

 _The most important day of my life,_ he thought. _What would be worthy of the most important day of my life?_ He looked down at Jethro sleeping against him as his thoughts ran, and kissed his temple. _A wedding worthy of him._ He finally fell asleep, dreaming of the perfect wedding.


	8. Chapter 8

Tuesday morning was busy in the bullpen with both teams hunkering down on their cases. Gibbs had Ziva and McGee digging into the Ta'anari's connections with the Qureshi faction. He still felt like something was off, but knew it would be foolish not to pursue such an obvious lead, and make sure every possibility was turned inside out.

The case file had arrived for Natalie Jericho's murder, and Abby was already running the DNA analysis on it by time Tony's team got in. Tony made a call to Fornell, asking what it would take to pool their resources for the case. Fornell told him that as soon as they got DNA evidence, to call him and he'd come over so they could go through it. He decided that would work out great so he could sick Elly on him with the idea of the database.

He started in on the paperwork to begin an interagency case, and wrinkled his nose. A year ago, he would never have thought to be asking for help from the Feebs. Now, it was essential, and he found he was grateful for the friendship he had begun developing with Fornell over the past few months. He'd gotten used to having him around, and was glad to find that Jethro had someone in his corner. He was especially glad at that moment to have him in _his_ corner. He knew any other agent he would have pulled in would have yanked the case from them, but with Fornell, they would be able to run this as a joint task.

Two hours into the day, Ziva jumped up from her desk.

"Gibbs! That was my contact. She says that Ali Bak is at his rendezvous point for meeting with _his_ contact, and she currently has eyes on him."

"Where is he?" Gibbs said, getting to his feet.

"A café on Virginia Avenue called Jimmy's Java."

"Do we have enough to bring him in, Boss?" Tim asked skeptically.

"He's wanted for more than just our case. Pick one, call in the warrant, and let's get him. Grab your gear."

Tony stood up, watching them shuffle. Jethro looked over the partition at him.

"Watch your back," Tony said with a small smile. Jethro nodded and returned the smile with a shrug, then turned to join his team at the elevator, both McGee and Ziva with their phones to their ears as they went after warrants and information.

When Tony sat down, he had an IM from Dorney.

NDorneget01: _Are they going after Ali Bak?_

TDiNozzo01: _Yeah. I told Gibbs what we found last night. They've been shuffling through the intel all morning._

Tony chanced a glance at Dorney who looked like he could jump up and down at his desk. He smiled and shook his head.

NDorneget01: _Nice! I was hoping that would help._

TDiNozzo01: _Me, too. What's even better is that Gibbs didn't kill us for getting involved with his case. That's always a plus. It's not something we'll be making a habit out of. This case has special circumstances._

NDorneget01: _Understood._

TDiNozzo01: _Good work on the intel. Connected just the right dots. We may not have enough to get him on this case technically, but once he's in custody, the rest of the alphabet can make sure he stays off the streets for good._

NDorneget01: _Good enough for me!_

Tony went back to work, and time crawled. He wanted the DNA results to come back, but he knew that Abby's priority right now was Jethro's case. He typed up the case notes from his cold case files instead, and started highlighting words that he would want to select for the search syntax when the database was up. He told his team what he was doing, and Elly came to the side of his desk, pulling up a stool to go through it with him.

"See, if you select that whole paragraph, we can make a concept note search," he started explaining. "Ned and I were talking about that. We can take that entire line, and tag it with a certain keyword. In this case, you'd highlight the words specific to this bastard's M.O., but then you could also choose a function key, yet to be decided of course, and re-highlight the entire line or paragraph, and then assign it a few keywords that would fit more of a psych profile or a summarization.

"So, for this case, you could highlight words like bleach, cigarette smoke, brunette, but then you'll go back and _re-_ highlight the whole paragraph, and add new keywords like cleans up after himself, neat-freak, obsessive compulsive disorder, OCD, smoker, things like that. So the first puts the actual words you're highlighting into the database, and the second will put keywords that you think you'd search by if you were looking for something similar."

"That's frickin' brilliant," Parke said from behind them, startling both of them. They'd been so engrossed in what they were doing that they didn't hear him join them. _Everyone_ was startled though when Abby came running up to Tony's desk.

"Where's Gibbs?" she asked urgently.

"He and the team went after Ali Bak like an hour ago. Why?" Tony asked. Abby's panicked face worried him. "Abs?"

"It's not Ali Bak! I didn't find a single one of his fingerprints on anything in the apartment. I finally got the fingerprint results back. There are two sets of prints, and they belong to tenants in the building."

Tony looked at her in disbelief. "James Brand one of those sets?" he asked.

"Uh, yeah? How did you know?"

Tony ran his hand through his hair, a habit he had picked up from Jethro that he wished he hadn't. "He had me go with him to the apartment last night to get a feel for the scene. The guy was staring at me all weird, gave me a bad feeling, so I did a quick run on him. He's got a list of priors." Abby nodded in agreement.

"Yeah! And the other set is from a woman in a _different_ apartment in the building. She's even scarier than he is." Abby moved a couple of things around on her tablet so that the profile of the other intruder came up on the screen. "Amanda Mortaire. She's involved in all sorts of anti-Muslim protests, and was in jail for three years on a conviction for aggravated assault, another year for aggravated menacing, and is on Homeland and FBI's watch-lists because she has written letters and had other contact with Nathan Douglas, the guy that tried to gather supporters to bomb the mosque being built in Houston last year. He's currently serving a fifteen year sentence for that and a whole other list of charges."

"Oh, that's not good," Tony said, picking up his phone to call Jethro.

"Yeah. She's not on the lease, it's in her mom's name, but she did register with the parole board at that address. However, she's in apartment eleven, and Brand is –"

"In apartment nine," Tony finished for her. He waited for the phone to answer, but it went to voicemail. "Damn it!" Tony whispered to himself and hung up. He swiped the lock on his cell, and started texting him instead.

_He's not the guy. Abby got fingerprints back. Brand and some psycho anti-Muslim chick named Amanda Mortaire that lives in the building have their fingerprints all over the apartment._

They all waited in silence together. When Tony's phone finally rang, all five of them jumped back. Dorney bumped into Elly, who reached to hold him up when he almost tripped backwards. Abby smiled at them, and Tony answered looking up at Parke with a grimace.

"Hey."

"Abby's got both their prints. No doubts?" Jethro asked quietly on the other end of the line.

"Yeah. None."

"You busy?"

Tony looked around the group of people with a raised eyebrow. "Not really. Just waiting on the DNA before we can move forward."

"Can you go pick them up?"

Tony got to his feet, and walked through the group towards the back hallway where the bathroom was. "You sure?" he asked, somewhat confused.

"That's the line. I can't cross it, and at this point, Tony, I will." Tony heard the edge to Jethro's voice, and a chill went down his back. "Not going to have them back out on the streets because I can't keep myself in check. I'm going to bring Ali Bak in, question him like we haven't had this conversation, and stall so that McGee can bring in the FBI or CIA to do their thing, whoever wants him. Other than that, this is yours."

Tony nodded. "Okay, Jethro. Whatever you need." Tony heard the sigh of relief on the other end of the phone.

"Thanks, Tony."

"Anytime. Should I tell Vance?"

"Yeah, otherwise when the warrants are faxed to his office he's going to get pissed that he's left out of the loop."

"Okay, on it." Tony looked around to make sure he was alone. "Love you."

"You, too, Tony."

Tony disconnected the call, and headed back into the bullpen. "Elly! Get me warrants for Amanda Mortaire and James Brand! Parke, Dorney, start looking for connections. I want to know what these two have in common. I'll be back in ten, and we're heading out."

"On it, Boss!" Elly said, going back to his computer. Everyone scattered, and Abby watched as Tony practically ran up the stairs to Vance's office to inform him of the change in plans.

He stopped at the door and pointed to it while Pam was on the phone. She nodded, and he went in. He found Vance behind his desk, looking up as Tony approached him.

"Agent DiNozzo. What can I do for you?"

"I'm taking over Gibbs' case. He's on his way in with Ali Bak, but it's not him. The fingerprints just came back. You're about to get warrants for a man and a woman- James Brand and Amanda Mortaire. He has multiple charges of menacing and domestic violence, and she has ties to anti-Islamic groups and is on parole for aggravated assault."

Vance rubbed his temples, his elbows on his desk and nodded. "Okay. What are we doing with Ali Bak?"

"Gibbs is going to drill him until one of the three letters claim him. He's got warrants out for him both here and overseas. They can barter between them for him, but it sounds like Gibbs is going to go ahead as if though we don't know what we know. I'm not sure what he's planning on getting out of him, but he appears to have a reason, and no, I don't know the reason."

"And why are you taking the case?" Vance asked, no antagonism to his voice, just wanting information.

Tony thought for a moment about how to put it, and then took a deep breath. "It's too close to home. They're his friends. He doesn't want anything coming to light in court that could end up getting these bastards off."

Vance watched him closely as he spoke, and found enough of the truth in that to simply nod. "Whatever will make sure these charges stick, do it."

Tony nodded, and turned to leave.

Vance watched him go, wondering what Gibbs was planning on doing with Ali Bak, and what it was going to be like when Tony's team got ahold of Brand and Mortaire. He knew this case was hitting close to home for Gibbs, but he wondered if Tony realized just how much that meant it was hitting close to home for him, too.

AIS—NCIS—AIS—NCIS—AIS

Gibbs got into the car after checking to make sure Ziva and McGee were okay in the other car with Ali Bak. He had pulled his people aside to let them know what Tony had just told him, and what their plans were. They were all in agreement on how the interrogation would go, and if everything went according to plan, they would have an hour with him before the rest of the alphabet swarmed them to claim him as their own.

They made it back to the Yard, and Gibbs gathered his stuff in the bullpen while Tim and Ziva escorted their prisoner to interrogation. Abby appeared at his desk holding a cup of coffee, and he smiled up at her. He dropped his folder and took the cup, drinking deeply from it. She smiled back at him, waiting for him to finish his drink.

"Thanks, Abby," he said. "When did the tables turn? Aren't I supposed to be the one bringing you life in a cup?"

Abby chuckled. "Tony did earlier before he left. He asked me to make sure you had that when you got in."

Gibbs smiled broadly, shaking his head.

"How long ago did they leave?" he asked quietly.

"About half an hour. Right after they left, I got the results back on his cold case." She smiled broadly, and Gibbs leaned in. "It's her."

"Best damned news I've heard all day. He's going to be happy."

"Yeah! I mean, can you imagine? Closing a twenty-five year cold case? How awesome is that?! I'm totally stoked for them."

"Boss?" Tim said, coming into the bullpen. "He's ready whenever you are."

"Alright. Go ahead and put the word out we have him. I'm going to go see what I can do."

Tim nodded and moved to sit behind his desk, unlocking his computer and tapping away.

"If you know he's not the guy that broke into Dina's apartment, then what are you…?" Abby asked, trying to understand what was going on.

"Don't worry about it, Abs." Gibbs leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek, then turned to walk back towards interrogation.

Abby turned to look at Tim.

"He's hoping that if he goes after him like it's Dina he was after, the guy will cave and say who he's actually here for," Tim said when he was sure that Gibbs was out of earshot.

"You mean he needs someone to take out his anger on," Abby said with a smile.

Tim shrugged as he kept typing, and Abby got the feeling she was being tuned out.

"Okay! I will let you work. By the way, the test results are back on the cold case," she said. Tim's head snapped up to look at her. "It was Stafford."

"That's fantastic!" he said. "Elly is going to flip out! This just validates the database project."

"I know! So awesome! I'll be in the lab if you need me. Hopefully we'll get to go to the viewing tonight."

"If things work out right, we should have no problems," Tim said, his focus back on the screen in front of him.

Abby bounded away towards the elevator, waving at the Director who was coming down the last couple of steps from MTAC. He cut through the bullpen, stopping at McGee's desk.

"Is Gibbs in with Ali Bak?" he asked. Tim looked up from the computer, freezing.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"He's hoping that by attacking him as if going after Dina Ta'anari, he might slip and reveal his real target."

Vance nodded. "And you are…?"

"Informing the FBI and CIA that we have Ali Bak. We figure they'll come in, try to start a war over who has the best reason to take custody of him. We play it out, and then turn him over."

Vance nodded and headed for interrogation. He slipped into observation, watching as Gibbs circled the table. Ziva sat casually in the chair across from the middle aged man they had brought in. He noticed she had unbuttoned her blouse one button lower than she normally would have worn it, and shook his head with a smirk. He knew the tactics well. He watched Gibbs confront Ali Bak, accusing him of being the one to break into the apartment and stealing Dina's journals.

"You tracked her down, knew where she was, and waited until they left to gather the evidence you needed for proof to send back to the Ta'anaris so that they would know you had completed the job!"

"I was never in that place!" The man shouted back at Gibbs, turning to look him in the face. "I never stepped foot near that disgraceful woman! You do not have proof of anything!"

Vance froze on the other side of the glass. "I'll be damned. He _was_ after her."

Ziva and Gibbs looked at each other. That was not the answer they were expecting. All three agents were putting the pieces together in their heads. Vance saw the change come over Gibbs, and shook his head. He knew that Tony was right. This was too close for Gibbs, and he was worried about what would happen next. The look on Gibbs' face wasn't boding well for their case. The struggle for restraint was written across it clear as day, and Vance knew that if _Gibbs_ couldn't mask his emotions, they were headed for dangerous territory.

"Really?" Ziva said, jumping in, aching to egg him on. "That is odd, because the _only_ thing missing were her journals; the books that _she_ had been writing for _years_ as they made their journeys. Three hardbound journals. Why would anyone want them? They would have to mean something to someone in order for them to take them, especially here in the States where not many people know how to read Arabic."

"She should not have been writing them anyway! When her-" he suddenly burst out, leaning over the table towards Ziva, making Gibbs reach forward to grab him by the shoulders and slam him back in his chair.

Vance opened the door to interrogation. All three people looked up at him. He made eye contact with Gibbs, and then nodded for him to leave the room. Gibbs squinted at him, and then walked out. Vance gave it a moment so that Gibbs could make his way to the other side of the glass.

"Go ahead," Vance said. "Finish what you were going to say." The cold threatening tone to his voice was something Ziva hadn't heard before. Then again, she had never seen him in interrogation. "When her… _what_? When her parents get the journals that you paid Brand and Mortaire to steal for you? You figured you would get them to do your dirty work for you."

Gibbs watched from the other side of the glass, and shook his head as Ali Bak's eyes widened.

"You'd start by getting them to get the journals for you. You knew that a break-in would mean we'd eventually go looking for them. Obvious, local suspects. You also knew that Mortaire would do anything at this point not to live in the same building as a Muslim. When you would eventually kill Ta'anari, you knew we'd start looking at Mortaire, and eventually Brand. You'd have your evidence, the job would be done, and you could just slip away into the shadows and off everybody's radar while they took the fall. Sounds perfect."

Ali Bak glared at him.

Vance leaned over his shoulder, speaking quietly near his ear. "You shouldn't trust people on parole though. They talk so much easier when they already know what it's like on the other side of those bars."

Their prisoner shook his head in disgust. "You have no idea what you are playing at here! It does not matter if you have me. They will send more! I have read the books. It is not her parents that want her life! She does not even know who the man is whose life she has taken. She will pay dearly! It does not have to be at my hands. I know that she will pay, and she will taste righteous justice!"

"You underestimate what true family does for those they love," Ziva said with a quiet, lethal rage, making both men turn to look at her as she stood up, leaning over the table so she was only a foot away from Ali Bak, making sure her words hit him in the face. "Her _true_ family, her friends that are by her side, and her friends in this building, will do _whatever_ it takes to protect her! Let them come! We will line them up in the jail cells next to you, if not their deathbeds!" Her voice dropped to a cold level that rivaled Vance's and Gibbs', and Gibbs smiled at her from the other side of the glass, resting his forehead on the window.

"Atta girl," he whispered.

Tim came into the viewing room, confused by what he was seeing. "Boss?" he asked. Gibbs looked over his shoulder at McGee.

"Turns out he _was_ after Dina. He set up Brand and Mortaire to take the fall, getting them to ransack their place and find something he could use as evidence to send back to the scum that contracted him. Try to look into their financials, and get anything interesting to Tony."

Tim nodded and when he was about to open the door, he turned back to Gibbs. "You need anything, Boss?" he asked quietly.

Gibbs turned to him, a slight smile at the corner of his mouth and shook his head. "No. Just… get that stuff for Tony." Tim nodded and left the room. Gibbs turned back to the window where Vance was laying into Ali Bak again, but he stopped listening to what was being said. He'd heard enough. He knew he was going to have to put his friends in protective custody, and he was never going to see them again.

* * *

Tony and Dorney executed the arrest warrant for James Brand while Elly and Parke executed the one two doors down and across the hall for Amanda Mortaire. They both happened to be home, and Mortaire was as high as a kite on something. Elly searched the apartment while Parke watched the handcuffed woman from three feet away as she sat in a kitchen chair squirming, trying to rub her nose with her shoulder.

"You're looking for coke," Greg called over his shoulder.

"Come on!" the woman shouted. "What the hell?"

"The twitching, the sniffles. Dead give-away," he said, cocking his head with a shrug.

"I've got allergies!" she yelled.

"Got it!" Elly said. He came back with an evidence bag with a small rectangular mirror, hollowed out ink pen, and a nice dusting of white powder.

"Yeah, allergies," Parke said, shaking his head and rolling his eyes.

"Does your mom know you're doing coke in her bathroom when she's at work?" Elly said, following Parke to the door as he escorted the woman. "I mean, you're on parole, and she's nice enough to let you come stay with her, and now you're doing coke in her crib? So not cool."

They dragged her out into the hallway to find Dorney leading a handcuffed Brand towards the steps. Brand wasn't making it easy on him, and Tony watched, taking in how well Dorney handled it. He was going to give him a hand, but then he heard the guy say something that sounded like, "Get your hands off me fag!" and so Dorney let him go just as the guy jerked away, which meant Brand went tumbling down the stairs face first. Everyone froze, including Amanda Mortaire, as Brand tumbled down the five stairs to the platform where the stairs changed direction, groaning and cursing.

Dorney turned to Tony and shrugged. "He told me to let him go, so I did. Didn't think he'd jump down the stairs like that."

Tony tried hard to repress the smile, but he couldn't. He shook his head, and opened his mouth to speak, but Elly's wheeze of laughter behind him as he leaned against the wall with both hands as he tried to compose himself drew his attention. He looked at the group around him, taking in the disgusted look on Mortaire's face and Parke's slack-jawed expression, and then shaking his head at Elly again as he tried hard to stop laughing, wiping the tears from his eyes.

Dorney was already on the way down the stairs like nothing happened. "Looks like you don't know how to walk down the stairs by yourself," he said, bending down to help Brand to his feet. "So you're going to have to deal with the fag after all." Tony and Parke froze again, then exchanged stunned glances, wondering who they just watched walk away with then man in handcuffs. Elly squeezed past them, bouncing down the stairs, his fist pumping the air in front of his chest.

Elly and Dorney had Brand in the backseat of one car as Tony and Parke emerged from the building with the strung out Mortaire. They put her in the backseat of the other, and as they closed the door, Tony felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He reached for it and saw the picture of him and Jethro at the bar on St. Patrick's day pop up. He smiled, and answered.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey. Did you get 'em?"

"Yeah. Just buckled them in. What's up?"

"We got a problem."

Tony looked at his team that had gathered around him, a confused look on his face. "What kind of problem?" He heard Jethro sigh, and knew it wasn't going to be good.

"Ali Bak _was_ after Dina."

"Uhh… wow. Okay?" Tony said, not sure what to make of that.

"He paid your creeps to break in and steal the journals so that he could have some evidence to send back to his contractor in Iraq. A grand each, and the promise that if they did this for him, he could make sure our three would leave the building."

Tony turned and looked at the woman in the car next to him, and then at the man in the car a few feet away, shaking his head. "That's-"

"It gets worse, Tony."

Tony heard the exhaustion in Jethro's voice, and he felt his heart break. He turned to walk away from the group, knowing that their eyes were still on him.

"What's wrong, Jethro? Are you okay?"

"It wasn't Dina's family that sent Ali Bak after her."

"Okay, then who was it?"

"It was the Qureshi faction themselves. The man Dina killed was their second in command, Turhan Ubaydah. I don't know yet how they know it was her, but they do, and Ali Bak had the journals, so he read them…" Jethro trailed off.

Tony closed his eyes.

"They want her dead, Tony."

Tony swallowed hard. "They won't ever get close enough, Jethro," he said.

"Yeah, sure," Jethro said bitterly, and with more than a little sarcasm. "They got this close this time, and we had no idea. What's going to keep-"

"Jethro!" Tony practically shouted, cutting off the frustrated anger on the other end of the phone. "Listen to me. We didn't know before that the Qureshi knew who had taken out their number two. We know that now. We're aware of the threat, and we _will_ keep them safe. Hell, if they have to come live in our basement, they _will_ be protected. Let's take care of the current threat, and then we'll take it from there."

He heard Jethro's exasperated sigh on the other end of the phone, and it took everything in him not to call a Decaf Timeout before he could lose his cool. He tried to remember why this case was so sensitive, but it hit a nerve in Tony he didn't realize was so raw, and he couldn't help but ask himself if Jethro trusted him to take care of this as much as he originally thought he did.

"Look, you turned the case over to me for a reason. I'll pull you in if I need you, but for now, stay clear of it. I'm on my way back to the Yard. We'll talk when I get there. Until then, just try to keep your head on straight." Tony turned back to his team, waiting until he heard some sign of acceptance from Jethro. The growl before the click in his ear startled him. He looked at his phone, dialing Jethro again.

He picked up with a "What do you want?"

"Love you, too, ya big decaffeinated jerk!" He hung the phone up as he neared his team, and they all looked at him startled.

"What?" he barked, and watched them exchange looks with one another, but no one dared to say anything. "Ali Bak bought these two off to break into the apartment and steal the journals."

"Oh, that sneaky bastard!" Dorney said, earning looks from everyone on the team. "That means he was going to let them take the fall for… wish I could push _him_ down the stairs." He looked around him, not focusing on anything as he pieced together what he suspected the bounty hunter's plans were.

"Don't want to think about that. We got them all in time, and they're safe. Let's concentrate on the task at hand for now. When we get them booked we can talk about what's next." Tony got into the car with Mortaire, and Parke got in next to him leaving Dorney and Elly to ride with Brand.

"Oh, boy. This should be fun," Dorney said on the way back to the car.

"You handled him just fine a few minutes ago," Elly said with a smirk.

"Thanks, but I'm talking about Boss and Gibbs fighting about the case."

"Oh, yeah. That's going to suck money balls."

Dorney bent forward over the top of the car before he got in. "Yeah, it really is. I vote we hide in Abby's lab until the dust settles, and the DNA comes back for the cold case."

"I like that plan! Fully support that plan," Elly said before sliding in on the passenger side.

* * *

Jethro stared at his phone in shock. "Decaffeinated my ass!" he said, tossing the phone on his desk.

Tim came into the bullpen just in time to witness it, and slowly backed out. He went down the side aisle and into the break room instead, leaving Gibbs alone at his desk.

Jethro sat there thinking about it, going over the conversation in his head again. He wasn't sure how it had turned so quickly. He had started off calling to give Tony information, but instead unloaded on him, which he knew he could do with Tony. It wasn't until he had voiced his fear that they weren't going to be able to keep them safe that Tony got touchy with him. That's when he got grumbly. In his opinion though, they were both "decaffeinated".

He knew that they'd been doing too well at staying out of each other's way at work. This case was crossing more personal boundaries than he wanted to think about. Vance had just taken over his interrogation, Tony was taking over his case and told him to butt the hell out, and he was strangely emotional about the idea of Talia, Malek and Dina being sent somewhere that he'd never be able to see them again. They hadn't been in contact for years, but somewhere in the back of his mind he knew they were out there, reachable, and as Tony kept pointing out, his friends.

Something else Tony had said to him sank to the bottom of his stomach and sat there like a rock. "He doesn't want to see me lose any more friends," he whispered. _Been too many, way too many. Not sure how many more I can take._

He looked up as he saw McGee and Ziva walk into the bullpen together with snacks from the vending machine. They were talking quietly with one another, and it made him look down at his desk. He thought of Easter at the house with everyone gathered around. Life was certainly different now than when he met Malek, and then Dina and Talia. There were a lot more people in his life now that he could depend on, that he trusted, and he liked to think that his friends list had grown substantially.

"Did someone take his coffee from him?" he suddenly heard a familiar voice say. His eyes travelled up to find Fornell standing in the middle of his bullpen, looking at him suspiciously. He raised an eyebrow at just how closely that aligned with Tony's "decaffeinated jerk" comment.

"Tobias," he greeted suspiciously.

"You got Ali Bak, and I want him."

"You'll have to talk to Tony about it. It's not my case," he said with a slight shrug.

Fornell raised an eyebrow at him. "Where is DiNozzo anyway?" he asked, looking around.

"Went to go pick up Ali Bak's paid henchmen. Should be here soon."

"Got enough time for some coffee?" Fornell asked, knowing there was more to this story he needed to know.

"Yeah," Gibbs said, getting to his feet. He grabbed his gun and badge, and nodded for Fornell to move towards the elevator.

"If any of those CIA bastards try to get their hands on Ali Bak," Fornell said, addressing McGee and Ziva, "tie the prick to a chair and lock him in the closet. He's mine, and I've got the paperwork to prove it."

"Will do," McGee said, not looking up from his computer where he was pretending to work to avoid eye contact with his boss.

Gibbs and Fornell headed downstairs in the elevator.

"So what happened, Jethro?" Fornell asked quietly.

"It's too close. I turned it over."

"Really? I know how you feel about them, but too close to work the case?"

"Don't need any grief about it, Tobias."

"Not giving you any, just surprised. If it was Tony or your team, you'd be all over this thing, breaking more balls than our ex-wife's lawyer."

"There's no right way to do this one. If I lose my cool for even a minute, it could come back to bite us all in the ass, and we'll lose these bastards on a technicality. I'm _not_ going to let that happen."

They got their coffee, and Jethro was surprised when Fornell moved to sit on the same spot on the wall that Tony liked to sit at. He joined him, and sat with a sigh, knowing Fornell had more to say about it.

"You know what I think," Fornell said quietly, looking up at Jethro, and then out across the square. "I think you're turning it over because you _can_. You've never had someone you could trust with something like this in a position to do it. You know DiNozzo will not only do it, but make heads roll along the way because it means so much to you."

"He…" Jethro shook his head, succumbing to the fact that he was going to have to talk about this. "He doesn't know _exactly_ why they mean so much to me."

"You haven't told him?" Fornell asked in disbelief.

"It hasn't really come up. The night we all went to dinner, discussion was pretty lighthearted, and we had bigger things to worry about."

"Oh, yeah- Jacobs. Creepy little twit."

Jethro nodded, raising his cup to his lips.

"Well, I think it's time you told him."

Jethro shook his head no. "If I tell him, it will mean putting even more pressure on him, and increases the bias. I can't let that happen. He's gotta do this as unbiased as possible."

"Jethro, he's engaged to you! There's no less bias between him and this case than what you have. Even before the two of you got together like you are now, he's always been overprotective of you. There's nothing he won't do at this point to make sure this goes down the way _you_ need it to go down."

Jethro closed his eyes knowing that was the truth. "He's going to have to put them in protective custody to keep them safe. No way around that now that we know half of the Qureshi faction is going to be sending people after her."

"Yeah, that's what McGee said."

Gibbs raised an eyebrow at him.

"He… kinda emailed me and told me what had happened."

Gibbs chuckled, and shook his head.

"He also _kinda_ didn't tell the CIA you have Ali Bak," Fornell said with a shrug. "But I swore to him I wouldn't let you kill him, so ya know, try not to for me. Hate to break that kinda promise to someone ballsy enough to go behind your back like that."

"Who's going behind whose back?" Tony suddenly said.

They looked up to find him standing there, his hands in his pockets.

"McGee going behind Gibbs'."

Tony nodded. "Can I talk to my hubby alone for a few?" he asked, looking more at Jethro than Fornell.

"Hubby?" Fornell said, getting to his feet with a raised eyebrow. "You must be in the doghouse."

"Maybe a little," Tony said with a shy smile at Jethro and a shrug.

Fornell nodded. "I think I'm just gonna… you know… warn McGee, you know… yeah." He turned around and left Tony and Jethro alone.

"Didn't mean to come off as such an ass," Tony said, sitting down in the spot Fornell had just vacated.

"Me, too," Jethro said, handing Tony his cup of coffee to take a drink of. Tony took it with a smile, and gulped some of the bitter liquid down.

"I think we need to just put it out there right now that there really is no line between the personal and professional on this one, Jethro. It's personal. It's personal for us, it's personal for our teams, it's personal for our friends. It's okay sometimes to let the personal passion fuel us, we just need to pay extra special attention to staying by the book, and know when to back off."

Jethro looked at Tony. "You're going to have to put them into the program."

Tony looked at Jethro in disbelief. "Hell no I won't!"

"Yeah, you are, Tony. There's no other way to keep them safe."

"Yeah, there is! There's plenty of other ways. I meant what I said earlier- they aren't going anywhere. If they have to come stay with us in order to stay safe, they will. It doesn't matter, we don't have to make the decision right now. We'll assess the situation, and if we have to bring down the entire damn Qureshi faction, we will."

Jethro sighed, shaking his head.

"Don't doubt me, Jethro." Tony got to his feet, and stood in front of him. "If that's what we need to do, we will."

Jethro looked up and met Tony's eyes. "I don't doubt you're _capable_ of it, Tony. The question is, what will it take? Yeah, _they'll_ be safe, but at what cost?"

"Like I said before, what cost is too much for a friend? If it was me, if it was Ziva, McGee, one of my guys, what would we be doing? Hell, we got our asses blown up two months ago for the younger foster brother of my brand new team member. What do you think I'd do for you and your friends?"

"Too much."

Tony looked at him, and he started to get the feeling there was something that went beyond what was being said going on below the surface.

"What's going on in there, Jethro?" he asked quietly, sitting on the wall next to him a little closer than he probably should have.

Jethro thought about what Tobias had said, and decided there wasn't going to be a picture perfect time to tell Tony about what his friendship with Dina, Talia and Malek meant to him, so now was as good as any.

"When I met them, the op I was on in Kabul, I…" he took a deep breath. "I wasn't expecting to come back from that, Tony." He looked up at his lover's eyes, and saw the confusion in them. "We pretty much expected it to be a one way mission, and I had volunteered for it."

"What?" Tony asked in disbelief.

Jethro took another deep breath. "I'd just divorced Diane, I was depressed, angry, bitter, and we needed the intel I was going after more than we needed the location of the anthrax in March. I was willing, and my superiors at the time were willing, and I went for it. Malek was after the same information, though we didn't know it, and we got tangled up in each other's mess.

"He was willing to fight his way out, though. He expected to come out of it alive, no matter how grim the chances, because he had people he cared about and loved waiting for him on the other end of that mission. So, when Dina and Talia joined us, and we had to fight our way out of there together, we did.

"I suddenly wasn't alone anymore. We watched out for each other, and we got out of there. It was an impossible situation, and they not only made it possible, but made me laugh doing it. They gave me back my sense of purpose, my reason to live. They were my friends when I felt like I didn't have anyone on my side at all. Hell, even Morrow was willing to send me off on a one way mission to hell, and I…" He trailed off.

Tony looked at him with wide eyes, a slack jaw, and a face that was getting paler by the second.

"Tony, everyone needs _someone_ on the other side, counting on them, waiting for them, believing in them, trusting them to carry on, to make it. You know everything it's taken for me to get to where you and I are now. Dina, Talia, Malek… they mean a hell of a lot to me, but you've easily become the most important person in my life. I know you can take care of yourself, but don't put yourself in harm's way for this. You're that person for me that's waiting on the other side of every messed up situation on every damned day. Losing you… that's a cost I'm not willing to pay."

"Jethro," Tony said softly. "You know that most of this fight is going to be done in front of an MTAC wall. I'm not running off to Iraq. Hell, there are reasons why you always take McGee with you when you go instead of me." Tony tried to lighten the tension, but Jethro remained focused.

"The Qureshi were able to get that close to us, that close to taking Dina out, without us even knowing they were after her. We simply don't know who is going to come next, what they are capable of, and who they will target. Putting them in hiding is the safest thing for everyone."

Tony shook his head. "It may be the easiest solution, but it's not the best solution, and it's premature. Like I said, let my team do what we can to figure out what is next on their agenda. We shouldn't be moving our pieces until we know more information about our opponent."

Jethro took a deep breath, locking eyes with Tony. "Can't lose you, Tony. Promise me you won't do anything stupid."

"Me?" Tony said with a smile. "Never."

Jethro rolled his eyes and got up, walking towards the building. Tony jumped up to go after him, and with a hand on his shoulder, turned him towards stairwell door to the garage rather than the main entrance. Jethro saw that Tony looked pissed and decided to follow his direction, concerned about what he was walking into. They went through the door and down the stairs until they got to the supply closet at the bottom. Tony opened the door and Jethro eyed him suspiciously as he entered, Tony following and closing the door behind him. He didn't wait for it to so much as latch before he turned and laid into Jethro.

"I need you to at least _try_ to act like you trust me right now! Give me a little credit, Jethro. Been doing this for a while, and I think I may know a little something about watching my back, and a little more about watching other people's, after all, I've been watching yours for years. I didn't get to where I am just because we got together, and I needed somewhere to go. I've _earned_ where I'm at, and when it comes to this case, I'm more than qualified to handle it." He took a deep breath, trying to rein in his temper.

"I know you're scared because you've lost so much, but there is _nothing_ about this case that's any more dangerous than any other. I need you to trust me with this just as much as you'd trust me on any other case I walk out of those doors on. Have a little faith in me, and let me to work this out."

"I do trust you!"

"No, you don't! You think I'm going to go out there and run into this headfirst without thinking and get myself killed! I'm not you, Jethro!"

The silence that engulfed the room was suffocating. The worst part for both of them was that it was true, and nothing could be unsaid.

"I have to go interrogate Brand and Mortaire. She's high as a kite, so I need to go while I can take advantage of that. I'll see you at home." Tony turned around and opened the door, slamming it behind him, leaving Jethro alone in the closet.


	9. Chapter 9

Jethro sat heavily on a bucket of salt in the supply closet, running his hand through his hair. He was angry, hurt, confused, ashamed, worried and frustrated. He felt indignant, yet chastised, by Tony's comment about not being him. What he hated most was that Tony was right. No matter how uncalled for he felt the outburst was, he was right.

He was used to running into things he shouldn't. After all, he had just told Tony that he had once gone on what he figured was going to be a suicide mission. It wasn't that he didn't think through his actions, he just weighed the results differently, always putting priorities at the top that most people didn't. His priorities had changed in the past few months though, and he knew that Tony was aware of it. That's what made him so angry. Tony knew exactly how much he was changing, yet threw that back at him anyway.

At the same time, he was worried. Did Tony really think he didn't trust him? He'd turned his case over to him! How could he show any more trust than that? He wouldn't have turned it over to anyone else. Certainly not Balboa, and _definitely_ not the CIA. It would take a direct order from Vance to have turned it over to even Fornell, but he had come to Tony and given him the case. He knew that if he had to deal with such a bigoted and discriminate suspect right now, he would have put his fist through their face, or at least a wall or two

He knew Tony could take it, though. He'd use his words, his knack for twisting _other_ people's words around on them, and tie their brain in a knot. Tony would keep him in the loop, let him know what was going on, and handle it expertly, just how he had taught him, only with his own… and that when Jethro groaned.

_He probably thinks I've given it to him so I can play puppet master after I made the protection comment. I just don't want him hurt, can't he see that?_

Tony's words came back at him. " _I need you to trust me with this just as much as you'd trust me on any other case I walk out of those doors on. Have a little faith in me…"_

He got up from the bucket, shaking his head at himself, and then headed up the stairs to the bullpen. He opened the door as quietly as he could, and looked over at his team. McGee was sitting at his desk, and Fornell was leaning back in Tony's old seat. Ziva sat across from him laughing at something being said, and Jethro decided he didn't want to be around them yet.

His gaze drifted down the hall, and he meandered towards interrogation. He enjoyed watching Tony in his element, and knew he'd feel better after watching Tony work. He tried to sneak into observation, but the light that flooded in drew the attention of Dorneget and Parke who were watching the interrogation of Amanda Mortaire. He nodded a greeting, and stood behind them, taking in the scene until his eyes settled on Tony.

Tony felt like he was going through the interrogation in a blur. He wanted it over with so he could move on. Amanda Mortaire was sitting up ramrod straight, agitated now that she had come down from her high, and Tony noticed that she kept looking at the door like she was going to try and make an escape. He almost wanted her to so that he would have a reason to cuff her to the table. Her fidgeting wasn't helping his nerves.

He knew that Elly was concerned about him. The weird look he was getting once in a while when Mortaire's attention was elsewhere told him he wasn't hiding his anger well. He stood off to the side, watching Elly interject much more calmly, slowing things down. He knew he had to pull himself together. To the outsider, it was nothing, but to those who were used to watching him in an interrogation, there was obvious something was under his skin.

"He was using you," Elly said. "The grand was nothing to him. He has unlimited resources at his disposal, and dispose of them he does. He was going to kill your neighbors, and let the blame fall on you two."

"Yeah right," Mortaire spit back, sitting back in the chair and crossing her arms.

"Hmmm… let's see," Tony said, stepping behind her. "You've got your hands in all sorts of anti-Islamic plots, have attacked a Muslim before, and are known for hateful protests. Oh, and your fingerprints are all over the crime scene from when you broke in to steal the journals. I wonder who we would have come looking for _first_ when there was a heinous honor killing, considering they tend to look just like a hate crime _._ "

"Oh! Oh! I know!" Elly said, raising his hand and waving it excitedly. "Boss! I know this one!"

Tony smiled, appreciating the break in tension. "Yes, how about the over-eager gentleman in the front?"

Elly beamed, and pointed at Mortaire. "That chick right there! The one with that strung out, I-Just-Snorted-A-Pound-Of-Coke look, and the hate-filled past, and-and-and the record of violent hate crimes and harassment!"

"Very good, Agent Critten!" Tony said as he came around the table to stand next to his agent, arms crossed as he looked across the table. "You're going back to jail. This time, you'll be doing serious time. Right now we have you for Breaking and Entering, theft, and possession of an illegal substance. It's up to you whether or not you want to add Conspiracy to Commit Murder."

"Whoa! Hold on! I wasn't gonna kill nobody! Not even those f-"

"Hey!" Elly snapped, slamming his hands down on the table, startling both Mortaire and Tony. "Spouting your bigoted bullshit certainly isn't going to win you any favors from anybody, so do us all a favor, and keep your mouth shut if that's all you've got to say."

Tony had to fight back a smile at the fire Elly suddenly had brought to the table. Parke, Dorney and Jethro didn't have to though, so they exchanged their looks of admiration with one another.

"Might have helped us sink her though if we could have gotten her racist remarks on camera," Parke said quietly.

Jethro shook his head. "It'll all come out on the stand anyway. Her type won't be able to keep that to herself when she's got an audience."

"True," Dorney muttered, his eyes already back on the interrogation. Jethro picked up on the tone of Dorneget's voice and saw the was his expression suddenly fell. He wondered for a moment what his story was, but was drawn back to the interrogation. He made a mental note to ask Tony if he knew.

"I wasn't going to help nobody kill anybody!" Mortaire stated again. "Just needed the cash."

"For what? Your coke?" Elly asked sarcastically, his arms crossing as he sat back in the chair. Tony stepped back, letting him roll a minute, seeing how he went about it.

Mortaire sighed. "That was a treat. I had fifty left over when everything else was done, so I thought I'd, ya know, unwind a little."

"A treat? Cakepops from Starbucks is a _treat_. Top shelf liquor is a _treat._ Cocaine? Not so much. So where did the rest of the grand go?" he asked, his eyes locked on Mortaire's face, carefully watching her expressions and body language for lies like Parke had taught him.

"I had some business to take care of."

"Business? What kind of business?"

"Helped a friend with some things, that's all." Everyone watching saw how uncomfortable she suddenly got, and noticed how quiet she was getting. Elly did too, and he pushed gently.

"Must be a pretty good friend if you get a grand, and your first thought isn't to get your own place, or some clothes that actually fit so you can at least try to find work."

"He is."

Tony's eyes flicked to Elly to see if he had picked up on the pronoun, but Elly's eyes remained on Mortaire.

"Sounds like it since you're dropping more than 900 bucks on him. Moving fast. Out four months and you already have a pimp you owe that much too? Or was that from before your incarceration?" Elly schooled himself, expecting an outburst. He knew she wasn't hooking, at least not yet, but he figured it would be the best way to poke the beast, and he was right.

"Hell no, I ain't got no pimp! What the fuck you think I am? Some kinda whore? No! I don't think so! Nathan respects me! We have a lot in common, share the same ideas. He gets me."

"Ideals, not ideas," Elly said condescendingly, intentionally and successfully pushing her buttons even further as he leaned forward across the table seriously. "And the only thing he _gets you_ , is _getting you_ to be another one of his anti-Islamic hate-cult followers that funds his terrorist projects."

Tony nodded the slightest, proud of Elly for making the connection. He watched Elly stare Mortaire down as she turned white and started to sweat, her chest heaving in panicked breaths.

"This is what I suggest," Elly said quietly, leaning back in his chair, his left hand on the table top twirling a pen. "Cop to the drugs, to the B and E, and offer up anything and everything you know about Nathan Douglas' plans in exchange for a little leniency for the Conspiracy to Commit Murder charges. And then, when you're doing your cushy six year sentence, educate yourself a little on why you're a moron for treating people you don't know a damned thing about like shit. Otherwise, your _friend_ is going to land you in some place a lot worse than prison when we go after you for charges associated with homegrown terrorism."

Mortaire swallowed hard, and Tony thought she might actually pass out. Behind the glass, Parke and Dorney exchanged a silent fist bump and smirks, proud of their teammate.

Jethro had at first been concerned at how Tony had dropped back and let his young agent take over, but he was impressed that Critten had put her in her place so easily. He'd come in to watch Tony tear Mortaire a new one, but it had just proved that Tony really did know what he was doing, even if it was different than what he would have done himself. He decided he had better leave before Tony found him in there, and got the wrong idea about why he had come to watch him.

As soon as he was gone, Parke looked over at Dorney.

"What was that about?" Dorney wondered aloud.

"Don't know, and I am planning on staying as far away from it as possible," Parke said quietly. "You ready to take on Brand?"

"I don't know," he admitted. "Don't think I can top Elly just now."

"You don't have to," Parke coached. "You are in there as support. Your presence alone will piss him off, and that is really what Tony is going to need. Guys tend to let more slip when they are angry and uncomfortable. You're there to provoke silently. You saw today just how much he will destroy himself when you know just when to let go." He smirked and his eyes met Dorney's, which twinkled with mischief.

"I don't know what you're talking about, but maybe I should go in just in case he can't figure out how to sit in his chair safely without falling over on his face." His deadpan tone made Parke snicker.

"You've been hanging out with us too much," he commented.

"No, I think it's just about the right amount," Dorney said rather seriously. "It's just enough to give a damn, while being just enough to learn when not to. Just about perfect."

Parke's hand came up to clasp Dorney's shoulder as he shook his head with a bright smile. "Do you think they're going to get any real information out of her about Nathan Douglas?" he asked.

"Nathan Douglas is known for eliciting women's assistance from a website he has access to from prison. The FBI has made sure that the prison officials know to keep allowing him access because they're tracking him. He gets them to send money to his "hate-cult", as Elly called them, and then they use the money to fund their "special projects". When they found out he was planning on bombing the construction site for the mosque, he ranted his guilt. He's a nutjob, but unfortunately, he's a charismatic nutjob.

"It's hard to think that people who live in a country founded by ancestors escaping religious persecution would harbor such idiots, but here they are. People are such a letdown. In this case alone, we're dealing with zealots, homophobes, racists, and just plain idiots. Just how much hatred can you pack into a person?"

Parke had turned his attention on Dorneget, reading his body language as he spoke. He saw a different man there than he had known before the case. He was stronger, more confident, but he saw a man that had seen great sadness, and he knew in that moment that Ned had seen more than his fair share of bigotry, and probably had been through things he would never know about. The haunted look in his eyes told him, and yet the sadness in them, void of violent anger, told him more about the man than anything he had ever witnessed. He'd been through hell, but he hadn't let the hatred consume him.

It was humbling, and he looked down at the floor, crossing his arms as he realized that he wasn't that strong. He looked up and into Mortaire's red eyes, and he knew that he felt hatred towards her because of her hatred towards others. He wasn't strong enough to look past the anger to try and figure out why she was the way she was, why she thought the way she did, and to find enough compassion to fix and heal the parts of her so damaged that they got stuck focusing on hating someone so much. Who had taught her to hate so vehemently? Why?

He had asked himself so many times in his line of work why people committed the crimes they did, and what sociological and psychological aspects had instigated their crimes, but he realized that when the answer came down to simple hatred of someone because they had belonged to a protected group, his searching had stopped there. Should he look further? The answers would never excuse the crimes, but could a person honestly be rehabilitated if those issues weren't uncovered, if those mental wounds weren't treated?

He watched Dorney's face in the reflection on the glass. How did some turn into cops and agents that held the compassion to keep looking for the good in people, in the world around them, expecting to find it enough that it saddened them when it didn't? And how did some turn into the Amanda Mortaires of the world? Six years of college, pulling massive course loads, and working with the prison system, had made him fairly well educated on the results of that kind of hatred, but for the first time, he wanted to know what caused it. That's why he had decided to become an agent. He wanted to stop the crimes _before_ they happened, not deal with the aftermath when someone was already incarcerated.

He wished he was strong enough to care about those prisoners he had worked with to find the root of their spite, but he knew that at that moment, he wanted nothing more than to see Mortaire suffer for her hatred, and until he could let go of that, he wasn't going to ever be able to claim to be as strong as the man next to him that looked on with pity and disheartened confusion instead of the hatred and violence he felt within himself.

Twenty minutes later, Dorney was standing outside of the door to the other interrogation room, listening to Tony's instructions. He nodded and took a deep breath. According to Mortaire, it was Brand that had the initial contact with Ali Bak. They had enough evidence to sink him, but they needed to make sure the case against Ali Bak was solid.

Dorney clung to his folder and opened the door, going in and sitting across from Brand alone while Tony went into observation. Parke and Elly looked at Tony in surprised confusion when he joined them.

"Boss?" Elly asked, looking back and forth between the scene unfolding before them and Tony.

"Just watch," Tony said with a smirk.

Dorney thought about what Elly had suggested to him on the way to the range. _Act_ like the agent he wanted to be, because he was one. He dropped the file folder on the table, and took the chair across from Brand with a condescending chuff and the shake of his head. He said nothing, simply staring at the jerk across from him for a long couple of minutes.

"You got something you wanna say to me?" Brand asked with as much attitude as possible with his hands cuffed to a bolted down table.

"Not really," Dorney said. "You're not worth my breath, but my boss wants me to clarify a few details of this case with you, so I guess I have to, but no- I don't have a damned thing I _want_ to say to you." He watched Brand roll his eyes, and flipped his folder open.

"You're looking at time for Breaking and Entering, Theft, and Conspiracy to Commit Murder. Ther-"

"Conspiracy to do _what?!_ " Brand shouted.

"To Commit Murder," Dorney annunciated. "You know, the little plan Ali Bak had to kill the residents of the apartment you broke into once he had proof that they were his targets- proof that you supplied to him."

"I don't know nothing about no murder! We were just supposed to go in, trash the place, and take something from them so he could figure out if the person he was looking for lived there."

" _Sure_ you didn't," Dorney said quietly, flipping through the folder as if though he wasn't paying any attention. "As I was saying, you're facing-"

"Did you just hear what I told you, or are you deaf?" Brand ranted in disbelief.

"Oh, I can hear fine. I simply don't believe a word that comes from your mouth. I mean, who would be so stupid that they wouldn't wear some type of gloves to break into someone's house? Especially with priors? Yeah, there's more going on here."

Brand groaned. "We were just supposed to scare them! Ya know, so they'd move out. It was a win-win for all parties involved. This guy would get something he wanted, we'd get a grand cash and get rid of the unwanted vermin in the building. Simple as that! No murder involved!"

Dorney looked up at him with the most condescending look he could muster. "Are you really that stupid? Really?" He shook his head in disbelief. "You didn't stop for a moment and wonder _why_ he needed something of theirs? You didn't ask yourself why he wanted this stuff so badly?"

Brand shrugged a little, looking confused. "I didn't know, didn't care to find out. What I don't know can't hurt me, ya know? We'd get what we needed, he'd get what he needed, and we'd all go our separate ways."

"Sooo… you didn't know this guy was a contract killer?"

Brand shook his head no, and Dorney held up a finger.

"Let me show you something." He pulled out photos from the back of the file on Ali Bak, and laid them out across the table. They were the gruesome remains of his previous kills. " _This_ \- this is what that man does to people."

He watched as Brand swallowed and tried to look away from the photos and the horror they portrayed. When Dorneget realized he had looked away, he decided to describe what had happened to each of them for him.

"This woman was burned. He poured gasoline on her, over and over again, saturating her, letting the fluid itself burn into her skin, and then he set her on fire, put her out, and then set her on fire again. And this one here, well, it's pretty obvious that he stripped the skin off her body. And this one was classic Ali Bak. He has a thing for carving people up for hours before they finally beg for death. At that point he pours bleach over their bodies until it enters the wounds and kills them from toxicity."

He witnessed Brand shudder, and was glad he had gotten his attention. He was extremely proud of his acting job, and he was waiting for Tony to barge in any minute to take over like he said he would, but it never happened, so he kept going.

"What you don't know might not hurt _you_ , but did you stop to think that maybe it would hurt someone else? The items you stole were evidence for him that he had the right people. He was going to go in after you, murder them in these kinds of gruesome ways, and then let you two dumbasses take the fall for it, and you would have, because you were too stupid to wear gloves. He knew we'd come looking for Mortaire because she has a history with anti-Islamic groups, and she would drag you into it.

"You were setting up three innocent people, people that have been crucial and instrumental to obtaining information needed to protect the American people and our troops overseas, setting them up for horribly gruesome deaths. But, nah, you didn't think about it. It was _just_ a grand, and they were _just_ Muslims living in your building." Dorney swept the pictures up into the folder, and got to his feet.

"How the hell was I supposed-" Brand started, trying to defend himself.

"You know what makes me sick," Dorney said, no longer acting but feeling his anger and his own passion rising in him until he was practically yelling. "You do! You and your blind hatred for those that are different than you, when _you're_ the problem. You don't give a _damn_ about anyone but yourself and your own narrow-minded worldview. Your homophobic bitching at the apartment building, your consideration of the people around you as tools, your blatant hatred and discrimination of three people who have put their _lives_ on the line time and time again for what's right, what's just. You make me sick, and I hope you go down with Ali Bak and Mortaire as they sit in prison cells for the rest of their lives for what they've done. You're a horrible excuse for a human being." Dorney went to the door and opened it, then turned around. "And by the way, being an _idiot_ isn't a defense in court!"

He slammed the door behind him and went straight for the bullpen, dropping his folder down on his desk and slamming his desk drawer as he got his things and stormed out for some air.

Gibbs, Tim and Ziva all witnessed it, and shared looks with one another. Gibbs looked at his desk and thought for a moment, then grabbed his gun and badge, tucking them in. "Going for coffee," he said, breezing through the bullpen as he took off down the stairs just as Tony had after Malek the day before. He knew that Tony would jump on him and take it the wrong way that he was interfering, but Tony's team meant everything to Tony, and Tony's happiness meant everything to him. The idea that Dorneget, of all people, was storming out was a bad sign, and he felt like he needed to cut it off at the pass.

He scanned the square, and he saw Ned sitting on a bench near a statue halfway up the hill. He stopped at the coffee barista and grabbed two cups. He took a handful of sugar and a couple of creams with him, and approached Dorney cautiously. He sat next to him, and handed him the cup.

Ned took it with a faint smile, confused as to why Gibbs was suddenly sitting next to him and handing him coffee. He dumped some of the sugar and a creamer in, and replaced the lid, tucking the sugar papers in his pocket. It was kind of hot for coffee, and he was still kind of hot under the collar, but it was such an odd gesture that he went ahead and took a drink.

"Messy case," Gibbs prompted, unsure of exactly how to ask what had just happened.

"Yeah, it is. Full of racists and homophobic bigots," Dorney spit out before he could stop himself. "How do people become such idiots, Agent Gibbs?" he asked as he shook his head and took a drink of his coffee.

"Fair question, but I don't have an answer for you. What happened?" he asked.

"Just interrogated Brand, the skinhead that had broken into your friends' apartment. Neither of them knew Ali Bak's intentions were so violent. Mortaire's a hateful bigot, and Brand is just stupid to the core. There's more brains in this cup of coffee than in that man's head. They never even considered that Ali Bak was going to kill them. Never even questioned why he needed the tokens." He shook his head, staring across the yard. "Idiots."

"Do you think it would have made a difference if they knew?" Gibbs asked.

"If Brand knew, I think it might have. Mortaire? No, she would have still done it, and she probably would have done worse than what she did. She's sick, he's stupid, they're the perfect match."

Gibbs thought about the other aspect that was mentioned but not touched. "Word around the office is Brand tripped and fell down the steps earlier. Maybe he suffered some brain damage and just doesn't remember his discussion with Ali Bak so clearly."

Dorney turned his eyes to meet Gibbs', and Gibbs was surprised to find a reproving look in them. Gibbs lifted his hands up with a shrug. "Just what I heard."

"Boss had me escorting the dick to the car, and he was struggling. He decided to get personal with his statements, and shouted for "the fag" to let him go, so…"

Gibbs nodded with a smirk. "You let him go."

"Yeah, but he couldn't walk on his own apparently, and fell down the steps." Dorney shrugged as if it were the simple truth.

Gibbs turned his head up to the blue sky streaked with orange and pink clouds that marked the early summer evening. He smiled despite himself, and then turned back to Dorney. "He didn't… fall down any steps in interrogation did he?"

Dorney gave him another reproachful look. "No. He copped to the breaking and entering and theft when he tried to get from under the conspiracy charge, just like Tony said he would. Speaking of the boss, I should probably check in with him," he suddenly realized with a wince. "Kinda went off on Brand and then got out of there. He's probably wondering where I went."

Gibbs nodded. "Yeah, I'd be worried if one of my agents just disappeared after an interrogation, especially if it got a little tense."

"Little is an understatement," Dorney said, suddenly starting to panic. "Holy shit."

"What?" Gibbs asked, realizing Dorney was turning white.

"I just yelled at a guy that probably has had tattoos that hurt worse than anything I've ever felt."

Gibbs tried to keep his laughter to himself, and succeeded, but barely. "You yelled at him?"

"Yeah, and called him an idiot and worthless human being. I'm really glad he and I won't ever be left near lockers alone together. The last time I… nevermind."

Gibbs decided to steer them away from the trip down bad memory lane. "What did DiNozzo do when you yelled at him?"

"Nothing. Well, he wasn't in the room. He sent me in, and he was supposed to come in halfway through, we had it all worked out, you know? But he never came in, and then I kept going, and Brand… he seemed really surprised, Agent Gibbs. He didn't know Ali Bak was going to kill them. He didn't even consider it. He didn't have any of the tells that Greg has been teaching me to look for, and his body language was honestly distressed when he saw the pictures of Ali Bak's other victims. He really didn't know."

Gibbs was confused. He wondered why Tony had never come in to take over. The only reason he could think of was that he wanted to see how his Probie would do on his own.

Dorney suddenly turned towards Gibbs. "You just called him DiNozzo."

Gibbs shrugged.

"I haven't heard you call him that since I moved up to the bullpen."

Gibbs suddenly felt like he was the one being interrogated, and he froze.

"I knew you two were fighting, but I didn't think it was _that_ bad," Dorney said, looking out at the square with a sigh.

Gibbs felt his defenses rise. It _was_ bad, but it wasn't as bad as Dorneget was making it sound, but that was their business, not his. Another thought occurred to him though. "You're getting all of this by a slip of the tongue?"

Dorney shrugged. His phone vibrated in his pocket and he reached for it, startled. It was a text from Tony.

_Where are you?_

"Well, I guess it's time to face the music," he muttered.

_Outside in the square with Gibbs by the Admiral statue._

_Wait there for me._

"You might want to go," Dorney said. " _DiNozzo_ is coming out. Coming out _here_ that is. He's already- I guess- sort of- out? You know what I mean."

Gibbs raised an eyebrow at him, but stayed seated. This wasn't like if he were to be caught in interrogation watching them earlier. This had nothing to do with the case itself, and everything to do with watching out for Tony and his agents. He was also piqued by the changes he was seeing in Dorney, and wanted to see how he interacted with Tony. They sat and waited together in silence, and despite both of them knowing they were doing nothing wrong, they both held a barely reigned in sense of dread at Tony's pending arrival.

* * *

Tony, Parke and Elly had watched Dorney interrogate Brand with rapt fascination. Tony hadn't been expecting Dorney to proceed so confidently. They had barely had any chance to work on interrogation skills at all, and he had never let Dorney get anywhere close to leading the questioning before. This was a perfect scenario, and he was concerned that he might be putting him on the task a little sooner than he should have, but he couldn't pass up the opportunity. He knew that if he would let Brand stew for a while with Dorney, it would poke and prod at his homophobia, and eventually when he came in, they could double dose him, confuse the crap out of him, and then use that to twist his words back on him.

When Dorney went in and actually interrogated him though, Tony let him roll with it. He was about to join him when he saw Dorney pull out the pictures, photos that Tony wasn't even aware were in the folder. He realized that Dorney had been the one to put the folders together for them, and since he had been researching the Qureshis, it only made sense that he would go ahead and research Ali Bak as well. He flipped his own copy of the file open, and found the horrible photos that he couldn't see well from behind the glass. Elly and Parke looked over his shoulder and winced, looking back into the room at Dorney as he calmly explained how each one had been tortured.

When Dorney suddenly scooped up the photos, and got to his feet, Tony knew something was hitting a nerve in him. Parke's jaw dropped as he tore into Brand, a complete contrast to the man who stood on the other side of the glass from Mortaire's interrogation with him. Elly felt his heart beating twice as hard and fast in his chest at the sudden change in his friend. All three of them froze, unable to move as Dorney slammed the door to the room, terrified that he was going to come into observation with them.

After a couple of minutes they all started moving again, realizing that they weren't going to be interrupted.

"Well, that wasn't exactly how I pictured that going," Tony said. "But we got his confession for the B and E and theft, and that's all we really needed. Conspiracy is going to be a little harder to prove for him, but that's up to the lawyers. Greg, go get him to write up his confession and sign it. Elly, find out when we can expect transport for them."

"On it, Boss," Elly said, leading Parke from the room.

Tony watched Brand's expression on the other side of the glass. It was lost in thought. He saw the way his expression had changed when Dorney had started explaining exactly what was going to happen to Dina, Talia and Malek, and just how much he had balked at the idea when Dorney explained a little more about who the three of them were. His expression now was distraught and shamefaced, and he knew that Dorney had just put him in his place more than any prison sentence would.

When Parke walked in with the paperwork Brand would need to file a confession, Brand simply reached for the pen, and bent his head to begin writing. Parke chanced a look over his shoulder at the glass and shrugged. Tony shook his head, confused by the entire experience. He headed for the bullpen to check on Dorney, and when he didn't find him there, pulled out his phone to text him.

Now he was walking up the sidewalk towards him and Jethro, wondering how his fiancé had been pulled into this. He saw the coffee in both of their hands, and raised an eyebrow at Jethro, who reached out and handed him his cup. When Tony still didn't look quite appeased, he took his cue.

"I'll leave you two to talk," he said, getting to his feet and leaving Tony standing there with a half-drank cup of bitter coffee. He shook his head a little in confusion, and sat next to his agent.

"That was interesting," he stated, taking a drink from the cup in his hand.

"Yeah, I'm not really sure what's up with him," Dorney said, a perplexed look on his face. "One minute he's referring to you as DiNozzo, the next he's giving you his coffee. So weird."

"No, I mean the interrogation," Tony said, storing the other statements, and the fact that Dorney was paying that much attention to his relationship, in the back of his mind.

"Oh, yeah. That too."

"Wanna talk about it?" Tony asked with a slight grimace at how cheesy it sounded.

"He's an idiot, and I apparently have an aversion to stupid people."

"I saw that. For what it's worth, you did a great job! I mean, I didn't expect such a powerful performance, and didn't even know the photos were in the folder. Nice touch!"

"Performance. Yeah, well, Elly told me to tap into my inner actor. _Act_ like the agent because you _are_ the agent, he'd said. Well, if this is what it feels like, I'm not sure I like it."

"Whoa, there. Back the truck up. You just totally tore into that guy, and justifiably may I add, and you got the confession. You can jump for joy any minute now!"

Dorney gave Tony a look that made him feel like he should sit back and shut up, and he wondered where he'd learned that one.

"Feeling this angry doesn't make me want to jump for joy. I'm not this person."

"UH, yeah, you are. That wasn't an act in there, Ned, that was you. And if you're not angered by creeps like that, then why are you here?"

Dorney sat back and sighed.

"He was signing his confession as I left, Ned. You got to him, and not just in the way that's going to make him admit he's guilty to the lesser crimes so that we won't go after him for the bigger crimes. You made him actually consider the consequences of his actions. That goes beyond us getting what we need for court. That is the difference you bring to the table. You know there's still a person in there somewhere when the rest of us just see a criminal."

Dorney looked over at Tony, and saw that he had a touch of sadness in his expression.

"I don't know if I can do this, Tony," he said quietly.

"I do," Tony answered just as quietly.

"The changes scare me."

"That's good. I wish they still scared me."

"I'm not sure I'm going to like who I'll come out the other side as," Dorney said as he looked back out across the square.

"What do you think you're going to suddenly be?"

"Bitter, angry, apathetic, hard… "

"Well, see, there's your mistake. If you're angry, you're not apathetic. You were passionate in there, and when you're passionate, you don't hold back. _You_ especially don't hold back apparently. This means a lot to you, and I think right now, you're scared because you're so close to being what you wanted to be for so long now. You told me when I brought you on that you wanted to be pushed, and I promised you I would. When you took off in there, I let you go with it because I needed to see how you'd do. It's not going to be very often that you'll be put in a room with someone who has hit personal nerves. We won't be up against hate crimes very often. This kind of thing usually goes to Gibbs' team, but I needed to know what you'd do when we are."

"And then I went and got all emotional," Dorney said, sounding defeated.

"Exactly! You _did_ get emotional. You didn't just play it off. There's a time and a place for that, and you're learning that balance. You tapped into those emotions, and you kicked some serious ass, and yet you didn't once appear to be about to resort to violence. That won't work in every case, but in this one, it did, and it did so beautifully. I'd be glad to have you do it all over again if the occasion arises."

Dorney raised a skeptical eyebrow at him.

"You can stop being so self-conscious, Ned. You know I'm not afraid to call you out on things when you're crossing lines you shouldn't. I honestly didn't know you had it in you to tear into him like that today. I'm proud of you. Now we just need to work on how to get you to let go of that ferocity when it's all over so it doesn't kill you… and the rest of us."

Dorney chuckled and smiled shyly.

"Seriously, we were all holding our breaths, afraid you were going to come into observation with us. None of us wanted to be trapped in a tiny room with you at that moment."

Dorney laughed, and Tony smiled brightly.

"See? There you are! You're still in there. Now, for the really serious matter at hand. Why did my future husband come out here and buy you coffee? You trying to snag my man?"

Dorney's eyes bugged out of his head, and his mouth hung open as he shook his head, unable to form words. Tony burst out laughing, and slapped him on the knee.

"I'm just joking, calm down."

Dorney still hadn't stopped shaking his head in shock. "I wouldn't know the first thing about what to do with him," he said with a daunted tone, which only made Tony laugh even harder.

"That's okay, some days I don't either," Tony finally said when he caught his breath, and then took a drink of the bitter, sugarless coffee in his hand.

"Is that why you're fighting?" Dorney asked cautiously.

Tony shrugged. "We're still getting used to keeping work and our personal lives separate, but this case is all sorts of personal for the both of us. It was bound to get messy."

"That's what he called it, too. Messy that is."

"So why _did_ he come out to talk to you?"

Dorney thought about it a minute. "I think he was checking up on me. I kinda slammed my desk around before I came out here, and I think he was actually worried about me."

"He probably was. I know he may seem like one of those bitter, angry, hard agents you're afraid of becoming, but he's not. There's a crust of that, but you only become that way when you keep trying to care. If you didn't care, you wouldn't need to form that kind of shield. It doesn't take much to discover he's more heart than anyone in this agency."

"You don't seem to have that kind of shield, and neither does Parke or Elly, but I know the three of you still care."

"It takes on different forms in different people. We all have some kind of defenses. I think with Elly and I, we use humor. Parke, he gets quiet, turns inward, uses rational thinking to unravel people. I think he's still trying to find what works for him. This job is different for him compared to what he used to do. What once worked for him isn't working anymore. You'll find what works for you, too. It's not always the prettiest journey, but we'll be right here with you along the way."

Dorney sighed again, but nodded.

"We should get back in. We've got cases to write up, and it's already after six." Tony got to his feet and stretched, and Dorney followed suit. They headed for the main entrance together, and Tony took another drink of his coffee. He thought about what he had just said about Jethro. He did have more heart than anyone he knew on the job. It was why he loved him. He thought back to the words they had exchanged earlier, and turned towards Dorney, a plan hatching.

"Tonight, Gibbs' friends will still be in the hotel, but tomorrow, when we come back in, we are going to have to start researching the Qureshi. We need to find out how likely it is that they are going to send more people after Dina. I think in this case, Malek and Talia are collateral damage. Now that we know Dina has killed one of the high ranking terrorists, we need to focus on what is going to be coming our way."

Dorney nodded, and started talking in a tone that reminded Tony of someone reading a text book.

"There was mention in my research the other day that Ubaydah had been taken out, and that restitution was being demanded by the majority of their high council. We aren't going to have an easy time determining what is coming next. Now that their headquarters has been relocated once we uncovered its location and our allies raided it, we are at a disadvantage. Our information is coming through in chunks and trickles. We never know what we're going to be hearing next, or how proven the intel is."

Tony raised an eyebrow at him. He'd only been researching for three hours the day before, and yet he seemed to be more up to speed than he was. He suspected there was research being done in his off hours, and he hoped he was being secure about it.

They made their way back to their desks to find Elly and Parke already working on their reports. Both looked up to gauge how Dorney was doing, and when Tony looked over the partition, he noticed that Jethro, McGee and Ziva were all doing the same. He tried to not be exasperated by their care, knowing that was all it was, but he couldn't help the twinge of frustration that ran through him. He could take care of his team, and he needed them to trust that more than he needed their concerned glances.

He saw a copy of Brand's confession on his desk and added it to his folder. There were also copies of the transfer orders for both Brand and Mortaire. Elly's signature was scrawled across the bottom, and he added his before looking up to catch Elly's attention.

Elly's eyes diverted from his screen, and saw Tony holding up the papers. He nodded, got up to grab the forms, and left the bullpen to take them downstairs to the transfer team. He was glad to get out of the bullpen for a few minutes and away from everybody. It had been a crazy day, and he was anxious to put it behind him, though he knew the fireworks were just beginning.

Fornell had taken Ali Bak back to the FBI with him under much more serious charges than what they would have been able to get him on. The word had reached them that the DNA results were back on Stafford, but Tony hadn't heard yet. There were more urgent things to take care of right now than closing a 25 year old cold case whose suspect was already locked up. He had to admit that he was pretty stoked though, and extremely proud of himself and his teammates.

He dropped the paperwork off with the transport team, who immediately headed up to interrogation to get Brand and Mortaire so they could get them settled and transferred. After that, he stopped to see if Ducky was in autopsy still. He had been making time to chat with him every couple of weeks, or as Tony called it, an unofficial session. He had grown to really like the older man, and had found that he encouraged him in ways that other people had discouraged him in the past. He appreciated that. Autopsy was dark though, and he shrugged, before going to see if Abby was in her lab still.

He walked in to find her and McGee gathering up their things to rush out and look at the apartment they wanted. They exchanged a few words, and then Elly took the stairs up while they took the elevator. He swung through the breakroom and grabbed a couple of things from the vending machine, and then headed back to his desk. He noticed that Gibbs' team had left, and everyone on his team had buckled down to get a first draft of their report done.

He worked on his quickly, and everyone got done at about the same time except for Tony, who sent them all home with his blessing.

He took his time getting his stuff together, and noticed that Dorney did too. Parke waved goodbye as he walked out, his phone already to his ear as he tried to get ahold of Tiffany. Dorney approached Tony's desk, and Elly watched as discreetly as possible.

"You're going home soon, right?" he asked tentatively.

Tony offered him a slight smile and a nod. "Yeah, I'm going home to talk things out with Crusty. Don't worry."

Dorney nodded with a sigh of relief. "Good. Have a good night."

Elly slipped out from behind his desk and headed towards the elevator with him. "Night, Boss!" he shouted over his shoulder. Once the elevator doors closed on he and Dorney, he looked over at him. "Crusty?" he asked.

Dorney smiled sheepishly. "Yeah. Tony and I were talking earlier, and he referred to Gibbs as having a crusty layer, a shield, to keep his emotions in check and protected."

"How did you guys end up talking about that?" Elly asked as the elevator came to a stop and the doors opened to the garage.

"I said something about the two of them fighting."

"Whoa! Was that the smartest move?" Elly asked, wondering exactly how big of a pair Dorney was growing.

He shrugged and smiled even more sheepishly. "Probably not, but I really hate when they fight."

"Why?" Elly asked quietly.

"I guess it's kinda like watching your parents fight. You really don't want them to be mad at each other."

"Didn't see that often," Elly said, knowing they were breaching uncomfortable territory.

"Yeah, well… I didn't either. They probably mean more to me than my folks, and they definitely have been more supportive of me." Dorney shrugged, his expression growing somewhat depressed.

Elly rested his hand on his shoulder. "I think we need a drink to celebrate our confessions. What do ya say?"

"I think it's a beer and pizza kinda night," Dorney agreed.

"Okay, I'm going to run home, and grab some clothes. You order from Ricci's, I'll pick it up on my way back over to your place. Just gotta remember where in the hell I put my earplugs after the range the other day, because boy, you _snore_ like a bear."

Dorney laughed, and shook his head. "What do you want on your pizza?"

"Anything besides anchovies and olives. I'm not picky when it comes to my pizza."

"Okay. I'm going to stop and grab some beer, because I doubt I've got enough for the both of us after a day like today. I'll see if they have those nose strips so you don't decide to try to sleep in your car."

"That is the kindest thing you've ever done for me," Elly said, finally letting go of Dorney's shoulder. Dorney laughed again and shook his head, stepping away to head for his car.

"See you in an hour," he shouted.

Elly got into his car with a satisfied smile. He wasn't in the mood to be alone right now, and he was glad he and Dorney were going to hang out. He just hoped they could steer clear of the more serious conversations they tended to have. He wasn't sure what it was that kept them opening up to one another, but it seemed like every time they got together, something deep was discussed.

"Kinda nice to have real friends that actually give a damn though," he said to himself as he pulled out of the garage. "Really kinda nice."

* * *

Tony finished his report and slid it into his drawer. It was about 2030, and he was starving. He got up, flipped off the desk lamp he had turned on an hour ago, and picked up his stuff. He was sliding the lock on his phone when the elevator opened while he was still ten feet away. He looked up, then back at his phone, then up again and froze.

"Thought you might be hungry. You finished?" Jethro asked quietly. Tony smiled at the man looking at him sheepishly with a bag of take out. He joined him on the lift, and hit the button for the garage.

"I am, and I'm on my way home to my fiancé. Figured he might be missing me soon. I started missing him about an hour ago, so he's probably due any minute now."

"He was kinda worried if you were going to come home at all," Jethro said, averting his eyes anywhere but at Tony.

Tony reached forward and stopped the elevator, turning towards Jethro, resting a hand on his arm.

"Hey, look at me."

Jethro turned to look at Tony, trying to keep his eyes on his, but they kept darting away and back.

"This is work. It's going to suck when our cases overlap, but that's going to stay here. We may hash it out at home, but I promise, I _swear_ , that I will never let work come between our relationship, Jethro. I just had to finish my report, that's all."

Tony watched as Jethro swallowed, unable to speak. He dropped his backpack, and took the take out and sat it on the floor next to them. He slipped his hands around Jethro's waist, and felt him melt against him. It felt weird to feel Jethro so vulnerable as he clung to him, and it amplified just how scared Jethro was that he was suddenly not going to be there one day. It also reminded him that Jethro's comments earlier, and his concepts about where the case should go, were fueled by irrational emotions, and he needed to respond to them as such.

He ran his hands up Jethro's back comfortingly, and felt him relax slightly. "Can you do that?" Tony asked.

"Do what?"

"Leave the case here tonight?"

"I think I can do that," Jethro said, pulling back to look into Tony's eyes. "We'll have to talk about it eventually though."

"Tomorrow night, then, after we make some headway on what our next steps will be. But not at home. Here, dinner, somewhere else, but not at home."

"Okay. I can go for that."

"Good. I don't care when we talk about work at home, but when we're fighting about work stuff, I don't want to bring it home with us. We'll stay here as long as we need and get it out of our systems, but it can't come home with us."

Gibbs nodded, smiling at his partner. "I think that might be the smartest move we can make." He leaned in and kissed Tony gently, grateful for him.

"Love you, Tony," he whispered. Tony smiled.

"Love you, too, Jethro. Let's go home! I'm hungry, and I need to de-stress a little before doing this all over again tomorrow."

"Oh, I think I can help you with that," Jethro said, picking up the bag from the floor and hitting the elevator switch.

"Oh, really?" Tony asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, yeah. I'm pretty sure I know exactly what can take your stress away, and it just might help mine, too."

"What's that?" Tony asked coyly as the elevator doors opened.

"I can't say. If it echoes through the garage, we'll get canned."

"Hmmm! Nice!"

Half an hour later, Tony was pinned against the wall next to the front door. The take-out was sitting on the coffee table, not even opened yet and forgotten. Jethro had been watching for Tony to pull up, knowing he wouldn't be too far behind him. As soon as he was through the door, his stuff hit the floor and Tony's back hit the wall. Their hands worked adeptly at removing one another's clothes in a flurry, leaving a pile on the floor. Tony reached out for the lock on the front door, but was too far away to succeed. Jethro reached over and flicked it for him so that they both heard the satisfying thunk of the recently installed deadbolt.

Their tongues wrestled desperately over one another, hungry for eachother and that connection they were always just clothing away from having. Tony pushed away from the wall, his hands on Jethro's hips, guiding him backwards towards the steps. Instead, Jethro's back ended up pressed against the wall next to them, and he groaned as Tony bit his bottom lip before running his tongue across it.

Jethro's arms were around him, holding him as closely to him as possible as Tony used his mouth to try and break him into submission. He was close to succeeding when Jethro dipped his head forward and bit down on Tony's neck, right at the curve to his shoulder. Tony's head dropped back in a groan, and Jethro turned so that Tony was now pressed against the wall as his mouth moved to Tony's collarbone to lick the bite marks he had left on him the night before.

Tony whimpered, his fingers entwining themselves with Jethro's hair. He wanted some of the control in this, but it felt too good to have Jethro's lips on his body, his tongue licking and teasing him, to fight it. His other hand slid down Jethro's side, caressing the tender spot on his hip and made Jethro arch into him. Tony smirked at the power that simple touch yielded over him. His hand drifted even lower, and reached behind him. It seemed at first that he was going to simply grab an ass cheek, but instead, his fingers slid past them and pressed on Jethro's perineum, making him gasp and moan.

Tony pushed away from the wall again, turning Jethro towards the steps, and giving him a push. "Upstairs," he ordered, and Jethro went as directed.

He chased him up the stairs and into their room. He kicked closed the door behind him and followed Jethro to the bed, but Jethro spun around and grabbed Tony by the waist, his arms coming around him tightly and picking him up, swinging him around to land on the bed. Tony groaned as Jethro straddled him, grabbing his arms to pin him down and bending to kiss him hungrily.

Tony kissed him back, unsure if he wanted to struggle anymore. He loved the weight of Jethro's body on him, the possessiveness of the kiss, and as always with them, the control factor, but he was feeling far from docile. He thrust his hips up against Jethro, whose eyes rolled into the back of his head. Tony took that as a sign that the struggle wasn't over, and bucked up against him again, while at the same time trying to roll them. The motion gained him a position on his side with Jethro's legs wrapped around him, keeping him from rolling over any further and gaining the top position.

They kept kissing, their hands feeling whatever they could of one another. Jethro couldn't think anymore. He wasn't sure what he wanted. Every nerve in his body was on fire, and it felt like he was going to explode. This was different than any make-up sex he had ever had, even with Tony. He was matched pound for pound, both physically and emotionally, and though he knew they were at an impasse, it felt like right where they needed to be. No one was gaining any ground, and no one was letting any go.

They were equals, inside and out. Jethro smiled into the kiss, feeling the weight of the world suddenly lifting off of him. He reached for Tony's hand, entwining his fingers with his. The grasp that was returned was just as strong and supportive as he hoped his was for Tony. He started moving slowly so that he was on his back, Tony following as they refused to stop kissing one another.

It was a natural transition, and somehow, he felt that by offering himself up to Tony's wants, he had kept his half of the control. They were still balanced, still equals, and he knew that no matter what happened there in their bedroom, or at work in the bullpen, they would always stay equals. There was a freedom in that. He knew he could always trust Tony to be there for him, and he knew that Tony would always trust him to be there when he needed him, but he also knew that Tony was capable of taking care of himself, and those around him, as much as he was.

Tony felt the gradual change as well. Jethro hadn't accepted defeat, he had given Tony the reins, and Tony knew that there was just as much power in that as in that impasse. The scales still felt even. He grabbed the lube from the dresser, and tossed it down on the bed next to them. He wasn't sure what he wanted other than to keep kissing Jethro. He couldn't think, his mind a muddled mess of sensations caused by every bit of contact his skin had with his lover's.

He ran his nose along Jethro's, his eyes fluttering open to look down into the blue glazed orbs staring back at him. Their lips met again, and Tony felt the curve of the lips against him, smiling. He smiled too, a weird giddy sensation coming over him. He reached for the lube, clicking the lid open. He pulled out of the kiss, and poured a handful of lube before clicking it shut again. He straddled Jethro and grabbed both of their engorged cocks, smearing them both in his hands, stroking them. Jethro sat up, his arms going around Tony's shoulders, their lips meeting again in that hungry kiss as Tony used his magic fingers on them, working them closer to release.

Their tongues twisted around each other as Tony's hands stroked them so that the friction against one another was just as intense as what his fingers and palms felt like as they ran up their shafts. Jethro's arms held him up, and kept him from falling off the bed, as Tony used one hand to begin tracing along their sensitive heads as the other pumped them.

Jethro groaned and broke the kiss, his head tossing back as he panted. Tony pushed him back on the bed and let go of their cocks, grabbing the lube again. He smeared some on his fingers, then reached down to prep Jethro, his fingers working in and out of him and causing him to buck against them. He pulled his fingers out and got into position, lining his cock up with Jethro's opening, and gently pushing forward until his hands were on Jethro's shoulders and he was up to the hilt inside of his lover.

He bent to take Jethro's lips, stealing the little puffs of air he was trying to breathe. He slid out of him almost completely, and pushed back in. Jethro was vice-tight around him, and it felt amazing. Tony stayed bent over Jethro's face, staring down into his eyes as he slowly took him, as Jethro slowly gave himself to him. They built the momentum all over again, and as Tony's pace increased, Jethro pushed back against him.

As they moved faster and faster together, Tony's hands slid off of Jethro's sweaty shoulders, and onto the bed. Their foreheads were against each other, and their lips touched over and over as they tried to kiss in the midst of the flurry of movements. Tony let his left hand hold his weight, as his right hand slid down Jethro's body until he could slip his fingers around Jethro's dick.

Minutes later, both men were ready to let go, waiting for the other, not wanting for it to be over yet but needing the release too badly to not give in. Tony's strokes became rhythmless, and Jethro could no longer push back against Tony's thrusts as he felt the rush of blood signaling his orgasm.  
Gasps and hisses filled the air as they came, Tony pulling out to come on Jethro's leg, finding an odd sense of satisfaction in Jethro being the one covered in the sticky fluid instead of him for once.

Tony collapsed on Jethro, their lips meeting for a slow, sloppy, breathless kiss. Tony fell out of the kiss, and rested his head between Jethro's shoulder and neck, and Jethro nuzzled against him, their arms around each other. They dozed off like that, glad to be in that place they only found together; that place that felt more right than anything else ever had, or ever would.


	10. Chapter 10

Tony woke up a little after midnight to a rumbling stomach. He looked over at the clock, and then down at Jethro. He grinned when he saw Jethro smiling in his sleep, and shook his head at how happy he felt. He carefully slipped out of bed, careful not to wake him, and headed for the bathroom. He used a wet wash rag to wipe himself down, and then found the basketball shorts and tee shirt he had taken off a couple of days prior draped over the side of the laundry hamper. He slipped them on and flipped off the light, looking around the door frame at Jethro's sleeping form.

When he was sure he wasn't stirring, he creaked open the door and headed for the living room. He found the take out sitting on the coffee table, and took it into the kitchen. He opened the various cartons to find the one he knew was for him, dumped half of it out onto a plate, added an egg roll and slipped the plate into the microwave. He couldn't wait until they got back from Italy, and he could start the remodel on the kitchen. He had sketched out plans on what he wanted to do, and had Jethro's blessing on the project.

The countdown was at one second when Tony popped the door open, making sure not to let the obnoxious beeping noise disturb the quiet of the house. He put the rest of the food in the fridge, grabbed a fork, and sat down at the dining room table. He was lost in thought, chowing down on rice and chicken when he heard footsteps entering the room. He smiled as he looked up to find Jethro standing there in boxers, his eyes squinting against the light.

"Hey," Tony said quietly, an irrepressible smile on his face.

"Whatcha doing?" Jethro asked sleepily.

"Eating. Hadn't had anything since breakfast. My stomach was growling so loud it woke me up. Surprised it didn't wake you."

Jethro came over and leaned over the back of the chair, his arms coming around Tony. Tony leaned back into the embrace, his head resting on Jethro's shoulder.

"You wanna join me?" Tony asked. Jethro shook his head no, but made no sound. Tony smirked. He loved sleepy Jethro. "You just want me to come back to bed." Jethro nodded, and Tony chuckled. "Let me finish this, and I'll be right up. I'm almost done." Jethro nodded again, but didn't let Tony go.

Tony brought one hand to Jethro's on his chest, and he stabbed another piece of chicken with his fork with the other one. He put it in his mouth, then stabbed another. He chewed quickly and swallowed, then put the other piece in his mouth.

"Okay, that's enough," he said with his mouth full. "Let's go."

Jethro nodded again vehemently, and Tony got up. Only then did Jethro let him go. Tony went to put his plate in the kitchen, and Jethro waited. When he came back through the archway to the dining room, Jethro took his hand and pulled him back through the living room. Tony barely had time to hit the light switch on the way by to turn off the dining room lights.

They made their way up the stairs, and back into the bedroom. Jethro pulled him into bed with him, not letting go until he was getting into position. Tony pulled the blanket over them, and wrapped his arms around Jethro, who immediately laid his head on Tony's chest.

"That's better," Jethro said against him.

Tony smiled brightly, running his fingers through Jethro's hair, and listening to him breathe until they both drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, Tony came downstairs to find Jethro staring out the back window with a cup of coffee in his hand. It had taken forever to get his mane to cooperate, and he knew Jethro would be at least an entire cup ahead of him, if not more. He came up behind him, slipped his arms around his waist with a smile, and kissed him quickly before reaching for his mug that Jethro had already prepared on the counter.

"Penny for your thoughts?" he asked.

Jethro turned to him with a smile. "Should we just do it here?" he asked.

"Do what?"

"The wedding."

"Oh! We could. I was thinking of something the other night though. What if we did it at Yards Park?" he asked. "It's gorgeous, there's venues for it, and it's close to some place meaningful to us."

"It really is beautiful," Jethro said thoughtfully. "I kinda like it at night when all the lights come on."

"Me too," Tony said with a smile. "The only downside is that it's also very public. That's something we'd have to consider the backlash from."

Jethro nodded. "Yeah. It's not going to stay secret very long once it's happened though."

"True," Tony said, raising his cup slightly as he shrugged. "I'm not even sure it's available. I looked, and you have to request it through some kinda online form. If we want to do it, we're going to have to know soon."

"We kind of have to know everything soon. It's less than three months away," Jethro pointed out.

"Ugh! Don't remind me! Not that I'm not excited, but the planning…"

"Tell me what I can do," Jethro said, moving to stand next to Tony, sitting his coffee cup down on the counter, and slipping his hands around Tony's waist.

"Everything?" Tony joked.

"Besides that," Jethro joked back with a smile and shake of his head.

Tony chuckled. "Okay, well, according to Abby, we have to have a place, the caterers, the table and chair people, which in all fairness, I didn't even know existed, and a DJ. Florists are optional, though someone to perform the ceremony is not."

"Okay," Jethro said, thinking of a game plan, which he quickly learned looked more like a strategic battle plan in his head.

"Then we can't forget any décor we want, and the invitations."

"I'm not good with ribbon," Jethro said, shaking his head, looking apprehensive.

Tony laughed, and leaned his forehead against Jethro's. "Neither am I, and honestly, I would be happy if we didn't have a single bow anywhere. I do want to make sure we have a good photographer though. The scenery is amazing there, so photos would be awesome." Tony pulled back just enough to take a drink of his coffee.

"What do we want to do about the cake?" Jethro asked.

"Oh, now cake is something I can get behind!" Tony said with a smile. "I think if there is anything I can let Abby help with that won't get too out of control, it's the cake. I think I can appease her by sticking her on that project. Would you want to go taste cakes with us?"

"Nah. Just nothing fruity. Not a big fruit flavored cake person. Chocolate, vanilla, all that is fine, but nothing like raspberry or orange…" Jethro grimaced at the thought of some of the cakes he'd had.

"They can do different flavors for different layers," Tony said with a shrug.

"There's only going to be like twenty people there. How many layers will we need?" Jethro asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, there will be layers, they're just smaller. We don't need anything huge, but the whole stacked layers, oh yeah- definitely going to happen."

Jethro laughed. "At least you know something you want!" he said, watching the way Tony's eyes sparkled.

"Yeah, well, that's the second thing I want."

"What's the first?"

"You."

Jethro leaned in and kissed Tony gently. Tony sighed into the kiss, and they stared back into each other's eyes afterwards until Tony's phone beeped.

"My reminder to pick my guys up breakfast. They kinda earned it after putting up with me yesterday, and definitely for tearing apart Brand and Mortaire."

Jethro nodded, feeling somehow much more relaxed about the case now. Tony noticed it, and smiled.

"Congratulations, by the way," Jethro said, letting Tony go to reach for his coffee.

"For?" Tony asked, looking confused.

"Stafford," he said.

"Wait? What?" Tony asked, freezing.

"Your team didn't tell you?"

"Uh! No!"

"Yeah, Abby confirmed the DNA. It's Stafford."

"OH MY GOD!" Tony said, putting his coffee on the counter and jumping at Jethro who barely had time to sit his coffee down before catching the hug Tony threw at him.

Jethro chuckled at how excited he was.

"That's so awesome!" Tony said excitedly. "I bet Elly was through the roof! I can't believe that little prick didn't tell me!" He pulled out his phone to text him when he realized that it hadn't been his reminder that had chimed at him, but a text from Elly himself.

_Just got an alert to my phone that the database picked up another match! Heading in!_

"Oh, crap!" Tony said, bustling past Jethro towards the living room to grab the lockbox. "I gotta go! That was Elly a minute ago. We have _another_ hit on the database!"

"You want me to pick up breakfast?" Jethro offered.

"That would be great!" Tony said, stepping back towards him to kiss him quickly. "Thank you!"

"Least I can do," Jethro said. "What am I getting?"

"I was just going to grab bagels or something," Tony said, holstering his weapon and slipping his creds in his pocket.

"I can do that. See you in a little while," he said, following Tony's lead and getting his weapon loaded and packed.

"Love you," Tony said, leaning in for another kiss.

"Love you, too," Jethro said, smiling and shaking his head as Tony jogged for the door, scooping his bag up from where it landed when he came home the night before.

He got his phone out and squinted at the numbers before hitting Abby's speed-dial. When she answered, he smiled, his battle plan coming together.

"Gibbs!" she said. "What's up?"

"Hey, Abs. I need a favor."

"Anything," she said.

"Wedding kinda favor," he said, waiting for the reaction.

"Yes! Yes! Anything! Tell me!" Abby said exuberantly, and Jethro could almost imagine her bouncing around.

"I need for you to find out what all it would take to reserve Yards Park for the wedding."

"Oh! That would be perfect!" she gushed. "It's so pretty! And there's like, all these different dimensions to the park, so you could do it overlooking the river, or by the fountains, or in the gardens, or in that big greenspace. Where do you want to do it?"

"Aw, hell, I don't know. I kinda like near the water," Jethro said, locking the front door behind him as he headed out. "And I'm thinking later in the day. The lights are kinda nifty at night, and Tony said he wants lots of photos. That would make for some nice pictures, wouldn't it?" he got into the truck imagining all of the photos that would be hanging around their house by Christmas from the ceremony.

"Definitely! Eeeee! I'm so excited! I'll look into it right now! How many people are we expecting?" she asked.

"About twenty, probably less."

"That's, like, really little, Gibbs."

"That's how we want it. Simple, small, just those people we really care about."

"It suits you," she said much more softly as she thought. "Both of you."

"Yeah. We have really found out who's there for us over the past few months. Those are the people we want there."

"You guys are like, the _perfect_ couple," Abby said dreamily.

"I dunno," Jethro said, shrugging. "We're just happy together. It's not always perfect, and I wouldn't want it to be. You and McGee seem pretty happy together. That's all that really matters, Abs."

Abby smiled. "We really liked the apartment we went and saw last night. It's actually more of a townhouse. There's an upstairs and a downstairs, and upstairs, there's two bedrooms and a bathroom, and the master bedroom has an en-suite bath. Then downstairs, there's the kitchen, living room, dining room, and a small office."

"That sounds great for the two of you," Jethro said, pulling off the exit to stop at his favorite coffee place near the Yard for breakfast for everyone.

"It is. We went ahead and applied for it."

"That's great!" Jethro smiled at the idea that both Abby and McGee were finally moving in the right direction. "Hey, one more thing. Tony said he was going to have you help him with the cake."

Abby squealed on the other end of the phone, and Gibbs chuckled.

"Don't tell him yet that you're looking into the park. I kinda just want to get that done and out of the way as a surprise. His team got another hit on their database thing this morning, so he's going to be buried. I'd hate for him to finally find the time, and realize that the place is already booked for the weekend. Let me know what I have to do, and I'll make sure it gets taken care of."

"Aww! He loves surprises. How romantic! Well, the, ya know, your version of romantic."

Gibbs chuckled, getting out of the truck. "Gotta go, Abs. Thanks for everything."

"Let me know if there's anything else I can do!"

"Will do!" Jethro hung up and went into the coffee shop. Bill was behind the counter, managing the morning happenings.

"Hey! Gibbs! Your usual?" he asked.

"And then some."

"Oh? What can I get ya?" he asked, leaning over the donut case, letting his other clerks handle the actual line of customers.

"I need coffees for my team, for Tony's, and breakfast for them."

"Big order today! So your usual, Mr. Hazelnut, Ms. Chai, and Mr. Non-fat. What's Mr. Hazelnut's crew need?"

"Hell if I know!" Jethro said with a chuckle. "Let's just go black all around and some of the extras on the side. They can put it together themselves."

"Sounds good. Now, for breakfast. Whatcha thinking?"

"Bagels and donuts?" Jethro asked more than said.

Bill cackled. "Mr. Hazelnut sent you on this little expedition, didn't he?"

Jethro chuckled and smiled with a nod. "Yeah, he did. He's got his team doing something important for me, so I offered to take over breakfast duty when they got called in early." Bill nodded with a grin, and started putting a breakfast care package together for him.

"I'll fix ya up!" he said, shuffling around with a box of bagels and putting small containers of cream cheese in it. "Hey, Benny! I need you to get me four blacks, one extra dark, an iced chai, a non-fat vanilla cap, and breakfast blend with nut. Read that back!"

A young guy started labeling cups as he repeated back the order perfectly. Bill started putting together a small white bag with pastries from under the case, and Jethro watched with a smile as he waited.

He'd decided long ago that he liked Bill, but when he and Tony wandered in late one night after staying in the office under cases and a mound of paperwork, he'd solidified it. Tony had called him Jethro, and Bill had picked up on it, joking about never knowing Gibbs had a first name. Tony had blushed in a way that was insanely sexy, and Jethro had smirked.

" _Only certain people get to use it,"_ he'd said, and Bill had chuckled.

" _Alright then! I take it that's a rather exclusive club that I don't really qualify for!"_ Jethro had noticed the slightly pink shade of Bill's cheeks as well, but the smile on his face let him know he wasn't opposed to the idea of them being together. It was soon after that that Tony had earned the name Mr. Hazelnut, and the next trip in, Bill had nicknames for Ziva and McGee as well.

Jethro handed his debit card to Bill, and considered how he was going to carry everything out to the truck, none the less into the building. He saw the answer as Benny stacked the drinks on top of each other, and then slipped the box and pastry bag into a larger bag with a handle. He added a small bag of creams and sugars, and then handed it off to Gibbs, who then took his debit card back from Bill.

"Take care of 'em, Gibbs!" he called after him.

"Always!" he shouted back. "Thanks Bill!" He made it out to the truck and sat the drinks on the side of the bed, steadying them with one hand as he opened the door, and then sat them on the floor to make sure they didn't spill. The food landed on the seat, and then he went around to the driver's side. He realized that he was still smiling, and he had that light, bouncy feeling he'd had so often over the past couple of months.

The wedding plans he and Tony had decided on that morning made things seem real, and he tapped on the steering wheel as he pulled into the Yard. He juggled the drinks and breakfast as he made his way up to the bullpen, and his face hurt with how hard he smiled when he got off the elevator and saw Tony in front of his plasma with his team.

_Just a few months, and we'll be tying the knot. What could be better than that?_

AISNCISAISNCISAIS

Tony had come into the bullpen to find Critten and Dorney at their computers already. He was surprised Dorney had gotten there so quickly, but he did live closer to the Yard than Critten did, so he shrugged to himself.

"What are we looking at guys?" he asked, coming around his desk and dropping his stuff.

"We have Denise Elizabeth Graham. Ms. Graham was also killed in '86 in Albany, New York," Elly started.

"'86 was a bad year for murder in Albany," Tony said with a wince. "Go on."

"Graham was the mother of, get this, Melinda Stafford's daughters' father's next child. So she's Stafford's baby-daddy's other baby-mama."

Tony's mouth hung open as he raised an eyebrow at Elly, then stole a glance at Dorney who nodded at him.

"Okay, put it up," Tony said, moving to lean against the front of his desk and look over the file. Parke came into the bullpen, and went to toss his stuff behind his desk.

"Wow, how late am I to the party?" he asked, looking around.

"Only a minute. So far, all I know is that the guy that fathered Stafford's twins had a baby with another woman, and Stafford killed that other woman. Well, allegedly, so far." Parke joined him in front of the plasma, and Dorney leaned on the corner of Elly's desk, facing the screen.

"Huh," Parke said, shaking his head as he looked at the screen. "Interesting, at least. What are the other pings?"

"She was killed four months before Jericho in Albany, for starters," Elly said.

"Oh, that's not good," Parke said.

"That's what Tony said," Dorney pointed out. Parke looked at Tony, and they both nodded with matching grimaces.

"The guy, Ezekiel Drost, was an active part of Graham's son's life until he was about two years old, when good ol' Zeke landed in jail. He was pulled over for a headlight being out. When the officer said he smelled alcohol on his breath and asked him to get out of the car, Zeke assaulted him. _Then,_ when searching the car, they found weapons and drugs."

"Sounds like a real winner," Dorney said, rolling his eyes.

"Gets better. Graham was visiting him in jail, with their son with her, and he punched her in front of everyone, including of course the kid. His sentence grew a little longer, to say the least. She wrote to him after that, but he never had contact with her again. He was killed in prison."

"Guess _no_ one liked him," Tony commented quietly.

"By time Melinda Stafford allegedly killed Graham, the guy was ten feet under, and their son was ten years old." Elly sat back for a moment while the team absorbed the information.

"Poor kid," Parke said, shaking his head. "First, he's stuck with a despicable father, and then his mom dies at the hand of daddy's psycho ex."

"I dunno," Elly said with a shrug. "Sounds like he'd fit right in around here."

"True," Tony said. "Got his number in the file somewhere? Is he looking for gainful fulltime employment?"

"I'm sure I can find it!" Elly joked. "Anyway, they found Graham dead in her car. Someone had slit her throat, which is the last ping. Stafford talked about the blade of the knife she used in one of the confessions with the shrink."

"Oh, yeah," Parke said, closing his eyes a moment and swallowing. "She was especially freaky when she talked about that one. Going into how thick the blood was that dripped off of it, and how it had shone brighter than the blade itself. She's one creepy sicko."

"Is that your professional opinion, Dr. Parke?" Tony joked.

"Yes, as professional as you're going to get out of me at the moment," Parke answered with mock seriousness.

"Very well then," Tony said, turning towards Elly with a smirk. "What does the file in Albany have for us?"

"Let's find out, shall we?" Elly started clicking and typing while everyone waited in silence. "Holy shit, they have the knife," Elly said in awe, shooting the evidence log photos to the screen.

"I'll be damned," Parke said, stepping towards the screen.

"And there are prints that were on the knife, but since Stafford wasn't in the system back then, it didn't raise any flags. I bet it would now. Actually…" Elly clicked around on his computer, and the rest of the group fell silent, watching the screen and Elly for him to finish his thought.

Two sets of prints came up on the plasma, and Dorney got up from the corner of Elly's desk, and Tony moved closer to the screen as well. Elly's cursor could be seen highlighting the fingerprints until they were huge on the screen.

"That one there is her index finger," Dorney said excitedly, pointing to the third print on the sheet from the evidence log. "Look! Look! The loop and curve there with the omega looking thing, exactly the same as this right here!"

"You're right!" Tony said. "That's too damned close not to-" Elly selected the finger prints and highlighted one in blue, then set the overlay with the index print on file for Stafford. It was an exact match.

Dorney did a jump of a dance towards Elly's desk and high-fived him. Tony reached out and pushed Parke's shoulder, making him stumble a little before they both cackled giddy laughs of celebration.

"That's incredible!" Parke said, coming out of the shock of the find.

"I know!" Elly said, jumping up from his desk. "That's two twenty-seven year old cold cases in forty-eight hours we get to close!"

"Yeah! Hey! About that! You little pricks let me go home last night without telling me about Jericho! What the hell? I had to hear about it from Gibbs this morning!"

"You had other things on your mind," Parke said.

"We figured it wasn't top priority when we found out, and then, honestly, I kinda forgot," Elly said, an apologetic look on his face.

"No keeping awesome news from me ever again!"

"Okay, in that case, I'm pregnant with Ned's child, and I've ordered a desk made completely of Starbursts. It should be here sometime this week."

"Awesome! When's the due date?"

"Two days ago."

"Even better. Now get me the case file from Albany. The rest of you, I need as much information as exists on the Qureshi faction, their resources, who they have contacts with in the States, every single sympathizer on U.S. soil and in countries close enough that they may be able to slip across our borders unnoticed."

The ding of the elevator made Tony look over his shoulder to see Jethro coming towards them with breakfast.

"Oh, see, this is why I love him," Tony said quietly. "Is that for us?" he asked a little louder.

"Some of it," Jethro said with a broad smile.

"Got my usual in there somewhere?" Tony asked as the team gathered around them, awaiting access to the goods.

"Yeah, Bill made sure Mr. Hazelnut, Ms. Chai and Mr. Non-fat got their orders," Jethro smirked at Tony who chuckled.

"He's funny! Now gimme!" Tony said, reaching for the drinks. "What do we got?"

"Yours, McGee's, Ziva's and mine should all be in the same tray like usual." Tony reached for the cup he knew would be his. Jethro realized that there was an extra coffee in the bottom tray of black coffees to even it out, and he shook his head at Bill's thoughtfulness as he saw the markings on it that he usually saw on the side of his extra bold. He grabbed it and then walked around to his side of the bullpen, leaving Tony's team to snatch up their food and coffee.

Tony handed the leftovers to Jethro over the partition, and he took them with a smile as their hands brushed and their eyes locked on one another. Tony leaned against the wood frame, staring at Jethro a moment. "We got another."

"What?" Jethro asked.

Tony nodded. "The guy that fathered Stafford's twins had another kid with this woman Denise Graham. Stafford killed Graham. Albany PD had the knife, and they had prints off of it on file. We pulled the prints, and they are a very obvious match to Stafford."

"That's a hell of a streak you've got going there," Jethro said, sitting back in his chair with a proud and impressed expression that made his eyes twinkle. Tony smiled at him with a nod.

"Well, you know, I'm lucky. I've got an ass-kicking team!" Tony said, turning so that his team heard.

"Hell yeah!" Elly said, his mouth full of donut. Parke raised his coffee in a salute, and Dorney did a spin in his chair with his coffee in one hand a half a bagel covered in cream cheese in the other. Both Tony and Jethro chuckled. Tony looked up at Tim as he walked in with a huge grin.

"Hey, McTim! Did you go for the apartment?"

"Yeah!" he said excitedly. "It's exactly what we wanted. We filled out the application before we left last night, and I just got a call from the realtor. The other couple that was going to look at it this morning backed out, and so she went ahead and ran our financials and background check this morning. We're approved!"

"Big surprise," Tony said, looking at Jethro who rolled his eyes. "Let us know when the move is! Only fair!"

"Will do!" Tim said with a smile as broad and bright as everyone else.

"Hey, McGee!" Elly hollered now that his mouth wasn't full of donut.

"Yeah?" he shouted.

"We got another!"

"No way!" Tim jumped to his feet and moved closer to Gibbs' desk so he wouldn't have to yell.

"Yeah," Tony confirmed. "And the prints that were on file match Stafford."

"Yes!" Tim said, reaching past Jethro's head to high five Tony. Jethro raised an eyebrow at him for invading his desk space, and Tim backed up a step and gave a one shoulder shrug against the urge to apologize.

"Okay, my guys have work to do," Tony said, turning around and powering up his computer.

Tim practically bounced back to his desk, and Jethro realized that if Tim was in, Abby probably was too. He decided that listening to Tony's team discuss his former case might not bode well for his incredible morning, so he got up, took his coffee, and headed for the cafeteria to get a CafPow for Abby.

He walked into the lab to find Abby sitting at her desk in her office instead of out at the tables.

"Hey, Abs," he said, smiling brightly at her. "I heard the good news. Looks like you guys got your place."

"Yeah!" Abby said, reaching for her beloved caffeinated punch. "I'm excited and nervous and ecstatic and in shock…"

"That's good, right?" Jethro asked, unsure of her reaction.

"Yeah! It's awesome! It's just so real all of the sudden."

"That's the exciting part," he said with a gentle smile.

"I've never lived with anyone like this before, Gibbs. I mean, I haven't lived with anyone since college. As much as I want us to work, Timmy and I, and as much as I want to live with him, I'm just nervous about it and the changes, ya know?"

"Completely natural. If I know McGee though, he'll roll with the punches as you get used to it. I don't think he's ever lived with someone like this either. You'll figure it out."

"Thanks, Gibbs. That's what I needed to hear." She reached forward and gave him a hug that he returned.

"Tony's team were able to confirm that their hit was a match already," he said.

"Wow! That was fast! How?"

"Fingerprints were in the original file. They weren't in the system yet at the time of the murder, so ya know."

"That's so awesome! Go, Tony!"

Gibbs nodded. "Were you able to look into the park yet? I have some time to kill. Thought we'd…" he shrugged.

"Yes! Let's do this!" Abby turned to her computer and started bringing up the information on the park. They spent the next ten minutes going through the form that needed to be filled out, and then looked through pictures around the park, trying to decide where they would want to do the ceremony and set up the reception.

"You know that 'suddenly real' feeling you were just talking about?" Gibbs asked.

"Yeah? It hitting you?" she asked with a smirk.

"Yup. It's pretty good!" Gibbs finished his coffee and smiled at Abby. "Thanks, Abs." He was getting up when Abby rested a hand on Gibbs' arm.

"Hold on! I just got an email from the director of park services! Let me see what it says."

Gibbs sat down, leaning forward to squint at Abby's screen.

"It's available Friday through Sunday night, but not Monday."

"Well, I guess it doesn't have to be Monday. Anytime that weekend is fine. I know Tony wants Shane to come down, and it's easier for Dad to get someone to watch the store for him on the weekends. What do you think?"

"Isn't that a question you should ask Tony?" Abby said with a chuckle.

"I think this entire thing has him overwhelmed. A specific date and venue might lay the groundwork for all the other plans, and take the pressure off."

"I can see that. I would go with Sunday night. Saturdays are naturally busier in any park. Sunday night might offer you a little more privacy."

"I can see that. Let's go ahead and set it up for Sunday."

"Okay, for the time frame we were talking about? Four to Ten?"

"Yeah. That gives the table people and caterers time to set up for a six o'clock ceremony, wouldn't you think?"

"Yeah. And actually, they'll probably have a little more time than that since the ceremony will probably be in a different area of the park from the reception, and then you'll have pictures…"

"Right."

"What type of food do you want to have, Gibbs?" Abby asked, gently prodding while she had his attention, and since he was proving to be much more cooperative about this whole planning thing than Tony had been.

"I don't know. I don't know if Ziva's guy caters, so I don't want to be… I don't know… insulting if I don't ask him, since he's probably going to be at the wedding."

Abby shook her head no. "Nope. He's not catering at all right now since he's opening the restaurant. I'm sure if you really wanted him to, he'd make an exception for you though."

Gibbs shrugged. "I don't know. Tony's friend Marcella owns Casimiro's. I wonder if she caters."

"Let me check that while we're in the zone," Abby said with a smirk, bringing it up online. "Why yes, yes they do. And she's gorgeous! Wow. How good of friends were they, Gibbs?" she asked, barely able to take her eyes away from the brunette's photo on the About Us section of the page. Gibbs chuckled.

"Just friends, Abs. She only goes one way, and it's the opposite direction of Tony."

"Ahhh…" Abby said as if though that answered the most mysterious question in the universe. "So, you think Tony would be okay with them catering?"

"I'm sure he would be okay with it, but I don't know if that's what he wants. At least we know now that they do. I'll bring it up to him and see what he wants."

"I think it sounds perfect. I mean, he knows the owner, so you know she'll make sure it's done right, I've heard it's amazing food, and you already know she'd be okay with catering a same-sex marriage."

Gibbs nodded. He hadn't really thought about the issue of some companies not being willing to cater to their wedding. "I'll talk to him about it. I should get back. Thanks Abs," he said, getting to his feet and kissing her temple, glad to be able to make a graceful escape despite the sudden kick to the gut he had felt by Abby's last point.

"Anytime, Gibbs! I mean it!" she said.

He left the lab and got a weird queasy feeling that was taking all the joy out of his day. He decided to make another stop before going upstairs, and headed towards autopsy. The doors swooshed open, and he wandered in.

"Good morning, Jethro!" Ducky greeted.

"Morning Duck."

"Morning Agent Gibbs," Palmer said, coming out of the lock up.

"Palmer," he said with a nod. He watched Palmer carry a tray of tools over to the sink to sterilize them.

"Come sit," Ducky instructed, and Gibbs did. "What is on your mind?"

"Been a crazy couple of days. Turned the case over to Tony."

"So I've heard. That was quite unselfish of you."

Gibbs shrugged. "Caused some tension between Tony and I when he took over, and then he mistook something I said as not having faith in him to be able to do the job. We worked that out I think though."

"That's good!" Ducky cheered, pouring some tea.

"We actually made a decision about the wedding this morning. We're going to have it over at Yards Park."

"Oh! That would be quite beautiful. They have a delightful color scheme in the gardens of hydrangea, cornflowers, lilies and veronica that makes the gardens a sea of blues and whites that time of year. I think it would complement both of your tastes. The elegance and urban feel, blended with the waterfront and natural landscaping."

"Yeah, we both liked the idea a lot. I had Abby help me confirm the reservations for the park for the Sunday of Labor Day weekend just now."

"Splendid! I will mark the calendar. Why do I have a feeling that there's more going on in there, Jethro?"

"I was roped into discussing possible caterers with Abby, and she pointed out that not all caterers are going to be okay with hosting a same-sex wedding reception. That's got me thinking about everything else that could go wrong."

"Such as?" Ducky asked gently.

"Having the wedding in a public venue is going to bring a lot of scrutiny on Tony's position as team leader. He's got a lot on his plate as is with the Stafford case turning up new matches here and there, and now going after the Qureshi faction… I just don't want him to burn out in his first six months. He's more than capable, I just love seeing him so happy. He really enjoys it, and he deserves every bit of accolade he gets and then some. I would hate to see Simmons come back at him, or Balboa get his shorts in a twist, and go after him, and suck the joy out of this for him."

"Jethro, he knows that's a possibility. There are so many people out there that aren't going to agree with your relationship, and each will have their own reasons. Anthony has already more than proved himself worthy of his position, and Leon supports the two of you to a surprisingly strong extent."

Palmer's voice rose over his sanitizing. "To hell with 'em. Why not cause a little controversy? Nothing ever got better when people hid in the shadows."

Gibbs raised an eyebrow at him, and Ducky turned to stare at him. Palmer turned to look back, noticing they'd both grown silent. "What? It's true. Name one same-sex couple in the agency. I bet you can't. But I bet you can name a dozen hetero couples, some of which are even further out of adherence than the two of you were. If it were me, and I were in your shoes, with your seniority, I wouldn't let anything keep me from having the perfect wedding."

"As you can see Jethro, there is not one among us that won't support any decision you want to make about your upcoming nuptials, and beyond. This is the last time you'll get to do this, and you know that your betrothed is only going to do this _once_. Make it a celebration you will never forget." Ducky reached out and laid his hand on Jethro's arm for a moment, and Jethro nodded.

"I just don't want the reason why it's so unforgettable to be because we're getting canned or picketed," he said, running a hand down his face.

"Let them try," Ducky said with a dark edge to his tone. "The very fact that the two of you are going to wed is as controversial as possible around here. You might as well do it the way you want to do it. Leave the rest of it to those of us who will always be there when trouble comes knocking at your and Anthony's door. We won't hesitate to cut them down to size."

Jethro smiled at that, and shook his head. His eyes looked back and forth between the two other men in the room who were giving him affirming looks.

"This could get ugly. Now that the venue is going to be confirmed, things are going to start to leak out, and if Simmons finds out, we're going to have a hell of a fight on our hands."

Both Ducky and Palmer shrugged.

"Didn't I hear she was engaged to, and pregnant by, an Admiral?" Palmer asked a little too innocently.

Jethro nodded, raising a curious eyebrow at him.

"I wonder how _that_ happened…" He said, turning back around to his instruments.

"What are you suggesting Mr. Palmer?" Ducky asked.

"Well, word around the Yard is that they met on a case. The rest is gossip. Now, I'm not saying we should trust gossip, but it might be worth looking into if you would like a little insurance. An ace up the sleeve, if you catch my drift."

"Duck, I don't know what you're teaching him, but he's getting shiftier and shiftier every time he opens his mouth," Jethro said with a smirk.

"I know," Ducky said with a chuckle. "I'm quite proud."

Palmer laughed as he ran a sterile wipe over a scalpel.

Jethro's phone rang in his pocket, and when he looked at the screen, he didn't recognize the number. He answered, and Ducky and Palmer both waited to see if a case was coming in that would require their services.

"Is this Jethro Gibbs?" a woman's voice answered on the other end of the phone.

"Yeah, this is him."

"Hi! This is Mary Roberts from the Capital Riverfront planning team. I'm calling to confirm your online reservation for the overlook on September second, from 4PM to 10PM. Is that correct?"

"Yes."

"Wonderful! It says we're planning a wedding! Congratulations!"

"Thank you," he said, looking at Ducky and then Palmer as they stared on.

"A couple of things I wanted to let you know about," Mary continued. "There is catering available through our award winning dining services, and we also have seating arrangements available so that if you would like, we can supply the chairs, tables, table cloths, all of that for the reception, ceremony or both. You'll find information on that in the packet we'll be mailing to the address you provided, and much of the same information is included in the email you should have just received."

"Okay. I'll look that over," he said.

"Do you, by chance, have your catering company locked down yet?" she asked, her pep making him realize how Tony felt when Abby bombarded him with the planning details.

"No, but we have a few ideas."

"Wonderful. When you find out, if you could let us know so we can go ahead and get their staff listed in or records so they can have access to the areas they will need, that would be great!"

"Will do," he said, then pulled his notebook from his pocket and wrote that down so he wouldn't forget. He also made notes to check the cost of the seating arrangements in the information packet.

"It says on your application that you're expecting this to be a small, family affair. About twenty or so people?"

Gibbs nodded, wondering when he was going to get the woman off the phone. "Yes, somewhere between fifteen and twenty five people." He put his hand over the phone so Mary couldn't hear. "Until the picketers show up," he whispered.

Ducky raised an eyebrow at Palmer, who smiled broadly, realizing what was being discussed.

"Sometimes the smallest weddings are the most beautiful," Mary said with a dreamy sigh. "It takes so much of the chaos out of it, and the couples can just focus on each other. That's really what the day is supposed to be about. I've seen so many weddings turn into huge debacles, between the photographers and florists being late, meals being ruined, people storming out, and one time the groom and father-in-law got into it so bad, chairs were being thrown."

"I take it you've been doing this for a while," Jethro said with a chuckle.

"Twenty-five years in event planning. I have to tell you, being safe behind this desk is a big relief, but I kind of miss it when I think about the smaller events like what you're planning."

"I can guarantee no chairs will be thrown," he assured. "Is that all you need from me?"

"Yes. Everything you need to know is in your email, and you can call me with any questions you might have at the number listed any day of the week until 8PM."

"Thank you," Jethro said, eager to be free of the woman.

"You're welcome! And congratulations!" Jethro had never been so happy to hear a phone disconnect.

"Well, the site is confirmed, and can someone please explain how in the hell I ended up being the one planning this?"

"With Anthony loaded down, you may have to if you want it to ever happen," Ducky said.

"Yeah, I can see that. It's just, out of all of the times, I've done this, I've never been the one to have to make the decisions about _how_ it was being done."

"Maybe you should," Ducky said. "Have you ever considerd that perhaps this means for once, it just might go the way you want it to?"

Jethro grinned from ear to ear and shook his head. "If Tony's there, it's going the way I want it to." He got to his feet before he couldn't keep his foot out of his mouth. "I'd better get back upstairs before Ziva and McGee get roped into something they shouldn't."

He left autopsy and got on the elevator, hitting the button for the ground floor so he could grab another coffee. He was walking away from the barista when he got an idea. He pulled out his phone, and started pressing the buttons to send Tony a text.

_Yards Park is ours September 2nd. 4-10PM. That's the Sunday. Monday wasn't available._

He got off of the elevator, watching Tony closely as he headed for his desk. He saw him look down at his phone and waited. Tony sprung to his feet, turning around to lean over the partition with a bright smile that made Jethro's heart stop.

"For real!? Are you serious?!"

Jethro nodded, smiling back.

"That's so awesome!" Tony said, biting his lower lip as he tried to rein in his response so the people around him didn't pick up on anything they shouldn't. "Thank you," he whispered.

"You're welcome," Jethro whispered back. Their eyes were locked for a long moment before McGee cleared his throat, a warning he'd come to give them when they were being too obvious. They both nodded, and looked away. Tony sat down at his computer, and immediately sent a group IM to his team members, Jethro's, and the downstairs team.

TDiNozzo01: _Mark your calendars! September second, Yards Park!_

Multiple responses came back rapid fire.

TMcGee02: _For the wedding?_

ECritten01: _Wow! The park? That's awesome!_

_AScuito01: Isn't it perfect?!_

_ZDavid01: What a beautiful venue. Excellent decision!_

_GParke01: That's really cool! And ballsy being so close to the Yard. Right on!_

_NDorneget01: Yeah! Way to not let anything stand in your way of the perfect ceremony. Go for it!_

Tony considered the responses, and realized he should probably talk to Vance about it, or at least give him a heads up. They were travelling into murky waters by deciding to have it at the park, but Dorney was right- they weren't going to let anything stand in the way of their perfect ceremony. They both deserved it. He would have to put the conversation on hold though. They were knee deep in research on the Qureshis, and that had to take priority for now.

He decided he had one thing that was more important than that he had to attend to first. He opened up his email client and started typing.

_You never cease to amaze me. Just when I think that I'm the luckiest guy in the entire world, just when I think we couldn't get any better, just when I think you've completely stolen every bit of love from me possible, you do something like this, and you show me that no matter how incredible life is, by simply being together, it gets more incredible every day._

_Love you, Jethro._

Jethro was going through the email sent from Mary Roberts when he saw the alert saying Tony had must emailed him. He opened it up and read it. He smiled to himself, re-reading it over and over again, unsure of what else to do, and each time he read it, he felt brighter and happier. Tony was right, only it wasn't just every day that got better, but every moment.


	11. Chapter 11

Everyone trickled out of the bullpen for the night, leaving Tony and Jethro alone. Ziva had reminded each of them about the restaurant opening that Friday, and everyone agreed that they were going. Abby and Tim had scampered out together, discussing plans for their new place. Elly and Dorney had walked out talking about the research they had come across, and Parke had been on his phone again, having a rather terse conversation with Tiffany. Tony had raised an eyebrow at that, but Parke wouldn't make eye contact with anyone as he opted for the stairs rather than the lift.

"Sounds like they're having a hard time juggling whose career is a bigger priority," Jethro said, startling Tony a couple of minutes after the rest of the crew left.

"You mean Parke and Tiffany? Yeah. It's not pretty." Tony had heard many conversations about the political fundraisers that Parke had been dragged to without even being asked, and he'd picked up pieces of conversations where Parke was trying to emphasize how important his job was to him, and about how the schedule came with the territory. He hoped they could figure out how to balance things, because he knew when careers were put aside, they adored one another.

"I hope they figure out that neither is more important than the other," Jethro said quietly as he worked on his paperwork.

"Me, too," Tony said quietly. "I guess that's one thing that we're extremely lucky about."

"Yeah," Jethro agreed.

"I was thinking I'd go meet with Dina, Talia and Malek and explain where things stand. You want to come with? It might make it easier to explain why I've taken on the case, and may answer some questions that are probably on your mind. Maybe we can do dinner afterwards and talk about it from our end?" Tony turned halfway so he could look over the partition to gauge Jethro's reaction to the suggestion. The relief was obvious, and Tony bit his lower lip, not sure how their conversation was going to go.

"We could do that."

"How much more you got there?" Tony asked.

"Nothing that can't wait. If we don't get a case tomorrow, I'll be all caught up with nothing to do anyway."

"Okay. I'll call the agents-on-guard, and let them know we're coming." Tony turned back to his computer to pull the schedule to see who would be watching their friends, then dialed the number for the agent that was in charge for the evening.

A few minutes later, he and Jethro were in the elevator together. Tony flipped the switch, and turned to -Jethro with a smile. Jethro squinted at him with a small smile of his own, and then Tony had him pressed against the wall, kissing him with everything in him. When the kiss finally ended, Tony barely pulled back, his hands around Jethro's waist, and Jethro's hands around Tony's head, caught up in his hair. They panted into one another's mouth a moment while they hesitated, wondering if the kiss was going to end, or if they should start again.

"Thanks for taking care of the reservations," Tony whispered.

"Thanks for taking care of my friends," Jethro whispered back. Tony smiled broadly, and the kiss resumed, only deeper and slower.

There was a perfect comfort in the kiss. It was evenly balanced, not rushed a bit, and it managed to allow both of them to say thank you and you're welcome at the same time. There was strength and openness in the kiss, welcoming each other in, and it was passionately intimate.

"Wish we were going home," Jethro said quietly when Tony finally pulled back, needing to breathe.

"We can pick up where that left off as soon as we walk in the door," Tony said with a gentle smile.

"I'm going to hold you to that."

Tony flipped the switch to the elevator, and a few seconds later got out of it to find Dorneget and Elly talking.

"Hey, guys," Tony said.

"Hey, Boss," Elly said, and Dorney just smiled and nodded.

"Why do I have the bad feeling that the two of you are plotting something?" Tony said playfully with a raised eyebrow.

"Because we are?" Dorney said before Elly elbowed him in the ribs.

"You're not supposed to tell him!" he said out of the corner of his mouth, playing along.

"Oh! Right. My bad. I mean, because we're so awesome that we're too good to be true? You're just waiting for something to happen?" Dorney said with a comically fake innocent smile.

"Uhhhhuh. That's it," Tony said with a chuckle as he turned to walk away. "Have a good night guys! No plotting world domination without me!"

"Man! See what you've done?" Elly joked in that sideways tone again. "He wants in on it!" Dorney laughed, and then their conversation continued as Jethro and Tony wandered out of earshot.

"Where did you want to do dinner?" Tony asked.

"Let's decide after our meeting," Jethro replied hesitantly.

"You mean you need to figure out whether or not comfort food is on the menu," Tony said with a smirk. Jethro shrugged with a smile, getting into the truck. Tony chuckled as he got into his car. He'd learned that even Jethro had his go-to meals when he'd had a rough day. They pulled out of the garage, and twenty minutes later were knocking on the door of the motel room. The agents-on-guard greeted them, and then left to stand outside while they talked.

Malek had obviously been the gentleman and taken the pullout sofa bed, which allowed the ladies to have the two adjoining rooms of the suite for their own. They were all gathered in the small living room area when they arrived. It seemed the guards had taken them to get their belongings from the apartment, and they were scattered around in piles, ready to grab quickly if need be.

The three of them were glad to see them, and it showed in their faces.

"It is good to see you my friends," Malek said with a warm smile.

"You, too. Looks like they're taking care of you," Tony said.

Jethro approached Dina, and put his hand on her arm. "How ya doing?" he asked quietly.

"I am as well as can be expected," Dina said, trying to offer a smile, but not quite succeeding. "Thank you."

Jethro nodded, then turned to Tony.

"We need to talk to you," Tony said before sitting in an uncomfortable motel armchair. Everyone took seats around the room, except for Jethro who came to stand next to Tony.

"As of yesterday, Tony is in charge of your case. I decided it would be safer to keep it as unbiased as possible in case anything came out about our friendship in court. We don't need anything slipping through on a technicality."

All three of them looked to Tony, who nodded.

"We took three people into custody yesterday who were involved in the break in. Isah Ali Bak, James Brand and Amanda Mortaire." The three exchanged looks, confused about who the two Americans were, and Tony continued. "Ali Bak paid Brand and Mortaire, residents of the apartment building you were in, to break into your unit and steal tokens to prove that Dina lived there. He admitted this, and gave us some disturbing news."

He turned to Dina, and made eye contact.

"The man who attacked you was the second in the chain of command for the Qureshi faction, Turhan Ubaydah. We believe that they are going to keep sending people for you, and we're trying to find out what their next plan of attack will be."

"Oh, my," she said in shock, reaching out and placing a hand on Malek's arm. Tony and Jethro watched her swallow hard, and Jethro noticed how she immediately reached to make contact with Malek.

"Turhan Ubaydah?" Malek asked, reaching to take Dina's hand from his arm, and folded his fingers between hers.

Tony and Jethro both nodded, noticing their locked hands.

"I did not realize it was him. It was so dark in the room, and I had not seen him at the event…" Dina's voice shook as she spoke.

Malek shushed her. "No one blames you. It does not matter who it was. Your justice was more merciful than he deserved."

Tony wasn't sure what to say to that. He looked at Jethro who raised an eyebrow at him, and he decided to keep moving forward.

"As of right now, we know that word has gotten back to the faction that Ali Bak has failed in his mission to retaliate for the kill, though they are denying any involvement. We have turned him over to the FBI because they have multiple charges of murder to bring against him for missions he has succeeded on, and any one of those will land him in prison for life. If we only prosecute him on your charge, he will be out in a matter of years, and sent back to Iraq. We don't want to see that happen. We want to keep him close, and under our eyes for the rest of his life so we can monitor his communications."

Dina nodded, and Talia moved to sit next to her, putting her arm around her.

"Though Dina is the original target, now that the journals have made it into the wrong hands, we suspect that the group of you will be in danger. There is already chatter about the faction looking to hire someone else to try to fulfill the mission, and they are offering a high sum. We're not sure yet as to whether that speaks to their desperation to seek their revenge, or if it's because they are extending the contract to all three of you. To be safe, we're going to assume both."

All three nodded, and Jethro looked at Tony, hearing the update for the first time. Tony knew he was going to have a difficult time concentrating on anything if Jethro was listening to them, so he'd had a group chat open with his team all day, and they circulated information that way the majority of the time. Jethro hadn't heard much at all until now.

"Our primary concern right now is to keep you safe. There are a few options, and though none of them are that great, we don't have to decide today. Actually, I'd prefer to wait to move you until we get a little more information, but I wanted to let you know so you can start considering them. The first, is that you can refuse protective services. Not suggested, but that is up to you. The second, is that you go into the federal witness protection program. That will most likely mean splitting you up, and bouncing you around the country until you find a place to fit in."

All three of them exchanged desperate looks and vehemently "no-way-in-hell" headshakes. Tony almost smiled at them, feeling the same sense of family among them that he felt with his team and Jethro's.

"The third, is we send you to another country that we have agreements with, and enter you into _their_ protective service program, but again, you'd probably be split up. The problem with witness protection is that you will never be able to communicate with anyone you've ever known in your entire lives again. Us, each other, family, friends… You'd be cut off. If it's found that you've violated the contract you'd have to sign stating that you're willing to do so, you'd lose protection." The distraught and disheartened looks on their faces made Tony's heart ache, and he tried to push it aside. That was the hardest part for him, too. He wanted his fiancé to still be able to be in contact with them if they wanted to.

"The last, and best option, is that we try a modified version of the protection plan within the agency, and not turn you over to the federal program. If you remain in our care, we can still stay in communication. You'd go into hiding until we can bring the faction down, or until we can determine it is safe for you to start living lives of your own again."

"And how does this modified plan work?" Malek asked.

"Kind of like what you were doing at the apartment, only you'd be placed elsewhere with people we know will keep you safe. You would not be allowed to stay alone, at least not for long periods of time."

"We would have an agent, or agents, living with us?" Dina asked.

Tony looked up at Jethro, and in that way that they did, they communicated so much with just a glance. Tony knew they were heading into a potentially dangerous situation as far as Jethro's relationship with Talia went, but he had meant what he said, and the look on Jethro's face welcomed the offer. Tony nodded, and Jethro turned to the group.

"Or you could come stay with Tony and I," he answered. His eyes met Malek's, who nodded grimly at him.

"But we would still be split up," Dina stated. "And I do not want to be without either Talia or Malek." Her eyes showed the frantic panic she was barely reigning in as she looked back and forth between her two friends.

"Actually," Jethro started, steeling himself. "You wouldn't, because Tony and I live together." He looked at Tony and then Malek before making eye contact with Talia and then Dina. "We're actually engaged to be married in September." Dina looked surprised, but Talia looked confused.

"I did not know that!" Dina said, some joy trying to filter through the worry. "You have been keeping secrets from us?" she asked playfully.

"Well, if our Director hadn't been with us at dinner that night, you probably would have found out then," Tony said with a guilty smile. "But we hadn't told him yet, and he ended up joining us, so that couldn't happen."

"That is understandable," Malek said. Though he had already heard the news, he still looked happy for them. Everyone noticed that Talia seemed to be turning inward. Her silence was enough of a damnation. They tried to ignore it for the moment, hoping that if they gave her some time to digest the information and talk with Malek and Dina, she would come around.

"I don't need an answer yet. This is your lives we're talking about here, and we know it's going to be a big decision. If you do agree to an altered plan, you can still decide to go into witness protection at any point. However, just so you know, you cannot go into witness protection, and then back out and come back to us. That won't be available to us at that point. I wanted to tell you so you have time to think. You'll most likely be with our agents for at least the next week while we figure out the Qureshi's next move, and as soon as we see that they are mobilizing someone, you'll be asked for an answer. That _could_ be as soon as tomorrow, but like I said, it's most likely going to be somewhere closer to a week from now."

"What is your plan for action when you find out who is being hired to kill us next?" Malek asked, not tiptoeing at all around the reality of the situation.

"We're not just waiting for that. When they do start sending someone, or multiple someones, we'll be coordinating with our CIA agents in the area that are familiar with the faction to try and take out the people they send before they can even cross the ocean. We have ears out in other countries that are likely to house those sympathetic to the faction's causes as well. In the meantime, we're gathering information, and we're putting the lean on taking out the faction.

"After the last op, we made a pretty significant dent in their operations. Destroying the anthrax, and taking out multiple people that were instrumental in the faction's development, resulted in serious instability. Raiding the headquarters they had set up in the network of tunnels under the city depleted a lot of their arsenal. They are weak, but they are good at hiding. Especially now that there are less members to hide, it's getting harder to track them down. However, the surviving members are unfortunately the ones with the best connections, which means they are rebuilding, and quickly. If we are going to bring them down, we need to do so soon."

"We would like to help," Malek said, looking from the ladies and back to Tony and Jethro.

"If I can find any way at all to incorporate you, I'd love to bring in your wealth of knowledge. Right now, we're not the ones at the front of this, we're more support. When we get tossed into the ring, I'll bring you with me. The information you have could be our ticket into the show."

"Thank you," Dina said.

"Think about what you want to do. Talk amongst yourselves about it. If you need to get in touch with us for anything, don't hesitate. I'll let you know how things are progressing every few days." Tony stood up, and Malek joined him and Jethro as they made their way out the door.

"Talia will come around, Gibbs," he tried to reassure as soon as the door closed.

"I'm not going to hold my breath," Jethro said with a shrug.

"We will talk to her. She will perhaps never understand, but you know that Talia is not capable of developing a hatred towards you."

Jethro gave him a half-smile. "Take care of them, Malek."

"They are my life, and I will always guard them as such."

Tony watched the two men, and his heart ached a little for the expressions each one wore.

"I'll be in touch," Tony said when Malek turned to him.

"We will be here when you are ready for us," Malek said, offering his hand. "And thank you, Tony."

Tony took it in a shake, and found it surrounded by both of Malek's in the same warm way he had at their first meeting.

"You are very welcome, my friend," he answered quietly. He and Malek exchanged smiles, and then Malek let Tony's hand go so they could leave.

Jethro got into his truck, and pulled out his phone once he saw Tony was far enough away from the other agents to coordinate dinner plans. Tony answered with a small smile on his face as he reached his car.

"So what are we hungry for?" he asked.

"Kinda feeling meatloaf, mashed potatoes, corn…" Jethro said as he pulled from the parking lot.

"Diner it is. You wanna drop one of our cars off at home first?" Tony asked as he turned over the key in the ignition.

"Might as well. We'll be going right by there."

"Okay. I'll see you in a few."

Tony hung up the phone once he heard the click on the other end, and he considered whether or not he was in for it. He knew Jethro would be cranky because of the way Talia reacted, and he half-expected him to be angry because they were still in a wait and see kind of holding pattern.

When he pulled up in front of the house, Jethro was already out of the truck and coming towards his car. Tony decided that boded well for him, because if Jethro was angry, there was no way in hell he'd be letting Tony drive. That was something Tony had learned long ago: If Gibbs is pissed, he drives.

Jethro opened the car door and slipped in, pulling his seatbelt over his chest. Tony instinctively reached to take his hand as soon as the car was in drive again, and they headed down the road silently together. It was peaceful, and Tony wondered just how deceiving that might prove to be. They pulled up outside of Tom's Diner, and Tony put the car in park, which required letting go of Jethro's hand. Before Tony could get out of the car though, Jethro stole his hand back.

"Mind if we talk out here for a few first?" Jethro asked when Tony turned to look at him.

"Not at all." Tony looked into the blue eyes across from him, and squeezed his fingers. He didn't like the pain and stress he saw there.

"I know you've got this," Jethro started, and then sighed. "My head tells me there's not a care in the world. You're you, and you know that there's nothing I wouldn't trust you with. Always have, always will."

"Sounds like there's a "but" in there somewhere," Tony said quietly and gently.

" _But_ I'm human," Jethro continued slowly. "And no matter how much I wish I _could_ live out of my head, I can't. Sometimes, especially these past few months, I _… feel…_ my way through things. As much as I trust you, as much as I know you're capable of taking care of yourself, of taking care of those around you, no one is infallible, and you and I both know that sometimes, no matter how perfectly you plan, no matter how strictly you stick to that plan and play by the rules, unexpected things happen. In a moment or two, everything that can mean anything to a person can be taken away. We've both seen it happen. I've lived through it once, and I'm probably always going to be afraid to some extent that something is going to happen to you, and I'm going to have to do it again. It's not just this case, it's every case, and it has been for years. Considering this case has other personal… connections… it's coming out more. I don't want you to think I don't –"

"Jethro," Tony said, softly interrupting. Jethro sighed, and looked at Tony. "I know. I get it."

Jethro nodded.

"I'm human, too. I just get frustrated, because everyone is acting like it's such a surprise that I'm doing so well as a team leader, and lately, I am afraid that news of our wedding is going to get out, and I'm going to have to defend my position. Right now… life is perfect. I guess you're not the only one that's afraid everything is going to be taken away from them."

"I won't let that happen," Jethro said, his voice quiet but firm.

"You are going to be the very last person that has any say in that," Tony said. "It won't matter what you say now, Jethro. You're opinion, no matter what the rest of us know to be true, is going to be considered biased. I'm just waiting for the other shoe to drop, and I'm terrified that when it does, it's going to be right on my happy little bubble, which is going to burst in the biggest way possible, and ruin everything. My life has _never_ been this good, and I never, ever, imagined it could be. My team is phenomenal, I'm getting married to this great guy, I have incredible friends that I trust with my life, my sanity, my dreams… I'm peaking, I'm terrified of the crash and burn, and I'm going to be watching my back for a long time, well beyond our wedding, for that falling size 13.

"Yesterday… our insecurities clashed. I get that now. But if you have questions, I want you to be able to come to ask me. They're your friends. I know they mean a lot to you, and I know that if it was any of us, you'd want info. I get that. I just ask that you ask directly, as Jethro, not Gibbs. Sound fair?"

Jethro smiled at him and nodded. "I can do that," he agreed.

"I hope so," Tony said with a smile. "You don't really have much else of a choice."

"Honestly, Tony, I don't think you have anything to worry about from Simmons, or anyone else for that matter. You just closed two twenty-something year old cold cases in two days, have your team creating the new database for all cold cases that will probably end up being used interagency-wide, and you're getting ready to play an instrumental part in bringing down the Qureshis. Just let yourself enjoy it!

"If anything comes our way, we'll handle it together. You don't have to go through that kind of stuff alone. Not to mention, I was tipped off today about how Kathy and her fiancé got together, and did a little digging of my own. She tries to come at us, she's going to have her hands full."

Tony raised an eyebrow at him.

"They didn't just meet on a case. He should have been a suspect in custody from moment one.

Tony nodded, a grin on his face. " _Seriously_? Nice to know I have a little blackmail material up our sleeves!"

Jethro nodded emphatically. "More than a little. I'll get you the info tomorrow, but it's going to your private email. Let's go eat."

"Ooo! Now that sounds juicy!" Tony said with a wink as he got out of the car.

A few minutes later, they were sitting in a booth, their orders in, and their attention on each other.

"Abby was asking me some stuff about the wedding earlier when I had her helping me with the reservations," Jethro said.

"Oh? She's trying to rope you into it now?" he said with a smirk. "How'd that go?"

"It wasn't _too_ bad- yet. She wanted to know about caterers, and I brought up the whole Dion thing, and whether or not he'd be offended if we didn't go with him, and she said he's not catering right now with the restaurant opening."

"Oh? That's kind of a load off. I don't like to involve finances that close to family."

"I can understand that. Would that include Marcella?" Jethro asked, taking a drink of his water.

"We're friends, but we're not that close. I could keep things separate there easily enough. Are you suggesting we get Casimiro's to cater the wedding?" Tony asked, somewhat excited to be on the verge of a second major decision.

"We could. We know we like the food, and as Abby pointed out, Marcella would make sure it's done right since she knows you, and we know she wouldn't have a problem with our genders."

"True. Pasta would be out of the question, because of the mess factor and with it being outdoors, but Stromboli or those mini-calzones they do, the fried raviolis and calamari, antipasto… I think we could definitely enjoy that."

"Sounds good to me. You want to call Marcella and see if she has that weekend available?"

"Sure! I can do that now, because I know a date, and a time, and a place! I'll call her tomorrow before lunch hours. I know now wouldn't be a good time with the dinner rush."

Jethro watched the elation on Tony's face, and smiled. He was excited to get things moving forward too, but to see Tony so happy about it made him ecstatic.

"The woman that called to confirm the park sent me a bunch of information. I can forward it to you. They have people that can do the table and chairs stuff you mentioned. I also told Abby that you were going to have her help you with the cake."

"Yes! Cake! Now, cake, I am excited about!" Tony flipped over the paper placemat on the table, pulled his pen out of the inside pocket of his jacket, and began sketching it out roughly. There were three different designs on the sheet by time he was finished, and Jethro looked from them to Tony's face. "Since we're going with smaller layers, I can do round, though I tend to prefer the idea of doing squares, like this one," he said, pointing out a drawing that to Jethro looked like stacked boxes. "However, my favorite is this. It's three squares, and each layer is turned, so when you look at it from the top, it's kind of like a star."

Jethro looked on and tried to nod in an ambiguous way, but he really didn't care about the cake. "As long as it's not covered in ribbons and bows, I'm good."

Tony chuckled, "Or fruity. No ribbons, bows, or fruit."

"Right," Jethro said with a smile.

Tony flipped the mat back over as their waitress, a new girl, brought their dinner. They dug into the food, and after a couple of minutes, Tony remembered something he'd wanted to ask.

"Colors," he said, swallowing his chicken. "Blue and green?"

"You mean like our shirts?" Jethro asked with a smile.

Tony nodded. "Exactly what I was thinking!" he said.

"That's going to be nice with the flowers in the gardens. Ducky told me that in the fall, they have a lot of blue flowers over there. We're going to need to look into the photographer closely and find a good one."

"Aha! See? I knew there was something you cared about, too!"

Jethro chuckled. "I care about it all more than I realized, but yeah, a good photographer will be important. I was thinking earlier how nice it will be to have photos of the wedding around the house at Christmas."

Tony was a bit surprised by the idea, but especially considering that Jethro thought of it first. "That's going to be great," he said, imagining the photos everywhere.

Jethro nodded, taking another bite of his meatloaf. Tony was practically giddy at the planning.

"Blue and green wedding cake, blue and green shirts, flowers, and probably table cloths then. I'll find out about the table and chair people soon. This is all coming together so fast!" Tony stuck another chunk of chicken with his fork. "We've got a venue, an idea of who we want to cater, colors, cake ideas… all in one day. I'm rather impressed."

"Don't get ahead of yourself yet. We don't know if Marcella is going to be able to cater yet, and we need to figure the cake thing out soon. When Diane tried to find someone to do the cake she wanted, it took her over a month."

"Bah! Ours isn't going to be very big, and not too fancy. I'm sure it will be fine. Might take a couple of calls, but I'm not planning on it being too complicated. Probably three square layers, an eight inch, six inch, four inch. Maybe some striped accents or something, but pretty simple, classy, elegant."

Jethro nodded, hoping Tony was right about being able to find someone available to make their cake for that weekend. He knew that it was the one thing Tony had seemed particularly enthused about so far, and he wanted him to have the perfect cake.

"Are we doing jackets with our shirts?" Tony asked.

"Should we?"

"Maybe something basic. It gets chilly on September nights by the river."

"Are you going to make me go clothes shopping?" Jethro asked, only slightly alarmed.

"Either that, or you can trust me with picking out your jacket," Tony said with a smirk.

"I'd better go," Jethro said with a playful eye roll.

"Sounds like a good idea. We can wait and do that in August though. Considering I've started eating about as often as you, I'm sure I'll be a full size down by the end of the summer. No sense in having it tailored, and then having to have it _re_ -tailored."

"You have dropped a few pounds," Jethro said, looking Tony over.

"Yeah. The belt is coming in a notch tighter lately. It's nice to have someone to cook for, though. Now that we're eating in more often than out, my grease intake is being cut by more than half. That reminds me, I have to take that chicken out of the freezer tomorrow night if I'm going to cook it Saturday."

"I'll try to remind you," Jethro said, forking more of his meatloaf. "I hope Friday night goes well for Ziva and Dion."

"Me, too. I'm looking forward to getting both of our teams together for a night out! No better event than to support their venture. It's hard to believe that just four months ago, he wasn't even a part of the picture, but now, it's like he's become the center of Zee's universe. It's kind of nice. I mean, no, we don't exactly have much in common to sit back and talk about, but he's a good guy, and he treats her well, respects her and what she does. He seems to get that we mean a lot to her, too," he added quietly, looking down at his food, and then back up to meet Jethro's eyes that had landed on him.

"Did you really think someone could come along and make her change her mind about how she feels about us?" Jethro asked quietly.

Tony sighed, and put down his fork. He'd been debating for a couple of weeks now whether or not it was his place to disclose what he was about to, but he suddenly felt like he needed to get it off his chest. Ziva obviously hadn't brought it up yet, and he felt it only fair Jethro had a heads up.

"I think she wants out, Jethro." He looked at Jethro's almost shocked expression, and watched at how he schooled it while he thought. He sat his fork down as well, and Tony took a shallow breath.

"Out?" was all he could say.

Tony nodded. "Of the field, not out of our lives." He hoped that would soften the blow, but he knew it wouldn't.

"Why do you think that?" Jethro asked, his voice much quieter.

"I got a call two weeks ago from an admissions counselor at Georgetown. Ziva had apparently put me down as a referral on her application. When I asked her about it, she told me she was thinking about going back to school to get her MBA. They apparently have a pretty good International Business program. I said something about how if she applied, that's more than thinking about it. She said that there's no way she could work our schedule and go back to school, even if only part time, and that she had some decisions to make."

"I take it she hasn't made them yet if she hasn't come to talk to me about it," Jethro said almost monotone.

Tony shrugged, shaking his head. "I don't know. Honestly, I'm starting to think we're the only reason she's still here. We're always going to be her real family, Jethro. It hit me pretty hard at first, but then I thought about it, and I don't want her to keep doing this if it's not what she wants to do. I don't want to be the reason why she's not moving forward with her life. She's been really happy lately, and I can't tell you whether or not that's because she's in a stable relationship, or if it's because she's doing something with this restaurant opening. I think it's a little of both."

Jethro nodded, and they sat still in silence for a long minute together.

"You look sad, hun," Tony said, reaching across the table to run his finger along Jethro's knuckles. He very rarely used any kind of a pet-name or nickname with Jethro, but at the moment, something pulled it from him without thinking.

Jethro sighed. "I think I am." He picked up his fork and started back in on his food, and Tony watched him a minute before doing the same.

"Are you sad that she's thinking about leaving, or sad because she hasn't said anything to you about it yet?" Tony asked tentatively.

"I guess both."

"I've been wondering if she assumed I was going to tell you. She didn't ask me not to, but she didn't tell me I could tell anyone either, and I kind of figured it was something she'd want to tell you about herself. She may think I had already told you, or expected me to, and is waiting for you to come to her."

"I don't want to push her. You're right- if she's not happy, I don't want us to be the reason she stays."

"She doesn't even know if she's accepted yet. Just wait it out, let her do some soul-searching, and when she makes her decision, we'll do our best to be supportive."

"I really do want her happy, I just don't know what I'm going to do with a one person team. I trust McGee, but the three of you worked well together. I still haven't figured out what I'm going to do about filling your desk." Jethro's eyes looked up and caught Tony's. "Those are some pretty big shoes to fill," he said softly.

"I don't know. I think a lot of our work chemistry was based on our personal history, and how our relationships developed over the years. Probie and Probette won't ever be as cohesive together as McGee and I, or Ziva and I were when paired. What you need is someone who can work with either of them and A) not get shot, B) not get the other shot, and C) not shoot each other." Tony smirked as Jethro chuckled. "They need to know how to turn on a computer and operate the plasma clicker, and bonus points if they come with a little prepackaged know-how when it comes to BOLOs, a Marine's coffee, and the layout of Rock Creek Park." Jethro shook his head and smiled, reaching for his water. Tony smiled too, glad that he was pulling Jethro from his funk. "Oh, and pro-tip? They need to invest in a helmet."

Jethro raised a questioning eyebrow at him.

"To protect from head slaps," Tony said with a sage-like nod.

"Didn't do much damage to you!" Jethro said with a chuckle.

"Much damage?!" Tony jested. "You hit me so much that it scrambled my brain to the point that I fell in love with you! I'm pretty sure the whole thing between us is a form of headslap induced Stockholm Syndrome." Tony felt a tingly warmth rush through him at the bright, beaming smile that Jethro wore as he finished his meal. He felt smug at a job well done, glad that Jethro was looking happy again.

They ate in silence for a few minutes until the waitress came by to ask if they were going to have any dessert. They both declined, and she left their check on the table with a smile and bright red cheeks. They looked at each other as she walked away, and Tony tried to stifle the laughter bubbling up inside.

They'd become a pretty regular fixture together at the diner, and Jethro's usual waitresses got to know that Tony wasn't going anywhere. Loraine had made the comment one day that she now knew why Jethro hadn't swept her away yet, and he had laughed. Her smile and wink had settled his nerves about some things, and he was grateful to still feel comfortable at his favorite caffeination hole.

The embarrassed look on the new girl's face was precious. It didn't appear to hold any malice, and both Jethro and Tony had noticed that fact, and both secretly wondered if she'd ever met a non-straight couple before. Her drawl had told them right away that she was from out of town, and being them, they'd both started piecing together various versions of her backstory from moment one, trying to find which fit her best.

After they paid and left the tip, they found themselves discussing it in Tony's car.

"I think she's going to work out," Jethro said with a smirk.

"I think she just might need someone around to let her know it's okay. It could be why she moved out here," Tony said, turning onto their street.

"Maybe. Not too many people move to D.C. without a reason. She's probably from further in state, or more likely West Virginia, and maybe came out here for school at Virginia Tech or something."

"Maybe. I guess we'll learn over time," Tony said. "Was her name Autumn or August?"

"August," Jethro said.

"I'll remember that. How much do you wanna bet she was born in December or something?" Tony said with a chuckle. They pulled up in front of the house, and Tony sighed, his stuffed belly feeling relieved when the seatbelt unlatched. "We might be sharing this house with three other people soon."

"Guess I should probably clean out Kelly's room after all," Jethro said quietly, looking first at the house, and then at Tony.

Tony shrugged the slightest. "I'll do whatever you want and need me to do," he said just as quietly. Jethro nodded.

"I should probably open it up and air it out tonight. Get the windows opened, prop the door. It's going to be dusty as all hell."

Tony considered opening the door a good first step. "You want to do that now, or wait a while?"

"Might as well do it now," Jethro said, reaching for the car door handle tentatively.

Tony reached out and took his left hand. "Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked.

Jethro smiled sadly at him, but nodded. "Yeah. It's time."

Tony nodded. "I'm with you."

"Thanks," Jethro whispered.

They both got out, and went into the house. They packed their weapons up, got dressed into comfortable clothes, and then stood outside of the door together. Tony reached out and took Jethro's hand, and Jethro reached forward and took the knob, turning it slowly. He was almost surprised at how easily it turned, as if though it had been used daily for years. The last bit of resistance slipped away, and the door gave, creaking open. Jethro gave it a slight push, and let go of the knob. He still didn't make any move forward though.

Tony felt the clammy hand in his grow damper and damper as the door swung open. He looked on in fascination, unable to look anywhere but at the room in front of him. The walls were a sunny yellow, and the white and blue curtains over the windows were bright and cheery. There was a pink, yellow and blue plaid comforter on the bed still, and a white wooden desk and chair. There was a pink lamp on the desk, and a clear pen holder full of ancient markers. A white wooden dresser stood against the wall, and a white wooden toy chest was under the window, half propped open with toys sticking out of it.

Jethro cleared his throat. "After they died, I came in here, and I..."

Tony squeezed his hand, letting Jethro know in that way only he could that he didn't have to continue if he didn't want to, but if he did, he was right there for him. Jethro took a deep breath.

"I couldn't stand seeing her things out, like she was going to come back any minute. She and Shannie had been whisked off quickly, and everything was just as she had left it. The only thing she took with her was her favorite bear. It was with her belongings when I had to go identify them."

"I wonder," Tony started softly. "If maybe Amira might understand how important that bear is." It was obvious to Tony which bear it was, because it was the only toy left in the bed and not sticking halfway out of the toy box. It looked like Jethro had come in, scooped everything up, and tried to cram it away into the box where they couldn't been seen so easily. He bet that if he opened the closet, it would look similar.

Jethro turned towards Tony, his eyes soft and red, and he nodded. "I've told her who Kelly is. She might."

Tony smiled at that. "I wonder what Leyla would think about this," Tony said sheepishly, holding up their joined hands.

"I think she already knows," Jethro said with a smile.

"You think?" Tony asked. They'd only been to her house once since they'd become a couple, but they had been over together a few times before then.

"Yeah. I think she'd be happy with it."

Tony beamed, comforted by that. He looked back towards the room, and realized that they still had a big task ahead of them. His smile dimmed.

"Tell me what to do, Jethro," he asked quietly.

"Will you open the windows?" he asked just as quietly. Tony nodded, and let go of Jethro's hand, walking into the room. He felt like he was stepping onto sacred ground as he did so, but moved as nonchalantly as possible towards the window. He unlatched the lock, and pushed it open, sweeping the curtains aside gently to allow the breeze to come through. He moved to the other window, and did the same, then turned back towards Jethro. Their eyes locked, and then Tony reached out his hand.

Jethro nodded, and then stepped into the room, staring at the outstretched hand until he could reach it to slip his own into it. He closed his eyes, and Tony took a step closer to him, running his hand down Jethro's arm. Jethro opened his eyes, and looked into Tony's, then around the room.

"She would love Amira. They're both so positive, optimistic. Not just in that way that kids are, either. It's a part of their personalities. It's something you know the world is never going to take from them. They both just… believe in the good."

"That's because they both know you," Tony said with a smile. "It's why I believe in it."

Jethro smiled at Tony, and leaned in to kiss him softly. "Thank you, Tony."

"Nothing to thank me for, Jethro."

"I think Kelly would want Amira to enjoy her things."

Tony nodded. He'd hoped that would be the decision. He liked the idea of breathing new life into such important memories, and he was intimately touched by Jethro's willingness to share this experience and his memories of Kelly with him. He felt like he was witnessing a miracle, and he thought back to Jack's advice at Easter to let Jethro deal with this in his own time.

"We still have some of those plastic bins I bought under the stairs. We can let the room air out tonight, and then tomorrow we can take a trip down memory lane if you want, or I can pack it up, and we can take it over on Saturday or Sunday."

Jethro was grateful that Tony was giving him a way out, but it only made him want to step up to the plate even more. Tony had been great, and he felt like he could do this as long as Tony was with him every step of the way.

He would never say goodbye to his little girl. He carried her with him every day. He remembered her tiny fingers as a baby, reaching for his nose, her smile when she was finally able to ride her bike without training wheels, her laughter, which sounded like it would one day be just like her mother's, and her eyes full of tears when he was deployed. He thought of her holding her bear in one hand, Shannon's hand in the other, and trying hard not to cry. She had made him promise to come back, and he had kept that promise. He never thought that she wouldn't be there when he did.

He wasn't sure when he had sat down on the bed, but he had, and he was holding the black teddy bear on his lap. He looked down into its eyes, lifeless and cold, and he shuddered as he thought of the last time he had seen his girls on slabs in autopsy. He thought for a moment that he might get sick, but then he felt a strong arm come around his shoulder, and he fell against Tony, who held him close as he shook.

"She was so little," he whispered. Tony's fingers reached up to run gently through Jethro's hair as his voice broke, and his shaking turned into sobs. "She was so… so incredible. She was my joy, my hope… she was my life, my everything, and they took her from me!"

Memories kept long-hidden swelled to the surface, overwhelming him. Christmas mornings, complete with the sounds of shredding wrapping paper, flashed before his eyes. The way Kelly would draw in the sawdust piles with her finger, usually resulting in splinters he'd have to tenderly remove with tweezers, and kiss to make all better. Holding her as he walked the hall back and forth at night to get her to sleep as a baby, and reading her bedtime stories as she grew older. Coming home to find Shannon asleep on the couch with Kelly curled into her, the TV turned on and leftovers on the stove. Piles of leaves in the backyard meant for jumping in, and hot summer picnics on the coast. Checking for monsters in the closet and under the bed, and hand-drawn pictures mailed to him during Desert Storm.

Memories that he had forced into a dark corner of his mind, ventured into only once or twice a year, came out into the light, refusing to be silenced. It was a beautiful assault, but it hurt like nothing he'd felt in years to be reminded of what he lost. He heaved against Tony, his arms wrapped around him so tightly that he was afraid he was hurting him, but he couldn't bring himself to let go.

Tony felt the tears running down his own face as he held Jethro. His shoulder was damp from Jethro's tears, and he had _never_ felt anything as painful as the way his heart ached for his love as he let himself fully grieve the loss of his daughter. It was excruciating, but at the same time, Tony finally understood that this is how a father is _supposed_ to love his children. To love them enough to mourn them, to cherish every faint memory, to cling to their life long after it had left, was what a real father would do. He held Jethro tighter, and realized that the tears he himself cried were not just for the loss of what Jethro once had, but for the absence in his own life of a father that cared as much as the man in his arms.

They sat there on Kelly's bed for almost an hour, holding each other as they grieved their own side of the parental coin. When they were both feeling too empty and numb to speak, Tony finally got to his feet and pulled Jethro to their bedroom. He set the alarm, plugged in his phone, and turned off the light while Jethro washed his face. They fell into bed together, fully dressed, and curled up against one another. Weak and exhausted, they were asleep within minutes.


	12. Chapter 12

Jethro woke up on his back, one hand hanging over the bed, the other wrapped around Tony's, their fingers woven together on his chest. A glance at the clock's glowing numbers told him that it was after 0300, but he couldn't remember what time it was when they actually went to sleep. He felt rested though, and he turned his head to watch Tony's face as he slept.

Tony. Just when he thought the man couldn't change his world any more, just when he thought that his life was already scheduled for the train to happiness, Tony would show him that he could be even happier. More was possible with Tony.

He thought about last night in Kelly's room, and the way Tony held him as he thought about his girls. The memories he'd allowed himself had been painful, but even now, they refused to be held back. A flash of Kelly's second birthday party, her standing on a chair to blow out the candles came to him. He realized it was a photo sent to him when he was away from home. There were no memories of the party to go with it, and he suddenly remembered it being in an envelope, and the way Shannon's handwriting had graced the letter that accompanied it.

The memory stung, but he brought Tony's hand to his lips and kissed it. He wanted to share her with him. He wanted to share them both with him. He'd tried to keep them all to himself since he had lost them, but in doing so, he was making himself forget them. Tony had let him remember. By simply holding out his hand, and offering him an anchor in that room last night, he had showed Jethro that he wasn't going anywhere, and that he was willing to coexist with the memories.

"Love you, Tony," he whispered into the darkness. He stared down at the silhouette next to him, his eyes adjusting to the faint light filtering in from outside so that he could see the full image of Tony's face in an almost eerie shadow. He noticed the grim look of determination on his face, even in sleep, and he wondered what he was thinking about.

He rolled over on his side so that he was face to face with his lover, and held tightly to the hand in his. This was his life now, and he was more than happy with it. He'd finally gotten his second chance. A part of him knew that if he only looked hard enough, one day, he'd find it. He hadn't realized that what he had to in order to make it last was to _not_ let his girls go, but let someone stand with them. It was as clear as day now. He let down the walls, let Tony in, and let him see that the pain still existed. He knew that it was what was right, and more than that, he knew that it was what his relationship with Tony needed in order to survive. He'd never felt more honest with anyone since his loss.

Tony hadn't pushed him to clear out the room when he moved in. He'd seen the list on the kitchen table months ago that had "Clean Out Kelly's Room" on it, and yet he hadn't pushed, hadn't asked, hadn't even insinuated. He thought back to how he had been let off the hook.

He'd come home from working a case one Sunday to a lot less boxes than he had seen that morning. Looking around, he hadn't found them or Tony anywhere. He had just pulled out his phone when the front door opened, and Tony stomped the dusting of snow off of his feet.

"Hey!" he'd said with a smile.

Jethro met him in the entryway, and kissed him hello. "Where've you been?" he'd asked, taking in the way Tony was dressed.

"Abby and Elly helped me put all those boxes into my storage unit," Tony answered. "I went through everything and donated half to the thrift store that the nuns run, and the rest got put away for now."

Jethro had simply nodded, realizing that Tony had given him a way out. He had felt bad, but grateful at the same time. He wanted to make that step for him, but he wasn't quite ready yet. Tony had changed the topic to dinner, and that was all that was said about it as they went about their evening.

Jethro's left hand came up to slide his fingers into Tony's hair. He couldn't bring himself to let go, instead bending forward to kiss him gently. Tony responded by opening his mouth a fraction, and Jethro kissed him again, this time sliding his free hand down Tony's back, and pulling him closer to him. Tony slowly woke, and soon he was kissing Jethro back, his free hand reaching up to pull Jethro's face closer to him.

Jethro gently rolled Tony backwards and fell on top of him, their lips continuing the kiss, one hand still entwined with each other. The kiss was slow, heavy, emotion-laden, and incredibly arousing. The way their lips suckled on one another, and the way their tongues slowly slid intentionally across each other, the movement meant to be felt at an excruciatingly slow pace, made both men pant and sweat.

Tony's hand slipped under Jethro's shirt, and tenderly slid up his stomach and then chest, feeling the tiny curled hairs there, cropped as short and neat as the hair on Jethro's head. He could feel Jethro's heart racing under his fingertips, and he knew that his own heartbeat was just as fast, just as hard.

He loved when Jethro woke him up like this, but this was nothing like it usually was. Normally, if he was awakened to Jethro's touches, they were seductive, fiery, passionate and hungry. This was different. This was a continuation of the night before, and it was just as intimate, just as powerful, just as deep as the pain he had felt last night, only it was beautiful.

Jethro reached for the nightstand and the lube, finally letting Tony's hand go. Tony immediately slid his sweatpants down while Jethro had shifted off of him for the moment, and kicked them off so they hung over the edge of the bed. His fingers then worked the button on Jethro's jeans, and the older man pulled them down, shaking his legs in turn, letting the pants fall where they may. He opened the lube, squirted some out in his left palm, then closed it, and took Tony's hand in his right again while using his left to slick himself and find Tony's entrance in the dark.

Tony moaned as he made contact, and reached up to kiss Jethro's neck hovering right over him. He gave it the same treatment he had just given Jethro's lips. His tongue slid over it slowly, deliberately, and his teeth grazed it before suckling on it. He gasped as Jethro finally pushed forward slowly to breach him, and he fell back on the bed, pulling Jethro down with him.

The kiss resumed and continued as Jethro pushed into Tony, pulling out over and over again, only to slide gently back in. Tony's free fingers were wrapped up in Jethro's hair as they kissed, and Jethro's free hand slid between them to begin stroking Tony's hard cock. Tony moaned into the kiss, but didn't break it. Their lips sucked a little harder, their tongues moved faster, and their breathing became more and more erratic as Tony started thrusting back against Jethro, and up into his hand in short jerks.

Tony looked up into Jethro's eyes. They were almost silver in the shadows of the room. Jethro looked back into Tony's eyes, too dark to find color, but reflecting the feelings he was experiencing.

They were both losing sensation in their fingers from where their hands were clasped together too tightly. Memories ran across Jethro's mind's eye. The first time he took Shannon's hand as they walked along the sidewalk in town after dinner on their first date. The morning that he had taken Tony's hand in the hallway outside of his apartment as they walked to the door together, and Tony saying he would take it back later. The tension he felt walking into Vance's office later that day, and the promise to himself that he'd use that as his talisman. Reaching out and taking Shannon's hand as she woke up to find him next to her bed in the hospital room, Kelly in his arms for the first time. Tony's hand in his as they walked down their road together, the snow falling around them. The way he'd held Tony's hand under the conference room table during their confrontation with Jacobs, and in the lab with everybody as they explained Tony's leaving the team.

He dropped his forehead against Tony's, his thrusts continuing frantically. Tony's voice whispered directly into him, his words like life.

"Let go, Jethro."

The orgasm ripped through him, and his mouth opened in an attempt to scream, but no sound came out. Tony thrust up into his hand a couple more times as the grip loosened slightly, and found himself tumbling over the edge as well. Jethro collapsed down on him, and Tony, wrapped his free arm around him, holding him close as they fell back to sleep together.

The alarm going off was the most unpleasant sound in the world. They were both offended by it immediately, and Tony grabbed his phone with such ferocity that Jethro was afraid he'd throw it across the room. Tony reined in his frustration though as he hit the snooze and sighed, looking up into Jethro's face. Jethro's chin was propped on his chest, and their hands were still firmly clasped next to them.

"We're never going to be able to use our fingers again," Tony said softly with a smile.

"That's fine. They're right where they belong," Jethro said just as quietly, a content and peaceful look on his face.

"We could, you know, alternate hands every once in a while though, right? Because, I mean, you're _not_ driving for the rest of our lives. Sometimes, you just gotta be the one behind the wheel, ya know?" Tony joked.

"I guess that's acceptable," Jethro said with a smirk, his eyes still locked on Tony's. They stared back in silence for a long moment, and Jethro knew that they had both changed somehow. Something was different between them, and within each of them, that was obvious in that moment. They were even closer, and yet they had managed to grow individually as well. "I love you, Tony," he said quietly.

"I love you, too, Jethro. Very much."

Jethro's lips descended on Tony's again, and then a different noise filled the air. He pulled back, realizing that it was his cell that was ringing.

"Christ. Can't catch a break," he said, sighing heavily. He raised their joined hands to his lips, and then finally let them go after a brief kiss. He reached for the phone and flipped it open, hopping out of bed and towards the bathroom.

Tony heard the gruff, "Gibbs," come from his lover right before the shower came on, and he got out of bed, heading for the coffee maker.

As he passed Kelly's room, he thought about when they were in it the night before. It was obvious to him that Jethro was a million times the father that his own father had ever been, and that most real dads were. In witnessing that so blatantly though, he had made a decision that he didn't want Senior in his life anymore. He didn't want him anywhere near him, his family, his world. Senior had done nothing but bring him further grief and pain, and he was finished. Drama followed in his wake, and Tony finally realized that he deserved better. His mother had deserved better, and every woman that had been conned into marrying him since had deserved better. He didn't want to be anything like him, and he didn't want him around. The decision was a heavy one, but he felt resolved and calm about it today.

As he made his way back into the bedroom, he contemplated the idea that had struck him. The one thing that he figured he couldn't leave behind of his father was his name, but he realized last night that wasn't true. Now that they had ammunition to use against Simmons if she were to come after them, he felt a lot better about the wedding. He hadn't gotten any bad vibes off of Balboa about his appointment as a team leader, and two of the three agents on his team were former Cold Case Unit staff. They would most likely become the Cold Case Unit again if the funding became available, and Balboa would be over the entire department, seeing as that was his specialty.

Would things really go smoothly if everyone knew they were married? Would there be any other chances for anger and opposition? If not, maybe he wouldn't have to stay Anthony DiNozzo Jr. for the rest of his life.

He watched as Jethro bustled back into the bedroom, toweling off quickly, and throwing open the closet door looking for clothes. Tony met him at the closet. A quick kiss was all they had time for, and Tony knew it, so he was unfazed when Jethro immediately turned back towards his wardrobe.

"Whatcha got?" Tony asked, yawning as he headed for the bathroom. He turned to look at Jethro once he got to the doorframe, and saw the older man smirk and shake his head.

"Body in Rockcreek Park," he said.

"See! What did I tell ya? What you need is someone who knows every inch of that park!"

"Yeah, yeah!" Jethro said with laughter in his voice.

"I'm gonna jump in the shower. Hopefully I'll see you sooner than later." He turned around to turn the water on, and a moment later felt strong arms come around his waist and a kiss to the back of his neck at the top of his spine.

"If I had time," Jethro's voice spoke lowly in his ear with just enough rasp to make Tony's eyes close and breath hitch. "I'd get in there with you, and take you all over again."

"Mmmm," Tony moaned. "Raincheck?"

"Mmhmmm," Jethro hummed before letting go of Tony to go throw his clothes on.

Tony stepped into the shower and soaped up. He waited until hearing the front door close, and then turned the water off. He wrapped his towel around him and stepped in front of the sink, lathering to shave. He raked the blade across his jawline, chin, and upper lip, then rinsed and splashed on some aftershave. Looking in the mirror, he sighed.

"How weird would that be?" he asked himself quietly. "Anthony D. Gibbs," he tried, letting it roll off his tongue. "Tony Gibbs. Anthony Dante Gibbs." He blinked and looked at himself. "Huh. I just might be able to get used to that." He brushed his teeth, got dressed, then came back to the mirror to fix his hair. He started his daily war with the unruly mass, and finally got it to do something that suited him. As he put the paste down and washed his hands, he looked back at the mirror and tried it again. "Tony Gibbs." He nodded at himself, dried his hands, and made his way to the kitchen.

He poured a mug of coffee, and grabbed a cereal bar from their place above the fridge. He remembered to take the chicken out of the freezer, and put it down below to give it a couple of days to fully thaw. He looked around the house and sucked down the coffee, only realizing once he was finished with it that he hadn't put any cream or sugar in it. He smiled broadly, and looked into the bottom of the cup with a shake of his head.

 _Wearing off on me…_ he thought to himself, and then bounded into the kitchen, feeling the ground firmly under his feet as he got his gun and badge. He grabbed his bag from the front entryway where he had dropped it the night before, and headed into work.

* * *

Jethro got to the scene and found that Tim and Ziva were already pulling up in the truck. He was glad that he was at least out of the car before they got there this time. The last time they'd beaten him to a scene with the truck had earned him sideways glances from both of them that he would have headslapped them for if it wasn't that they were right. He saw Ziva get out of the truck, and he wondered if she could really give this all up. He knew he shouldn't hold it against her that she wanted to leave, but he felt suddenly angry and hurt. He took a deep breath as they approached, and schooled himself.

They all walked up to a group of LEOs together from opposite sides of the scene, and got the rundown. The body was down a trail, off to the side. Joggers had found it that morning, and called it in. There were no obvious signs of trauma, and the wallet was still on him with his ID and credit cards, though no cash.

When the three of them approached it, the angle of the body was what caught them of guard. The man's body was contorted in a way that suggested he was dumped where he was, and they immediately began looking for shoe prints and taking photos.

McGee asked the LEOs if the joggers that had found him were still there, and he directed him towards two women that were standing next to a cruiser looking rather shaken. He introduced himself, and asked if he could get pictures of the bottoms of their shoes to compare to the prints they were finding. They both took off a shoe, and McGee photographed it from the side and bottom, writing their sizes in his notebook. He got statements from them, and when finished, he found that Ziva and Gibbs were both combing through the brush for any signs of their suspect's footprints or trace evidence that might have been left behind.

He realized that they were being abnormally cold towards one another, and it threw him off. It wasn't that either of them were ever very talkative with one another on a scene, but the absolute silence was eerie. He caught Ziva's eyes, and he realized that she was anxious. He never saw her on edge.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

Both Gibbs and Ziva looked up at him.

"Other than the dead body?" Gibbs asked.

"No, well, yeah. Seems like something has put you both on edge? Like you're trying to hear something? Did I miss something?" He was really confused by the look Ziva gave Gibbs, and he wondered if maybe she had said something that was out of line by the look Gibbs gave her back.

"Nothing I know about," Gibbs said with a cold tone that he got the feeling wasn't directed at him.

Tim swallowed and nodded, realizing that whatever had happened had put Ziva on Gibbs' bad side already. He'd only been gone for ten minutes, so he couldn't imagine what that was, but he returned to the sketch, sniffing around the scene for clues, and keeping his head out of everyone else's business.

Jimmy and Ducky came down the path with the gurney, chattering away about something.

"Hey, Duck," Gibbs said.

"Good morning, Jethro!" he greeted. "I do believe we've been on this trail before."

"We have actually," Jimmy said. "Twice. Once was my second week working with you, and then about six months later. There was mud so thick on that second occasion that I thought we'd never get out of here, and the first time, I got so lost that-" Jimmy stopped when he saw the expression on Gibbs' face. "Well, that we were so late I got that same look from Agent Gibbs. Good morning." He decided it was best to seal his lips for the time being.

Ducky clasped Jimmy's shoulder as he walked past him. "Relax Mr. Palmer. You know your way around this park as good as any of us by now. The glare, I presume, has little to do with you." Ducky's eyes met Jethro's despite his words being directed at Jimmy. Gibbs rolled his eyes, and turned back to the body.

"Hey, Ducky," McGee greeted. "I can't see what's wrong with this one, other than, well, you know, being dead." He glanced up at Gibbs for a moment, meeting his eyes before turning his attention back on the body. "No blood, no signs of strangulation, nothing obvious."

"Ahh! A mystery. Let us take a look, then."

McGee stepped aside to let Ducky and Palmer get closer to the body. Ducky pulled up the eyelids to check his eyes, then lifted his shirt to check for any kind of wounds. Palmer got to work with the liver probe, and announced that the time of death was shortly after midnight. Ducky used a gloved finger to open the man's mouth, and was hit with the stench of the gasses building up in the body. He was used it, but something was off in the scent this time.

"He may have ingested something, but that is very preliminary. The smell…" Ducky look perplexed, and Jimmy leaned forward to take a whiff. Ducky raised an eyebrow at him.

"I see what you're saying, or rather smell what you're smelling. It's familiar, but I can't…" Jimmy grimaced, and shook his head in confusion, trying to place it.

"Yes, the same for me. We need to get him open and figure it out. Jethro? Are you finished here?"

"Yeah, Duck. Let me know," he said, motioning for the team to follow him.

"As always," he said, looking at Jethro as he stormed up the hill. He grabbed McGee's arm, and gave him a questioning glance.

McGee mouthed, "I don't know," and shook his head in matching confusion.

"Do you suppose it was an argument with his betrothed?" Ducky whispered.

Tim shook his head no. Ziva had started up the trail tentatively behind Gibbs, and Tim gestured between the two of them. Ducky nodded, understanding the rift didn't involve any of them, and eyed the two going towards the parking lot.

"Gotta go," Tim muttered, and headed off up the hill as quickly as he could while carrying their supplies.

* * *

Tony got to the bullpen, and found Elly at his desk.

"Hey, Elly," he greeted. "Don't tell me we got another hit!" He noticed that Elly was bouncing behind his desk, his foot tapping and his head bobbing as if though music was playing. It was something the entire team had learned was a sign the young man was lost in his work.

Elly chuckled. "No, just the opposite. We _hit_ the end of the barrel. All of the files that have been loaded thus far into the database have been searched. I'm now pulling any case that has between a 30-60% result. I need to go over them, see what kind of data pinged, and extrapolate that for the database development. Since our priority right now is the Qureshis, I figured I'd get in here and get that data pull started so it can run in the background all day."

Tony nodded. "Sounds smart. Have by chance seen Director Vance come in yet?"

"Yep. Rode up the elevator with him." Elly grimaced and stilled for a moment.

"What's that look mean?" Tony asked, raising his chin and looking down at Elly curiously. Elly looked up at him and sighed before explaining, his words coming out in a rapid fire ramble.

"He was asking me how things were going, and I didn't quite know what to say. Was that a personal question, a case related question, did he mean the database? I don't know. I answered with, 'Fine'. And it feels kinda lame. I mean, I could have said a million other things, and I came out with _fine_. Things are way better than fine! Okay, so Gibbs' friends have an entire rebel army after them, but hey, we got this! I just, know we do. And the database is like, wow! And-"

"Ellly!" Tony interrupted.

"Hmm?"

"How much coffee have you had today?" he asked.

"None, but both Ziva and Tim got Abby CafPows this morning, and when she found out I'd never had one, she gave me half of one. You know, in a red Solo cup. And it's pretty fruity, Boss. I mean- I don't think I'm ever going to drink it again, but I can, you know, see why she likes it, then again, I don't know how she functions on it when it makes your heart race like this, and when, you know, your brain feels like it's going to start smoking out of your ears any minute because it's firing around in there at a bajillion miles an hour, but ya know… it's okay."

Tony understood, and nodded sagely.

"First timers. My first time trying it was pretty rough. Gibbs almost gave me a concussion that day. I had over a dozen headslaps. I explained what was going on finally, though I'd had an _entire_ Abby-sized Big Gulp. He got up, went into the break room, came back and handed me two little pink pills. I asked what they were, and he told me to take them, so ya know, when Gibbs tells you to do something, you do it. I should distinguish here that when _Gibbs_ tells you to do something, you do it, not _Jethro,_ " he said with a smile. Elly laughed, and Tony continued. "They were antihistamines. Same stuff you take for your typical spring allergies. They brought me down quick, and Gibbs kept his hand- you know I'm going to stop there before that sounds much more inappropriate than things were at the time." Elly laughed again, and Tony shook his head as he came around the desk.

"I'll be in the Director's office a while."

"Got it, Boss!" Elly shouted after him.

Tony headed for Vance's office, and knocked on the door lightly before he heard the call to enter.

"Agent DiNozzo," he greeted rather cheerfully. "What can I do for you?"

Tony cringed, closing the door behind him and hoping he wasn't about to ruin that happy mood. "Had a couple of things I thought I should run by you. Some case related, some not."

"Have a seat," Vance said with a raised eyebrow as he set his pen down. "Case related first. What are we looking at?"

"Albany PD is happy with us, so if you ever wanted to ask a favor, now's the time," Tony started with a satisfied smile. "The second case file will be here sometime this afternoon or tomorrow morning."

"So I read. That's phenomenal news. I'm really hoping this database can shed some light on just how much we need that funding back for the Cold Case Unit. With this tool, their effectiveness would increase substantially, and it would prove that we need to be funding projects that can be eliminating caseloads, or at least moving forward with them, not simply sustaining what we currently have."

"I fully agree," Tony replied. "There is still at least one murder that Stafford cops to in her interviews with the shrink that we may be able to look into, but Elly is in right now pulling the next most likely cases that the database has registered as possible hits. I believe he plans on going through every case that has at least a 30% likelihood to make sure the database is sufficient."

"I know I've said it before, and I hope I keep saying it, but that kid is superseding every expectation we had when we brought him on. You're responsible for that."

Tony wasn't sure what to say to that. He ignored the part directed at him, and thought of the sandy-haired man at the desk downstairs. "I don't think he expected it either. My entire team has surprised the hell out of me, and each other, and what's _even_ _better_ is that they surprise themselves. Dorneget is good for that. He'll have some great insight into something, and then it will lead us right to where we need to be, and the excited look he gets on his face is priceless! I couldn't ask for a better team."

Vance smiled at the look on Tony's face.

"As for Dina Ta'anari," Tony said, bringing them back down to the matters at hand.

"Yes. I got the report update. I get why the FBI has taken custody of Ali Bak, but along the same line, I would expect that the three of them would have been put in a different form of protective custody by now."

Tony nodded. "Considering they may have the information we need to get our hands into the game and bring down the Qureshi Faction, we want to keep them in our custody. There is actually a chance they'll be staying with Gibbs and I until it becomes clear what the safest place for them to be is. If they are at our house, we wouldn't need an agent there, so our resources won't be tied up. We don't want to move them though until we know for sure where the next threat is coming from, and they haven't agreed yet to any form of custody outside of what they are already signed up for. They won't leave one another's sides right now, so they would probably opt out of custody completely rather than go into Witness Protection and be split up."

"You're really ready to go after the faction again?" Vance asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes," Tony said resolutely. "We managed to weaken them in March. With the information we have at our access, and with the relationships we established then, and of course some creative thinking, we should be able to bring them down."

"Creative thinking? You mean you're planning on pulling Garnier and Stephens in to consult?" Vance asked with a chuckle.

"If at all possible," Tony said with a smirk.

"You know that means you may need to bring Jacobs in for information as well," Vance said, folding his hands on his desk.

"As long as it's done remotely, I don't see why we can't play nicely. This is too big to let it get more personal than it already is."

"I'm glad you at least admit that it's personal," Vance said.

"It is. These are my fiancé's friends. They may not have seen each other for years, but they put their lives on the line to make sure he made it back here. They've put their lives on the line for a lot more than that though, and they deserve whatever protection and help we can give them."

Vance nodded. "Fair enough. What's the next move?"

"Right now, we have Meisner looking under every rock he can for information about who is going to be sent next. His ear is already to the ground to find out where the remaining Qureshi are hiding. When the time comes, if he needs our help, we're going to give it. If the opportunity arises to take out anyone with intentions of infiltrating our borders with the intent to kill _anyone_ , he is already instructed to take them out. He's just focusing a little extra on those who may be sent to kill our specific anyones.

"He's not the only agent on the lookout for any signs that a contract is being made to send someone State-side. Meisner has a CIA operative he trusts sending me and Agent Dorneget information as he gets it. All of the chatter right now that's related to the Qureshis is being funneled down to us. That brings me to my next issue."

"Oh?"

"I need to get Dorney's security clearance raised."

Vance nodded, and turned to look in his filing cabinet for the forms needed.

"Considering this is going to eventually land us in MTAC, I want him in there. More to familiarize him with it than anything, but he's really digging deep into this, and I have a feeling he's already gotten into some things he shouldn't have had access to. I'm not sure how he got it, but it's good information, and I don't want to find him penalized for going after it and anything else he might be able to wrap his mind around."

"In that case, before he even turns on his computer today, have him fill this out and sign it. Get it back to me right away, and I'll make sure it's processed immediately. We need him in there, and if this is going to be the gateway, then so be it." Vance handed three sheets of paper to Tony, and he took it, nodding.

"Enough case?" Tony asked.

"For now," Vance said, sitting back in his chair.

"Okay. Two big things. We decided on a venue for the wedding." Tony smiled brightly and Vance smiled too, which Tony took as a good sign. "September second, Yards Park."

"Beautiful place. Will make a great location for the ceremony and reception," Vance agreed.

"Also very public," Tony said hesitantly.

"True, but the two of you have managed to be rather discreet about it, and I don't see either of you drawing attention to the ceremony."

"I think this brings us to my second big thing," Tony sat up and forward in the chair, his elbows on his knees for a moment before sighing. Vance took in the anxiousness with a weary glance. "I haven't made up my mind yet, but…" He took another deep breath, and let it out. "I think I want to take his name."

"Oh."

"It's still in the "thinking about it" stage. I haven't even asked him if he'd be comfortable with it yet, but I share my entire name with my father, who is on my- well, let's just say that if he ends up dead, there's a long list of people you'll be investigating, but I'll be on it."

Vance nodded, taking a toothpick out of pocket and unwrapping it. Neither man said anything for a long moment until Tony's voice quietly resumed, his eyes on his hands.

"I guess… I just think it would be nice to have the same last name as the one person in the world who has been able to teach me what family is supposed to be like." His eyes met Vance's, and he saw a sudden change come over him. His eyes softened, and his features fell.

"You know, Jackie's dad was a piece of work. Wasn't there. Walked out on them. Her mother was a saint. She definitely got her compassion and sense of family from her. I was lucky; am lucky. I've met your father, and I understand what you're saying. I've read about your mother, and I can only imagine what that means to add your past to Gibbs' past. As your Director, I'm going to tell you it's a bad idea. Personally though? Do it."

Tony smiled at the smirk that came across Vance's face.

"Tony, the past few months have been a game changer around here. Everything transformed in a blink of an eye. It feels like we finally have forward momentum going, and somehow, it's carrying agency-wide. There is always going to be a reason not to do something. When you have such a compelling, and such an important reason to do something though, you need to do it. It obviously means a lot to you if you're willing to expose your relationship."

He shook his head vehemently, raising a hand before it fell heavily on his desk, and squinting his eyes at Tony as he thought.

"That's not the right word. Expose makes it sound wrong. Not a damn thing wrong with it. Never seen two people that belong together quite like the two of you. It's strange how well you fit. Both of you have changed, and only for the better. It's been great to watch, and if I were in your shoes, I'd be sharing my happiness with whoever I met. There shouldn't be any reason why the two of you shouldn't be doing that. Let Simmons _try_ to come at you- she'll have to answer to me`. Let anyone with a beef come see _me_ , and let _me_ cut them down to size. Don't worry about it. You two just do what you want to do, what you're comfortable with doing, and if anything comes of it, we'll handle it."

Tony looked across the desk at the man sitting there, and he realized that he and Jethro weren't the only ones that had changed over the past couple of months. Where there used to sit the Director, now sat a friend. It was a surprise, but one he was eternally grateful for.

"Thanks, Leon," he said quietly, but genuinely.

"Don't thank me yet! We've got a long journey ahead of us."

"Wouldn't miss it for the world," Tony said with a smile, getting to his feet. "I'll get Dorney to fill these out as soon as he gets here."

Vance nodded. "I'm about to land in MTAC for a meeting for the next hour. Leave them with Pam and she'll make sure I get them when I get back."

Tony nodded. "Will do." He headed out of the room and to the railing above the bullpen. He needed some time to think and clear his head, and he wasn't sure if he was going to have a better chance to do so than now. He pulled out his phone and text Jethro.

_I'm about to go get coffee. You going to be back soon?_

His phone rang in his hands before he could get down the stairs.

"Hey!" he answered with a smile, pausing by the window for a little privacy.

"Hey," Jethro answered, much more subdued.

"That rough?" Tony asked, concerned by the tone in Jethro's voice.

"Nah. Just…" Jethro sighed. "I'm going to be back to the Yard in about ten minutes. Wait for me?"

"Sure. On the wall?" Tony asked, getting more worried by the minute.

"See ya there." The phone clicked, and Tony looked at it in confusion. He'd gotten pretty used to an actual goodbye from his fiancé, and it had been a while since he'd heard the abrupt click. He tried not to take it personally, and he decided he was pissed at whatever dark forces had taken the content and loving Jethro from him that he'd been that morning before leaving the house.

He came back to his part of the bullpen, and handed the paperwork off to Dorney to fill out for his clearance change. He explained a section that he knew confused most people, and made sure Ned understood. He smiled at the way Ned got excited about the advancement, and shook his head to himself.

"Going to grab some coffee," he announced to Elly and Dorney. "Anyone heard from Parke?" he asked, realizing they were down one.

"I tried texting him, but I haven't heard anything back yet," Elly said.

"Okay. If he's not here in another ten minutes, and I'm not back, try calling him and seeing where he's at. Maybe he just overslept," Tony said, trying not to panic. The already anxious nerves he felt at Jethro's call made him suddenly over-protective of his agent. Parke was never late. He had to force back all sorts of images from his head as he headed for the barista. The worst of all was the idea that perhaps Jethro's attitude was because Parke was their victim. He had no idea where the idea had come from, but he was forcing back scenes of Jethro's team, Ducky and Palmer standing around Parke's mutilated body as they shook their heads in shame.

He sat on the wall with two cups of coffee, and watched for Jethro. He was edgy and alert until he saw him emerge from the door that led to the garage and the broom closet they tended to spend more time in than was strictly necessary.

At that point, his alert level was bumped up two notches. Jethro looked pissed. He held out the cup of coffee as if though he was afraid for Jethro to get any closer to him, and Jethro took it.

"So…" Tony said, suddenly afraid to breach the topic of Jethro's attitude. "What's up?" He sat gingerly on the wall next to Jethro, but almost an arm's length away, leery that he just might earn a headslap at any given moment.

"I blame you," the older man said as he sipped his coffee.

Tony looked at him with a raised eyebrow, unsure of the tone being used with him.

"For what?" he asked, trying to hold back on the defensiveness he suddenly felt.

"You just had to tell me about Ziva's whole college thing," Jethro said, an arm flailing towards the building aimlessly.

"Please tell me you didn't confront her," Tony begged.

"No, I didn't. I really wanted to, but it wasn't the time or place. She _may_ have picked up on something though," he said quietly.

Tony watched Jethro's face, and a laugh suddenly burst out of him. "Wow! You're _pouting_!" Tony announced.

"Am not!" Jethro said back, clearly affronted.

"Yes you are!" Tony said with a chuckle and a drink of his coffee.

"No, I'm not!" Jethro almost shouted, then paused. "Yes, I am! Damn it!"

Tony bent over in laughter, his eyes watering. He looked up at Jethro to watch him unsuccessfully try not to smile as he shook his head and took a drink of his coffee.

"Well! She should talk to me about it!" Jethro said, trying to defend himself. "Give me a heads up, or you know, put me on the damned application as a referral, too! Something. Shouldn't have to find out like this." He crossed his arms, and looked down at the concrete in front of him. Tony watched, endeared by the way Jethro's expression made him look. The only thing missing was his bottom lip sticking out.

"Jethro, she cares a lot about you. She also knows that you care a lot about her. She probably just wants to make sure that she's positive about her next step in case she does decide to move on. If she told you when she applied, there would have been a good chance she would have chickened out of submitting it. Right now, if I were her, I'd be torn between going after what's going to make me happy, and making the people that have supported me proud. You need to let her know you're going to support her no matter what her decision is, not be a complete and total dick to her because she's trying to protect one of the most important relationships in her life by tainting it with 'maybes'."

"I haven't been a-" Jethro started.

Tony gave him a glance with a raised eyebrow, and Jethro sighed.

"How do you always know?" he asked.

"Hey, you don't complain when I know about anything else! Like when I know you're in the mood for me to do that thing with my-"

"Okay!" Jethro said, turning bright red and smiling. "I get it."

"I need to get back, but I had a talk with Vance this morning. I think we should talk about something later when we have more time."

Jethro eyed him closely. "Good talk, bad talk? You gotta give me something here."

Tony smiled. "Great talk," he said.

"Oh?" Jethro asked, walking side by side with Tony towards the main entrance.

"Yup," Tony said with a smirk.

"Are you gonna give me a hint?" Jethro asked as they entered the building.

Tony looked at him and smirked even brighter as he shook his head. "Nope. Just consider it incentive to finish your case as quickly as possible, and get home to me at a decent time tonight," he said as they passed the guards.

Jethro was so focused on Tony, and Tony was so focused on Jethro, that they didn't realize that Alex Boehman had been approaching the guard desk. He was about to shout out a hello to Tony when he heard what Tony had said to Jethro. His eyes widened, and his jaw dropped.

"Did I just hear that right?" he asked the other guy working the desk.

"I don't know. I wasn't paying any attention. What did they say?" he asked, looking over to see who had just passed them. Boehman watched the way the two men stood next to each other, talking softly. For the first time, he realized how familiar they were with one another, and the way they smiled at each other, tuning out the rest of the world.

"Nothing," he said, trying to draw the other guard's attention away from his friend and his friend's former boss. "It wasn't what I thought it was." He reached down and picked up the clipboard with the rounds chart on it, and handed it off to the other man. "Your turn," he said. "I'll watch the desk."

"Thanks. I'm falling asleep up here."

"Yeah, I can tell. Go get some air while you're at it, and wake up." Boehman watched as he walked away yawning, and looked back at the closing elevator door.

He and Tony had been friends for a long time. It wasn't a very deep or close friendship, but he had kept Tony in the loop when he and his wife were trying to have a baby, and he felt a little rejected that Tony hadn't told him about things developing between him and Gibbs. After all, Tony had felt it an obligation to brag about all of the one night stands he had in the past, so why not share what was going on with him now? It was obvious by the looks he and Gibbs were just sharing that it was serious.

That's when he realized that most people probably didn't know, otherwise it would already be out there at the forefront of the Navy Yard Gossip Chain, and that that was exactly why he hadn't told him. He suddenly felt a little better knowing that he wasn't the only one that hadn't known, and then he felt kind of proud of himself for figuring it out when no one else had. He sat back and smiled smugly to himself, and wondered if he should say something to Tony about it. He shrugged and decided that if came up, it came up, otherwise he would just watch it all unfold.

* * *

When Tony got to the bullpen, he realized Parke still wasn't there. Elly addressed him before he could even get to his desk.

"I tried calling Greg, Boss, and I'm not getting an answer. I'm getting pretty worried."

Tony went to sit behind his desk, and reached for his phone. He was dialing the number when Parke finally burst through the stairwell door, rushing towards his desk and announcing his presence.

"I'm so sorry, Boss! Having the morning from hell, which included totaling my phone." He dropped his stuff behind his desk, and sighed as he flopped down in his chair with a bewildered look on his face. He sat still, looking around the room at the three people staring at him. "What?" he asked tentatively.

"You got those papers done, Ned?" Tony asked.

"Yeah," he said softly, looking back and forth between Tony and Parke without moving his head, unsure of Tony's tone.

"Okay, I'm going to run them up to Vance," he said, coming over and bending down to sign them. "Greg, meet me in the conference room upstairs."

"Got it, Boss," he said quietly, exchanging looks with Elly and Ned.

Tony knew it was cruel to make Parke sweat, but he needed to make sure that he didn't get into a habit of letting things get so out of hand that he was this late. Tony had a past for pulling ten minutes or so here and there, but an hour plus was unacceptable without a crisis. He knew that Parke was never late, but he knew that creating just that little bit of tension would keep Elly and Ned on their toes as well. He had no intentions of actually coming down on him when he got him alone, but that brief moment where all of their hearts just stopped in the bullpen was enough to deter any of them from ever thinking it would be okay to be late like that without a damned good reason.

He took the papers for Ned's clearance to Pam, and then made his way over to the conference room to find Parke sitting rigidly in a seat facing the door.

Tony made sure to smile when he came in, closing the door softly behind him, but not so softly that it created more anxiety in Parke. He sat down at the head of the table to Parke's right, and he saw Parke swallow hard.

"You okay?" Tony asked. Parke let out a deep breath.

"Uhhh? I think so?" he answered. Tony chuckled.

"What happened? Take it from the top."

Parke sighed and nodded, realizing Tony wasn't mad at him, but instead worried.

"Guess it all really started last night. I got a call from Tiff yesterday afternoon saying that she had been invited to some big political fundraiser at the last minute by a potential donor for her organization, and she needed to go. I told her that I was excited that she had the opportunity to go, but that I really didn't want to go. I wasn't trying to start anything, but it turned into World War Three.

"I _really, really_ , hate those things, Boss. I've been trained explicitly on how to tell if a person is lying by their body language, their tone of voice, their eyes, their stance, their word choices. Going to those functions is like trying to find the one person telling the truth. I get it; that's the game; that's politics. Even Tiffany is right there schmoozing with the best of them, laying on the charm for the good fight, you know? And she's incredible at it! But I hate it.

"I hate that creepy crawling feeling I get from being around all of those people, and I hate watching my wife turn into one of them while she's there. When it's just us… she's the most genuine person I know. It's never just _us_ anymore though. All of our free time is at these things, and I go just so I have a chance to spend some time with her. But then… she's not her. I know my schedule doesn't make things any easier on us, and I try to compromise, but I get the feeling she doesn't want to compromise anymore."

Tony watched with a crestfallen heart for his baby agent.

"I wouldn't go with her last night, and she was pissed. This morning, I tried to have a heart to heart with her about it, and for the first time ever…" Parke sighed and looked up, then down at his hands as they traced the wood grain in the table. "She tried to schmooze _me_. I went off, she went off, she was crying, I stormed out. I came back from my run later than usual because I was so lost in thought that I'd just kept running. I left my keys on the table, she went to work, and I was locked out. Tried to call my landlord, couldn't get in touch with him. His voicemail says he's out of town and to call some other guy for assistance. That guy didn't answer the phone. Tried to call Tiff, she wasn't answering my calls, so I had to break into my own home.

"Finally got in, jumped in the shower, got myself together, and then when I was trying to get into the car, I spilled my coffee up my sleeve. That meant tossing my phone on top of my car as I shook the coffee out. Forgot the phone on top of the car, backed down the driveway, heard it slide off, couldn't figure out what it was until I had backed over it, and saw it come out the other end of my car. Ran back into the house, dug out my old phone, and charged it in the car on the way here. I need to go online and switch over the EIN numbers on it and get the damn thing activated, hopefully salvage my contact list. Knowing my luck, my wife has been sending me hate texts all morning I haven't had the chance to reply to." Parke stopped to catch his breath, looking daunted and exhausted.

"Damn, Greg," Tony said. "You're right- that's the morning from hell." He was stunned that the man in front of him hadn't taken a personal day. He wouldn't have blamed him. "You still came in after all that?"

Parke laughed. " _Oh, yeah_! I needed to get out of there. It's pretty sad when you feel more relaxed at work chasing down a terrorist cell than at home with your own wife." Greg's eyes met Tony's, and Tony thought for a moment the younger man was tearing up.

"You two have had a rough couple of months," Tony said, treading those waters carefully.

Parke nodded, his lips firmly together as he blinked repeatedly.

"Have you guys thought about talking to someone? You know, together?"

"I suggested it this morning."

"And?"

"Tiff asked when we'd find the time to go to couples counseling when we can't even find the time to have dinner together. I was fine until that point. I was hurt, sad, miserable, but not really angry. At that point, I started getting mad. I pulled the, _Why don't you tell me?_ card, and pointed out that despite being a federal agent that's on call twenty-four seven to some extent, I'm home more than she is. That's when the political charm started coming out. She tried to pull that crap on me. Part of me wanted to just go ahead and follow where she was leading simply because I'm scared of losing her, but I can't do that. I just can't."

"That sucks, man." Tony watched as the look on Parke's face announced the beginning of defeat. He didn't want that for him. "I'm no shrink, no counselor, and everyone in this building can tell you that I'm no expert on relationships, but I think you should tell her that. Tell her that you're scared of losing her, not just as a wife, but as the woman you fell in love with. You're both changing a lot right now, but it seems like she's becoming someone you don't respect. I can't imagine you being with someone who would use charm and lies to get her way. She might not even realize who she's becoming, how she's acting. Sometimes a reality check is necessary, and from my own experience, I can tell you that it doesn't hit home like hearing it from someone you love."

Parke looked back into Tony's eyes, and saw the pain written across them.

"Don't let her slip away and become that person. She seems like she's got a good heart. Politics, the Hill, all that ass kissing… it changes a person. Especially when you're trying so hard to get your hands on money you need to follow your passions. Let me know what _you_ need. If you need some time to get away, then let me know. Keep me in the loop. I need you here, but your relationship comes first."

Parke sighed and nodded. "Thanks, Boss," he said.

Tony nodded. "Go program your phone, then stop down and schedule an hour with Ducky. He's working on a body for Gibbs right now, but I'm sure he can find some time in there somewhere for you today."

Parke nodded, and got to his feet. Tony joined him, and they headed out the door. Parke went on down the stairs as Tony stood on the balcony, overlooking his team and Jethro's as they worked diligently to pull up the information they needed for their cases. He tried to figure out what Dorney was doing to see if he could find out how he had been gathering his information, but he couldn't tell anything unusual about the screen he was on. He shrugged, and his gaze shifted towards Jethro.

He knew that Jethro was a rather private person, especially about his relationships. He also knew that if he took his name, everyone was going to know that they were a couple. He wondered if Jethro would be okay with that. He felt much more comfortable about his position after his talk with Vance, and he imagined what it would be like to actually be able to share the joy of his relationship with everyone around him as openly as he would have if it were someone outside of the office. He didn't want to have to whisper basic conversations as they walked down the hall about household issues like whether or not they would both be home on time to go to the grocery store together that night, or being cut out of talking about their weekend plans when their teams did because they involved each other.

He was lost in thought going down the staircase, but smiled at Jethro when he looked up and caught his eye. What if Jethro didn't feel comfortable about being that open with everyone? What if he preferred to stay hushed about it at work? Would he be stuck with his father's name? Or would Jethro see how much it would mean to him to have that kind of connection? Tony felt like it was the missing piece to becoming a family together- the Gibbs family. He sat at his desk to start working on the Qureshi research, but in the back of his mind, a little voice was trying to tell him that he wasn't worthy of the name.


	13. Chapter 13

Thursday night, Tony waited in the bullpen for Jethro to get out of interrogation. The suspect had confessed, and Ziva and Tim were working on their reports, but the loose ends needed tying up. He decided to go find some dinner for his old team in the meantime. He headed for his car, and drove a little deeper into town.

He hadn't had a chance that day to call Marcella about the catering, and an idea struck him. He made a few more turns, and sat at a few more lights than he had intended, but he found himself in front of Casimiro's just as a spot opened up. As he reached the entrance, he turned the ring on his left hand, lost in the memory of the date night that had ended in his proposal, and smiled broadly. A quick glance as he towards the bar had Marcella doing a double take to see if it was really him she saw, and she smiled as brightly as he did.

They had talked since the engagement, and she knew that he had asked Jethro after their date-night there a couple of months ago. She was excited for him, and Tony was grateful for all of the positivity he could get surrounding the event. She gave a man next to her some instructions, and sent him with a couple of ticket books towards the other end of the bar. She met Tony at the end he was waiting for her, and came around for a hug.

"Buena sera! _[Good evening!]_ " she greeted.

"Ciao bella! _[Hello beautiful!]_ " Tony greeted back.

"Where's your better half?" she asked with a smirk.

"Who says he's the better half?" Tony replied with a grin. All she had to do was raise an eyebrow at him, and he laughed. "He's working. I need two favors."

"Name 'em," Marcella said, watching Tony's face closely.

"I need a To-Go order of those mini calzones. Enough to feed five," Tony started.

"That's easy. What else?"

"I need to know if you're scheduled for September second."

"For what?" she asked, confusion written across her face.

"To cater my wedding."

"Ahhhh!" she exclaimed, throwing her hands up and pulling Tony into a hug that Abby would be proud of. Tony chuckled, taken a little by surprise as he hugged her back. They pulled back, but didn't quite let go. "That's Labor Day weekend, right?" she asked.

"Yes. The Sunday."

"Perfect! I have an event that Friday night, but nothing the rest of the weekend." She gave him another excited hug, and he squeezed her with a chuckle.

"There's only going to be around twenty of us, but we're having it at Yards Park."

"Oh! I've heard good things!" she said, finally letting Tony go to pull a pen out of her hair, and flip open the notepad she had left on the counter. "Okay! What are we thinking?"

"Well, honestly, I don't really know. I don't think pasta would be a great idea in case it would be windy. More appetizer kinds of things, and of course, the mini-calzones."

"You've gotten your man hooked on those," she said with a smirk as she already started jotting down menu ideas. "Okay, so the mini-calzones, the meatballs, because I know you can't stay away from them."

Tony nodded his agreement, and Marcella looked up at the man she had sent across the restaurant before. Tony caught sight his name tag in the light, and saw he was an assistant manager named Darrell. He approached them with a flirty smile for Tony, and Marcella gave him a slight glare that didn't go unnoticed by Tony.

"Darrell, I need for you to take this order and get it filled." She wrote a few things down, and handed it off. Tony looked at Marcella for a moment before looking back at Darrell to find him leaning on the counter. He took the list from Marcella without looking away from Tony.

"Sure thing," he said with a smirk and tap on the counter as he backed away and sauntered towards the kitchen.

Tony rolled his eyes at Marcella. "You might not want him to help cater the wedding. Jethro might kill him," Tony warned.

"Don't worry, I had already thought about that. He's great with customers, but the man is an incessant flirt."

"No doubt one of the things that makes him great with customers, but will get him killed at my wedding."

"Precisely. So he will work with Rachael to manage the restaurant that night, and I will bring someone else with me to make sure everything is perfetto per il mio Antonio _[perfect for my Anthony]_."

Tony smiled broadly at her. "We're planning on having the ceremony at six. The park is reserved from 4 until 10 that night. From what Jethro sent me today, he's specifically requested the overlook patio for us."

"Oh! Very nice! I've been to the park, but I've never had an event there. It's gorgeous! This is so exciting! So what else have you decided? Last time I talked to you, all you had was a general date."

"Oh! Guess what? Jethro is taking me to Naples for the honeymoon!"

"No way!" Marcella said, jaw dropped and eyes wide. "Shut up!"

"Yeah. He told me this weekend at our friend Jimmy's wedding. I thought I was dreaming. Life is going a million miles an hour right now, and I'm just waiting for it to leave me behind, but… it just keeps getting more amazing."

"I'll say! Yeesh! Marriage, romantic Italian honeymoon, great promotion… You're living the dream my friend!"

Tony chuckled.

"So, cake. Do you have someone yet?" Tony shook his head no. "I know someone who is _sorprendente [amazing]_. No hard feelings if you want to look elsewhere, but I suggest giving her a call. You won't be disappointed." She wrote something down on another sheet from her little memo pad, and handed it to Tony. "She's excellent with cakes of all sizes. Check out her website. She has photos of some of her work on there. She's very tasteful, and she is a fantastic artist as well, so she sketches out your thoughts as you tell her, and has the best creative insight. She helped me design this place actually."

Tony was beaming. "I think the cake is going to be my favorite part of this entire thing. It's the only thing I'm excited about more than, well, you know, Jethro."

She chuckled.

"I'll definitely give her a call. Grazie. _[Thank you.]_ "

"Prego _[You're welcome]_. Now, for your big day. We got the calzones, meatballs, I know you love the calamari, and bruschetta and crostini makes excellent wedding food."

"Ooo! Can we do the white-bean bruschetta?"

"Whatever you want! It's your wedding," she said happily as she wrote down the request. "In that case, how about the crostini being something like a tomato-basil?"

Tony nodded. "Oh! The bagna cauda!" he said, leaning on the counter next to her while she wrote.

"Perfect! We can do the vegetables and the breads…"

"Maybe those little wrapped olives?" Tony said, thinking what else would be good wedding foods.

"Oh! I miss having those on the menu. I would always have the guys cook up a bowl for me to snack on through the night."

"Why'd you take them off?" Tony asked.

"Because I always had the guys cook me up a bowl to snack on!" she said with a quiet chuckle and a slight blush.

"You mean you're denying us the pleasure of some fried salty goodness to watch _your_ waistline?" he asked with a matching chuckle.

"Pretty much," she said, biting her lip as she smiled. "However, I'll make the exception for you." She reached up and pinched his cheek, and he chuckled again.

"Write down my number and email address so you can send me what you come up with," Tony said. "You know my work schedule has no rhyme or reason anymore, but I can email much easier or sneak away to confirm with you between projects or when I need a break from researching."

"Perfetto," she said, taking the number and email from him.

Darrell came out with the bags of food, and sat them on the counter, trying to get Tony's attention, but Tony's eyes barely Marcella's face as he handed Darrell his debit card. "I'm trying to decide whether or not to take Jethro's name," Tony said, making sure to say it before Darrell got too far away to hear it, sure he was listening closely.

"Really?" she asked, playing it up with him, knowing he was giving Darrell an earful intentionally.

"Yeah. I'm going to ask him about it tonight. It just kind of came to me last night when we were going through some stuff. You know my dad and I are estranged, and I'm a Junior. It feels right to leave that behind. Jethro's given me what a real family is supposed to be like. He's la mia familglia _[my family]_. I want us to have the same last name, and if I get to piss off my bigoted father at the same time…"

Marcella laughed at the playful look on Tony's face. Tony looked up and took the card from Darrell, whose smile was a lot different than it was a minute earlier. The younger man eyed Marcella with a smile for a minute, and she nodded at him. He took the receipt that Tony had signed, nodded back at Marcella, and walked towards the other end of the bar to assist a waitress who was having an issue. Tony and Marcella chuckled at one another's performance.

"It makes me happy to see you so happy my friend." Her quiet tone and genuine smile made Tony feel incredibly warm inside. He smiled back.

"Grazie, Marcella."

"Okay, go feed them! I'll be in touch!" She leaned in to take his hands in hers again as she kissed his cheek. He squeezed her fingers and picked up the bag. The smile he wore reached from ear to ear, and it lasted through his wait in the Starbucks drive thru, all the way back to the Navy Yard. He suddenly felt much more confident about the name change than before, and he though the still had no idea what he was going to say, he was eager to talk to Jethro about it.

* * *

Jethro was sitting at his desk working on his report, ignoring the growing sensation that something was going to come to a head any minute with Ziva. They had been ignoring each other since that morning when he had snapped at her, and though he felt every inch the petulant child, he was trying to rein it in. He finally finished the first draft of his report when he heard the elevator open, and then Tony and Abby's voices broke the silence of the bullpen.

"Are you guys at a place where I can feed you?" Tony asked, coming into his former section of the bullpen. His eyes met Jethro's who saw what he had brought.

"Went to see Marcella?" he asked, unable to contain the happy feeling that came over him at the idea that there might have been more progress on the plans for their big day.

Tony nodded. "She's all ours for the wedding!" he announced quietly.

"Awesome!" Abby said, jumping up to kiss him on the cheek, her arm hooked through his. He bent down and kissed her back, and both Jethro and Tim objected playfully at the same time.

"Hey! What about me?" Tim asked, stand next to his desk.

"Watch yourself, Abby! He's taken," Jethro said with a smirk.

Tim and Jethro smirked at each other as Abby leaned over and kissed Tim on the cheek too.

"That's better," Tim said , his smile turning into something smug and content as he returned the smooch, and then sat down at his desk.

"I so wish I could get away with that," Tony said with a chuckle, his eyes twinkling as he looked down at Jethro as he sat at his desk. Jethro shook his head, but his eyes were locked on Tony's, and his smile only grew larger. "Maybe one day," Tony said with a sigh, handing the cup of coffee in his hand to Jethro, who took it, but didn't break eye contact with Tony as he realized he was somewhat serious about that.

Jethro studied Tony's expression that was just a little dimmer now as he passed around containers of food from the restaurant. He had this odd urge to pull him close to him, and though he wouldn't have done it with anyone at work, the realization that he would never be able to do that with Tony if he wanted to, made him realize exactly what it was Tony that was feeling.

McGee and Abby would be able to lean in and kiss each other on the cheek now and then, and it would result in nothing. They were moving in together, and Jethro was certain that one day they'd be going down the same road that he and Tony were going down. They wouldn't have to worry about all of the things he and Tony had to worry about though. They wouldn't have to be afraid of people finding out about their relationship, and causing a firestorm of HR meetings and nights losing sleep wondering whether or not their jobs were safe because they were together.

He was wistfully jealous of that.

When Tony went to hand him a container from the bag, he noticed how he intentionally didn't get too close. He wasn't sure why he did it, but he reached his other hand forward, and took Tony's before he could move too far away. The look on Tony's face was priceless. It was shy, and blissful, and it made Jethro's heart melt.

Tim saw, and looked up at Abby who also saw, and had one hand over her chest as he gazed adoringly at them. Ziva's fingertips were over her mouth as she smiled, looking between Tony and Jethro, and then at their joined hands again. They were all smiles.

Tony's voice finally broke through the group's happy silence.

"Got a few minutes to take a walk with me?" he asked.

Jethro nodded, unsure about where they were going, but knowing without a doubt that he'd follow Tony anywhere he'd ever lead him. He let go of Tony's hand to get his gun and creds from his drawer. After taking a large gulp of his coffee and sitting it back on his desk, he and Tony walked out of the bullpen while the other three watched them go.

They were silent until they walked out into the quad together. It was nearing 1930, and the sky made the most incredible light shine and reflect off the windows around them.

"I have something I wanted to talk to you about," Tony started, not really sure how to breech the subject.

"I kinda figured that part out," Jethro said with a chuckle.

"Yeah, well, I'm not really sure how to put it. Been trying to find the words all day to explain it. I…" he took a deep breath, gathering himself and his thoughts.

They were walking the sidewalk aimlessly and somewhat slowly, but Jethro stopped, turning towards Tony and waiting more patiently than he ever thought he'd be able to just a few months prior.

"Last night," Tony began, "I saw…"

He took another deep breath, and then reached forward, and tentatively look Jethro's hand. Jethro was kind of surprised, but he knew that whatever Tony needed to say was important, and that in order to do it, he needed the strength he could offer in his grasp. He swallowed hard, and stood his ground as he held Tony's hand firmly.

Tony felt the courage they were gathering together to stand there like that feed him, and he knew that they'd make it through whatever hell was thrown their way together.

"I saw what a father is supposed to be." He watched Jethro's expression soften, and felt his hand grow slightly stiffer for a moment, then relax. "And I knew, without a doubt, that my father never deserved the title. I don't ever want to see him again, and I'm never going to let him in my life again. I figured that I would forever be plagued with the constant reminder that I'm his Junior, and then…" He took another deep breath. "Well, families are _supposed_ to share names, and despite our DNA, he's the furthest thing from family in my life. But you, you're my family- my _real_ family. You've taught me what family is supposed to be like, what it means to be connected to people so intensely that no matter what, they stand together. So I was wondering, what you'd think about me taking your name."

"Wow."

Tony laughed happily at the reaction. "Yeah."

"As much as I really want to say yes to that, we have to think about what it's going to do around here," Jethro said softly, choosing his words much more carefully than usual.

"I've already talked to Vance about what he thinks the possible outcomes might be."

Jethro looked surprised by that. "And what's his take on it?"

"He told us to go for it. He actually said for us to stop hiding. As we talked, it became obvious that if we keep hiding, then we have something to hide. We don't. We're not doing anything wrong. We _haven't_ done anything wrong. We fell in love. In his words, "exposing us" is the wrong way to be looking at this. He wants us happy, and I want us happy, and if I want to share my husband's last name, then to hell with the rest of them. He's willing to fight for us! Our teams, our friends, are willing to fight for us, and I know that we are willing to fight for us. So I'm asking you, can I be your Mr. Gibbs, and can we tell everyone around here to go to hell so we can just be happy together without having to hide a simple conversation about our plans for the weekend, so that I can hold your hand whenever I damn well want to without feeling like we're sneaking behind our parents back, and love you without being afraid?"

Jethro stared at Tony while his heart raced and his head pounded. Tony's words had his mind on fire, and he felt like the world was spinning around him. A few months earlier, he hadn't ever thought he'd be able to have a long term relationship with a man, nonetheless a public, open relationship with the one man he wanted more than anything. Tony was offering him a happiness he hadn't realized existed, a happiness that he was finding himself craving more and more every day. He was touched by not only what Tony was saying, but what he was getting from Leon, from what his team had offered him over the past few months. From Palmer and Ducky's support in autopsy yesterday, and Abby's nudges for the wedding, and Tim and Ziva standing strong by their sides, and even Tony's team knowing about them and constantly affirming they all wanted nothing but the best for them.

He'd spent his life being courageous for the people around him, for complete strangers, and now the man that had changed his entire world, brought him back to life, and loved him more than he ever thought he could be loved again was asking him to be happy with him. It would take more courage than anything he'd ever done to do what he needed to do here- he needed to love himself and Tony enough to be happy. He knew that he deserved it though. He deserved it, and Tony deserved it, and in that moment he decided that come hell or high water, they were going to be happy together.

He let go of the hundreds of inhibitions that were holding him back, and did exactly what he wanted to do. He slipped his hands around Tony's shoulders, and kissed him with everything in him. Tony's hands slipped around his waist, and they stood locked together, kissing, shaking, and giving in to the bliss they felt whenever they were together.

When they finally pulled back, they didn't completely let go of each other, but looked into each other's eyes with a soft smile that widened until they were chuckling in each other's arms.

"That's a yes, right?" Tony asked at almost a whisper.

Jethro nodded. "Yeah, Tony, that's a yes. I'd turn the world upside down for you, so why not the Navy Yard?" They both chuckled, and kissed again lightly.

"I love you, Jethro," Tony said quietly.

"I love you, too," Jethro said quietly.

"I can tell."

"I think anyone who may have looked out the window just now can tell," Jethro said which a chuckle, turning a soft shade of pink that was enhanced by the way the sunset's colors danced across them.

"I know you've got a case to finish, and I have calzones getting cold. We should probably get back inside." Jethro nodded, and they finally pulled apart. They were walking slowly back towards the entrance in a daze when Jethro took a deep breath and reached down, taking Tony's hand in his, their fingers folding tightly around one another as they reached the doors.

* * *

As soon as the elevator doors had closed, Abby scurried towards the large window, looking down at the quad, and waited for Tony and Gibbs to appear. She felt Tim's arm around her waist as he joined her.

"What are you doing, Abs?" he asked.

"They're "taking a walk" together. I'm probably too high up to read their lips, but I'm dying to know what Tony wants to talk to him about!" She scanned the sidewalk below, and Tim shook his head with a chuckle. Ziva jumped up when she heard what Abby had said, and joined them.

"Do you think you will be able to get a good enough angle to see what they're talking about?" she asked, suddenly really interested in the empty sidewalk below. Abby smiled at her.

"Probably not. Or, at least, not both of them. Knowing our luck, I'll be able to see Gibbs' mouth best, and you know what good that's going to do."

Both McGee and Ziva nodded at that, a bit of disappointment and resignation in their shrugs. The two men emerged from the shadows of the building slowly as they wandered down the sidewalk away from the window.

"No chance- wait! They're stopping!" she said excitedly as she reached out to grab Tim's hands. "Annnnd what did I tell you? I can see Gibbs best, though he's way too far away to read."

They all watched while Tony reached out and took Gibbs' hand.

"Aww!" Abby said, her hand over her heart again.

"Uh-oh," Tim said, suddenly scanning the quad protectively, making sure no one could see the two of them together.

"McGee! That's not safe! Should we call them and warn them that they are exposing themselves in the middle of-"

They were suddenly terrified when the elevator opened. Parke came out from between the doors, and saw them all standing there. He was a little shaken to find they were all still there, since he felt like a train had just hit him. His emotions were fried from talking to Ducky about what was happening with his marriage, but the crowd gathered by the window intrigued him. He came to see what they were watching.

"What are you guys- wow!" he said as he saw the two men kissing in the quad. Everyone turned to see what he was shocked by, and their jaws dropped. Ziva even gasped in concern.

Parke was the first one to find his voice. "Holy shit! I don't know what else to say to that!"

"OH, MY, GOD!" Abby exclaimed.

"Oh, my God," a quiet voice echoed from behind them. They all turned to find Vance coming down the stairs in ultra-slow motion, his bag over his arm, and his wide eyes glued on the couple in the quad.

"Director!" Tim squeaked.

"I'm sure they can expl-" Abby started, and Vance held up his hand to shush her as he approached them.

"It's okay. Agent DiNozzo and I had a talk today, and we decided it would be in everyone's best interests if they stopped hiding their relationship. Keeping it a secret only means there's something to hide, and they don't have any reason to do that. They haven't done anything wrong." He shook his head in awe. "Just wasn't expecting the free show," he said, his voice more shocked and surprised than the rest of them.

Everyone turned towards Abby when they heard the electronic beeping sound.

"Abby!" Ziva gasped in surprise.

"Really, Abby? Video?" Parke said with a chuckle.

"I cannot believe I didn't think of that. You will send that to me, right?" Ziva said. Tim turned bright red between the two women as Abby nodded, a shit-eating grin on her face.

Vance shook his head and headed for the elevator, leaving his four agents alone. The doors closed on him, and he sighed. He was happy for this team leaders, his friends, but he was not looking forward to the maelstrom of attention this was going to bring them. He could try to turn it around, use it as some kind of publicity or sensitivity issue, but he shook his head. He couldn't, and wouldn't, do that to the two of them. As he got off the elevator and across the lobby, he saw the two men holding hands as they approached the entrance.

 _Not wasting any time getting the gossip mill started,_ he thought, and then he took in their expressions. He had never seen Gibbs look so… shy. He observed just how terrified and yet ecstatic both men were to be, rather courageously, he realized, displaying their relationship. The smile that crossed his face was wider than it had been in a long time, and he suddenly had the urge to scoop Jackie up and kiss her senseless in the front yard. He waited at the door for them, and when they saw he was there, he made sure to keep that smile on his face.

"Leon," Gibbs said in an almost tentative greeting as the three stopped to speak to one another.

Vance raised an eyebrow at Tony. "Did you decide?" he asked.

Tony nodded, a bright smile spreading across his face as well. "Yes. Come the first of September, the paperwork will be filed to officially change my name to Gibbs."

"Congratulations," he said, turning to catch Gibbs' expression. He saw the blue eyes look at Tony's face with severe interest, and shameless love. "I should get home. Just wanted to warn you that Ms. Sciuto got video of your little performance out in the quad. Get some rest, gentlemen- tomorrow's going to be a long day."

Tony and Jethro stared at each other as Leon walked away with a smirk, and Tony groaned as Jethro rolled his neck.

"Of course she did," Tony murmured.

"No big deal. She's smart enough not to do anything with it she shouldn't," Jethro affirmed as he pulled Tony into the building and towards the elevator.

"I knew it!" Alex said from the desk, a huge smile on his face.

Tony and Jethro turned to him in surprise. Alex simply shrugged.

"Just nice to have confirmation," he said, grinning as he nodded at their clasped hands.

"Hey, Alex," Tony said as he ran his free hand through his hair, and that's when Alex saw the ring on his finger.

"Whoa! Wait a minute!" He came around the front counter and closer to Tony. "Dude, is that a ring?"

Tony nodded with a smile, looking over at Jethro a moment as Alex looked back and forth between the two men, the grin still plastered on his face as he saw Jethro was wearing a band as well.

"Wow! Holy crap! Congratulations! When in the hell did that happen?" he asked, leaning against the counter.

"Beginning of April," Tony answered almost sheepishly. "Wedding is in September."

"That's awesome! I can't believe it! Tony DiNozzo, taking the vows!" Alex was completely dumbfounded, memories flooding him of Tony's over-revealing morning chats of his escapades that weekend, and who he had woken up next to that morning. He couldn't believe that Tony was getting married, especially to his male ex-boss.

Tony smirked, looking over at Jethro, then turned back to Alex. "Yeah! It's actually going to be Tony Gibbs pretty soon."

"Now, _that_ is going to take some getting used to," Alex said.

"For all of us," Jethro said, looking at Tony. "We ought to get going before Abby eats all of my dinner."

"Oh! Yeah, we did leave her with the calzones, didn't we? Have a good night, Alex!" Tony said, leading Jethro towards the elevator, still hand in hand. It opened immediately for them, and they hustled in.

"Okay!" Tony exclaimed as the doors closed. He flipped the switch, and pulled Jethro against him. They were both shaking, Tony significantly more than Jethro. "That was insane!"

"Hell of an adrenaline rush, actually!" Jethro said with a chuckle. "I can't believe we're doing this."

"It's a little crazy, huh?" Tony asked, only squeezing Jethro harder.

"It's a little wonderful," Jethro said quietly into Tony's ear, his hand reaching up to squeeze the back of Tony's neck. He pulled back and looked into Tony's eyes, his thumb running over Tony's cheek. "We're wonderful."

Tony was taken aback by the tender words and touches, and his shaking intensified.

"How much longer do you have up there, because I'm dying to be home alone with you."

"Not much longer. Maybe an hour. Just gotta edit the report and go over Ziva and McGee's." Jethro took a couple of slow steps forward, pushing Tony against the wall of the elevator, and pressed his body up against him snugly as his mouth leaned forward to take Tony's mouth in a deep kiss.

Tony returned the kiss, a sweet ache blooming to life in his groin that he knew they didn't have the time to do anything with. He felt flushed from head to toe, a fire consuming him from the inside out, and he wanted to rake his hands over the skin on Jethro's back, but his clothes were in the way. He groaned into the kiss, but Jethro didn't pull back, and actually pushed his body harder against Tony's. Tony tried desperately not to pull Jethro's short hair, knowing that the last time he had done so had made it pretty obvious what had messed it up, and they couldn't get it to settle right in the elevator.

"Jethro!" he finally whined, knowing that there was going to be no way to hide his straining erection as is from the team without his jacket, and that anything further would induce a dampness that would only serve to prove what they were doing even if he did calm the beast. When Jethro's hand started pulling on his belt though, he thought the world was going to come unspun.

The kiss only deepened, and then a hand with a soft cloth in it began grasping and stroking his rigid cock. He burned with a need to return the favor, but as soon as his hand reached to do so, Jethro's strong fingers were wrapped in his, pinning his hand above the wall, while their mouths still worked against each other, and Jethro's chest pressed Tony even more firmly in place.

Tony got the point, and let his other hand rest on Jethro's shoulder, trying desperately not to squeeze his neck so hard as to bruise it. He lost himself in the way Jethro's tongue felt sliding over his, and the way his fingers felt as they stroked him. The callouses were creating a delicious friction, and Jethro knew just how and where and when to put that twist on his stroke to make Tony crazy. He was on the edge, unable to make the final jump, the adrenaline from their encounters and from going at it in the elevator setting his nerves on end just enough to keep that final drop into ecstacy from happening.

Jethro knew it. He usually had Tony screaming his name by now with this technique, and he decided to employ another one of Tony's favorites to see if it would finish the job. He broke the kiss, panting in Tony's ear as he half-whispered, half-growled, "I can't wait to get you home and fuck you senseless. You're _mine._ "

Tony shuddered hard as he came. That possessive nature, those words, that voice… he melted at it every single time, unfailingly. There was something about a man like Jethro wanting you enough to possess you, knowing nothing could take you away, that made him feel complete. When Jethro said you were his, you were his. And soon, Tony would take his name and prove it to everyone.

* * *

Abby looked down at her phone. She had sent the video to everyone on Tony and Gibbs' teams, and even sent it to Ducky and Jimmy, sans the comments on hotness. She was bewildered. She couldn't believe they were being so… _out_. Even if the Director had given them the all clear, she was surprised to find Gibbs being so open. It was shocking, but it was also the most heartwarming and incredible thing she had ever seen.

She looked over at Tim at the thought, and smiled. Maybe not the _most_ heartwarming thing. Tim had waited years for her to come around to loving him completely. She thought about the way he had talked his crazy fan down from his angry confrontation in the convent. The way his face looked when he said they were getting married, and that they loved each other. She felt a pang of sadness as she remembered the look on his face when she abruptly told him that the two characters were all wrong for one another. They'd both changed so much since that night.

At the time, there was no way she would have ever thought being in love with your best friend was safe. She knew now that she had been, even then, but she hadn't believed it possible to want to be with someone so different without them trying to change her. Over the next few years though, as they came to terms with their friendship being just what it was, at least to an extent, she realized that Tim would never, ever, ask her to change for him. More than anything, that's what she loved about him. He loved her for exactly who she was, and she loved him for exactly who he was, no matter how different they were.

Her phone buzzed in her hands, and she ignored it as she took a bite out of one of the cheesy calzones in her front of her, and contemplated her lover. They were moving in together, and she was as excited as she was nervous. She thought of the way her hand instinctively found his as they walked through the townhouse they were moving into, and she could easily imagine herself living there for years with him, happily. She had been working really hard to stop imagining all of the things that could go wrong with them. Positive thinking would produce positive results. She knew it as well as she knew the air she breathed was more nitrogen than oxygen, and yet sustained her.

"I wonder what they are doing?" Ziva said quietly, stirring Abby from her thoughts, and earning a glance from McGee as he worked on his SFA paperwork.

"The elevator has been on the second floor for ten minutes. I'm not sure I want to know," McGee said with a raised eyebrow before going back to the form in front of him.

"Whoa! I never thought to watch for that!" Abby said, leaning forward to check the numbers above the door. It was true that the "2" was lit, and she wondered what was going on. She looked at Ziva, and they both smiled, jumping up to rush to the door and try to press an ear to it.

Tim watched, a smile on his face, and shook his head. He was about to go back to his paperwork when he realized that Parke was still sitting at his desk on Tony's side of the bullpen, staring blankly into his monitor. The look on his face was rather unsettled, and he wondered if he was for some reason upset about what had happened with Gibbs and Tony. He shot him an IM, and watched closely as the younger man was startled from his revelry.

TMcGee02: _You okay over there?_

Parke shook off the dazed feeling, and started typing back.

GParke01 _: Yeah. Just a lot on my mind._

TMcGee02: _Must be pretty serious if you're able to ignore Abby and Ziva about to get caught by our bosses. The elevator is moving again._

Tim smirked as he watched Parke's eyes shoot up towards the elevator, and then turned to watch it himself. Abby and Ziva must have heard the mechanics start to move, and were rushing back towards the bullpen in a guilty hurry, unable to sit before the doors started opening.

Abby looked at her phone with bright red cheeks, trying to look innocent. She saw that the message she had earlier was from Dorneget, and she chuckled.

_How do I always miss the good stuff?!_

She also saw that she'd gotten one from Elly.

 _WTF. Seriously? Are they_ trying _to get caught?_

She wasn't sure if Ducky and Palmer would respond at all. She knew their work phones were archaic, but at least Palmer's personal cell was a smart phone. If either of them had something to say about the video however, it probably would have been Ducky. She realized that the room was surprisingly quiet, and then looked up to find both Tony and Gibbs staring at her.

"Gimme the phone, Abs," Tony said. She turned even redder than either of them had ever seen her, and slowly handed Tony her phone, not realizing that her text message screen was still up and in preview mode.

Tony was simply going to erase the video, but she saw the texts from Ned and Elly. He realized Abby had already sent them the evidence, and sighed. The response from Elly was a little troubling, but he knew that once he explained that 'caught' wasn't the term they were using for it anymore, he'd settle down. He was kind of endeared by the idea the man would be so concerned for them.

He navigated his way to her photo gallery, careful not to let Jethro see the screen in case there was anything there she wouldn't want him to see, and found the video. He turned it on, wanting to give it a quick watch before deleting it, and smiled as he saw the two of them. He heard the responses from everyone around her as she took the video, and Ziva and McGee chuckled nervously as he laughed.

"Wait? Is that Greg's voice?" he asked.

"Yeah, Boss. I'm still here," Greg said, leaning on the partition between his and Gibbs' desk.

Tony turned his head to his agent with a nod, and looked back at the video screen to turn it off and delete it, but he was faced with a zoomed in shot of his hand in Jethro's as they walked down the sidewalk, and a sudden sniffle from the woman behind the camera. He swallowed hard, and instead of deleting the video, sent it to his home email. His eyes met Abby's, and she gave him a sheepish smile as he handed her back the phone, both of them knowing how the video ended.

"Who did you send it to?" he asked.

"Just Ned, Elly, Jimmy and Ducky. You know I wouldn't let it get beyond the family. Well, and Ziva, but she was present, so it doesn't really count."

Tony nodded and looked at Jethro, who nodded back.

"Hey, Greg, come here a sec," he said over his shoulder, and his agent followed his order.

Jethro moved to safety behind his desk, and Tony leaned against it. Greg came over and leaned against Tony's old desk while Abby sat behind it. The entire group was waiting to be threatened within an inch of their lives if they revealed what they had seen, despite what Vance had told them.

"When Jethro and I got together, we were taken by surprise." Tony started slowly, looking more at Parke than anyone. "We hadn't expected it, no matter how much we'd wanted it, and we definitely didn't expect it would turn into this. Engaged with two teams- two amazing, incredible teams- that are more our family than anyone else in our lives, supporting us, encouraging us, driving us forward on so many different levels…"

"We're both very grateful for all of you," Jethro said, and Tony nodded in agreement.

"But it's not enough," Tony continued. "We can be ourselves around you guys, but we can't around everyone else, and it's not right, and it's simply not fair. Any one of you can talk about your relationships, your lives, your plans with your loved ones, to anyone and everyone, and it wouldn't cause you any trouble at all. It's hard enough with us being two guys, but with the fear of our positions being called into question, it's kind of terrifying.

"I decided that there was something I want this week that meant everyone would know about our relationship, and after talking to the Director, we agreed to go ahead and get everything out in the open now before someone "finds out". We're happy together, and we haven't done anything wrong by being together. We shouldn't feel like we're sneaking around. Vance and I have talked, and we've talked, and we've all decided to come out with it, if you will. It's not like we're going to make some big public announcement, though, honestly, I think we may have just now." He looked at Jethro as they both blushed, and Abby chuckled mirthfully.

"The point is," Jethro said. "We're not going to try to hide anything anymore. Vance has agreed to defend us through any fallout, so we're not too worried. We just want you to be prepared for what's about to happen."

"What was it that you wanted, Tony?" Ziva asked, and all eyes looked at Tony, who smiled.

"Well, other than the wedding being in a public place," he turned to stare at Jethro with a bright smile, then looked back at everyone around him. "I'm taking Jethro's name."

Everyone reacted to that immediately, and affirmatively.

"That's so awesome!" Abby said, jumping up from behind Tony's old desk to fling a hug at him. He hugged her back, and then she went to hug Jethro, who smiled up at her.

"The two of you are certainly not going to be able to hide that," Ziva said with a smile that Tony felt warmed by.

"So, we're going to have two Supervisory Agent Gibbses around here?" Parke asked with a chuckle to his voice.

"Yeah, pretty much. But you guys never call me by my last name anyway, so I don't see it being that big of a problem for us. It's going to be harder for the Director. He's going to yell, "Gibbs!" from that railing up there, and we're both going to look up. Well, eventually, when I get used to it."

"Nah, you'll know when he wants you instead of me. He usually only bellows at me when he's pissed. I'll get the angry tone, you'll get the "Director's Pet" tone," Jethro teased. Abby punched him in the arm for Tony, and everyone chuckled.

"Wow," Tim said, leaning back in his chair with a smile. "That's really brave of you guys."

They both looked at McGee, and shared his smile. Everyone kind of grew quiet around them, and Abby laid her head on Jethro's shoulder.

"You know we've got your back, no matter what," Tim continued.

"Yeah, we do. Which is why we're not afraid," Jethro said, making eye contact with his agent.

"If there's one thing we've learned," Tony said quietly, "it's that with you guys at our sides, anything and everything is possible."

"That's both a good and a bad thing sometimes," Tim said, sitting forward against his desk again.

"It always works out in the end though. We may go through hell to get there, but we got this; I know we do."

"Does this mean I can put the video on youtube?" Abby asked with a smirk.

"No!" both men answered at the same time.

Everyone chuckled, and Tony turned around and stole a calzone out of Jethro's container, taking a bite. It signaled that their talk was over, and Jethro was glad. The temptation to reach out and touch Tony's ass, which was only a few inches from him, had been straining his will. His jacket had been able to hide his unabated arousal from everyone as they entered the bullpen, but it hadn't completely subsided as he sat behind the desk, pushed in under the ledge as far as possible to keep Abby from noticing as she clung to him. He reached for a calzone, and then turned to unlock his computer, and Abby finally left him to go back to Tony's old desk.

Tony looked at Parke, who turned and looked up towards the conference room. Tony nodded, and stepped away from Jethro's desk, following his agent up the stairs. He looked over the staircase, catching Jethro's eye, and shrugged. He wasn't sure what was about to happen, but it appeared Parke had stayed to talk to him, and after their talk earlier, he was concerned.

They closed the conference room door behind them, and took the same seats they had that morning.

"Talked to Ducky," Parke offered up immediately.

"Good," Tony said, afraid to ask what happened.

"He agrees that some couples counseling may head off the problem." Tony only nodded, knowing there was more. "But she's not answering my texts or my calls. I haven't gotten anything from her all day. I thought that maybe I hadn't activated the phone right, so I had Elly test it with me. Works fine. She's got meetings until nine tonight, but I figured she would at least have gotten in touch with me before they started, or at lunch. Nothing. Not a snarky comment, not a "We'll talk later"… nothing."

"And you don't know what you're going home to," Tony said, understanding what he was talking about, but not how to help.

Parke nodded. "I have a strange request."

Tony raised an eyebrow at him, afraid he was going to ask to crash at their house. He would have said yes in a heartbeat if they weren't planning on going at it like rabbits when they got home. That's when Tony remembered they were supposed to clean out Kelly's room, too. He held his breath, and waited.

"I don't know how- don't know if this is even a good idea, but I thought- well, Gibbs has been divorced a lot."

Tony burst out laughing, and Parke smiled. "Yes, yes he has."

"Do you think he'd have any advice on how to _not_ let that happen to me?"

"You want me to ask my fiancé if he has any advice on how to stay married?"

"Yeah, sounds crazy to even me, but I'm…" Parke looked as desperate as Tony knew he was to be asking for Jethro's advice.

"Greg," Tony started. "You're doing fine. You _want_ to stay married, and you're trying. Now… she's gotta try. I can tell you right now, that the reasons Jethro has been divorced so many times has nothing to do with the same reasons you're up against. Jethro… he _didn't_ want to be married; not to the people he was married to. They were… he was trying to replace the wife he lost years before we ever met." Tony watched as Parke's expression changed to one of sadness and understanding. "Shannon, her name was Shannon. I wish I could have met her. She sounds like an incredible person. She was going to testify against the leader of a drug cartel, and she and their daughter were being taken into protective custody, but they didn't make it."

"That certainly explains a lot," Parke said quietly.

"Yeah. The next marriages came about for all the wrong reasons. But you and Tiff, you're together for all the _right_ reasons. You just need to get to the heart of that again."

Parke nodded.

"If you both want it, you'll both figure it out."

Parke looked down at the table, his finger tracing the grains in it like he had a tendency to do when he thought. Tony saw him swallow hard.

"What if she doesn't want it anymore?" he asked at almost a whisper, his finger stopping their ruminations, and his eyes staying locked on the knot in the wood.

"Then… life sucks for a while. You won't be alone though. Please don't let yourself be alone. I've watched it happen so many times. Lean on us, count on us, let us help. You know we will in any way we can."

"Yeah, I'll be planning my divorce as you two plan your wedding," he said with a sardonic bark of laughter, and Tony watched as the tears slipped over his agent's cheeks. He'd meant the entire team, but Parke was focused on him and Jethro. He was a little confused by that, but he shook his head.

"You're not going to be planning your divorce. I watched the two of you at Easter. She adores you, Greg. You'll figure this out. I have faith in the two of you."

"And if not? If we're changing too much? If we're too different?" he asked, his eyes meeting Tony's desperate for some reassurance.

"Then we'll get you the same lawyer that Diane used to divorce Jethro and Fornell, to make sure you don't get screwed over any worse than you already have, and we'll get through it. You'll get plastered a few times, call me to come scrape you off a bathroom floor or two. I'll start dispatching Elly, we'll bring Shane in for your intervention, and then life will move on."

Parke's laughter became progressively stronger as Tony continued, and Tony smiled at him.

"You're a fighter Parke. You have an incredible sense of compassion. She does too. Appeal to it. You're able to figure everyone else out, able to unravel _everyone_ else. Unravel her."

Parke nodded, swallowing again before taking a deep breath and sighing.

"And I have to say to try to do it without losing your temper, getting locked out of your house, or destroying any more phones."

Parke chuckled again. "Got it. Keep my temper, keys and phone in check at all times."

"Maybe not at all times, but as much as possible, and if you have to choose only one to keep, let it be your temper."

"Thanks, Tony," Greg said with a small smile.

"Don't know what help I was, but anytime you need to talk, just let me know. We'll make time."

"I…" Parke started, and then went back to tracing the table again, shaking his head.

"What?" Tony asked quietly.

"It's going to sound stupid, but… " He looked back up at Tony, and Tony saw that his eyes were damp again. "I don't have parents to go to with this kind of stuff. Somehow, over the past couple of months…"

Tony felt like the wind was knocked out of him suddenly. _That's why he keeps referring to Jethro and I…_

"You came in and kicked Kathy out, took us on, got us in with Ducky, have brought us so far… and then you turned around and got yourself blown up trying to save my little brother. Ned, Elly… they're as close to me now as Shane, and well, you and Gibbs… I know neither of you would ever let anything happen to us. That earns you a place in my head that only one person has ever held, and it's pretty high."

Tony felt himself choking up. He wanted to ask, but didn't have to.

"Nona was what all of us kids called her, but her real name was Angela. She ran a youth center in our neighborhood, and she wanted to adopt Shane and I, but she… we lost her to leukemia. Shane and I loved her like a mother. We trusted her more than either of us had ever trusted anyone other than each other. Until now, that is."

Tony swallowed hard, unsure of how to take that. Was he saying he saw Tony like a father? That was strange, but not quite uncomfortable. He was touched, immensely. That's when he realized that when it came to relationships, Greg had something in common with Jethro after all.

"Greg, you're used to people, important people, suddenly disappearing from your life. No matter what happens after the entire Yard finds out that Jethro and I are engaged, I want you to know that I'm not going anywhere. If the worst happens, and I have to step down, you can always come to me with anything. You guys will always be mine, and I take care of my own."

Greg nodded, and Tony thought that he'd never looked so young and lost.

"Along the same line, I think you're jumping the gun by being afraid Tiff is just going to leave you. You expect it because you're used to it. You're fighting with each other, and somehow, you have to change it so that you're fighting _for_ each other. So this is what you're going to do- you're going to go home, you're going to make dinner, or hell, pick it up along the way, whatever, but you're going to turn down the lights, set the table, light some candles on it, pour some wine, and have dinner with your wife tonight. You're going to remind each other of why you love one another, and if by chance you're an hour late again tomorrow morning, nothing will be said."

A shy smile crossed Parke's face, and he nodded as he looked down at his hands.

"Come on, let's move. You said she has meetings until nine, and it's already after eight. You've got about forty-five minutes to get dinner and make it home, and then another probably fifteen to get it all set up. And if you're quick about it, you may even be able to grab a shower." Tony got to his feet, spurring movement and a quiet chuckle out of his agent.

"Okay! I'm going!" Greg said, getting to his feet.

Tony led him down to the bullpen, and they saw that no one was left other than Jethro. He looked up at them, and Tony clasped Parke's shoulder before he diverged and headed for Jethro's desk.

"How much more you got?" he asked, carefully making sure Parke was gathering his things.

"Probably another ten, fifteen minutes," Jethro said with a small smile.

"Sounds good," he smiled, waiting for Parke to exit. As soon as the elevator doors closed, Tony sighed in relief. Jethro turned to him, and saw the expression on his face.

"What's wrong?" Jethro asked quietly.

"Parke and Tiffany had a really bad argument this morning. He was an hour late."

"Sounds bad."

"I sent him to talk to Ducky."

Jethro nodded. "Okay, _really_ bad."

"Yeah. Well, he talked to Ducky, and then he wanted to talk to me. Wanted to. And at one point, he kind of admitted to seeing you and I as… well as parental figures. He also told me about a woman that had been planning on adopting him and Shane before she died of Leukemia."

Jethro's expression said it all.

"Just when you think the kid's story couldn't get any more heartbreaking than it already was, he tells me that. With everything we've gone through together over the past few months, he's come to see us in the same light. He actually asked me at one point if I thought it would be a good idea to get pointers from you on how to _not_ end up divorced."

Jethro laughed so loudly that it surprised Tony.

"It's just," Jethro began through the laughter, "that before you asked me to marry you, I'd told Ducky I was thinking about proposing. He asked me why I was in such a rush, and the explanation came out something like, To keep him from divorcing me."

Tony squinted at him in confusion.

"I know, it doesn't seem like it would make sense now, but I thought that if we had gotten married, and we got into some huge fight, at least we would have to still communicate while we file the divorce, and maybe in that window of opportunity, I could win you back, earn you back, whatever the case may be. We'd be tethered, and it wouldn't be so easy for you to simply walk out of my life."

Tony looked back at the man whose quiet words were sinking into him.

"Are you still afraid that I'm just going to walk out of your life?" Tony asked him quietly.

"Nope!" Jethro said, turning back to his paperwork with a smile. He raised his left hand in the air, the platinum band on his finger shining. "No doubts."

Tony smiled brightly. "None whatsoever."


	14. Chapter 14

Parke had stopped at the grocery for a rotisserie chicken, some sides from the deli, and a bottle of wine. He pulled up to the house, unsurprised to find all the lights out, and rushed inside. He cleared off the small dining table, set the food out with plates and silverware, and wiped the wine glasses down. He grabbed a couple of candles from the coffee table in the living room, and set them between the plates, and after fishing in a drawer, produced a lighter to light them with.

He looked at his phone to find it was ten after nine. He gave himself a sniff, and grimaced as he hurried into the bathroom to jump in the shower. He stripped, tossing everything into the hamper, and got under the water. Less than five minutes later, he was out again, drying off and rushing into the bedroom for something comfortable to wear that still managed to keep him looking enticing.

He replayed the conversation with Tony in his head, reminding himself to try to get into his wife's thoughts, and not close himself off in defensiveness. He ran a comb through his hair, then ran his hand through it to mess it up just a little, and made his way back to the kitchen. It was thity-five after, and he was anxious for Tiff to get home. He started straightening up, shuffling things around so the kitchen and living room looked neater.

After checking his phone for the hundredth time, and seeing that it was almost ten o'clock now, he slipped the plates in the microwave, reheated them a little, and put them back on the table. He picked up the phone again, and decided to text her.

_You coming home, babe? Got dinner waiting. We need to talk._

When fifteen minutes went by, and there was no response, he started eating his chicken. The glass of wine disappeared, and another was poured. When his attempt to call went straight to voicemail, he felt a sense of dread and excruciating sadness come over him. It reminded him of sitting in the waiting room of the hospital he and Shane had run away to when they found out Nona had been taken away from the youth center in an ambulance on the fateful day they lost her.

He had a sudden craving to talk to Shane, but he knew that he wouldn't have reception. He text him anyway, telling him everything that was happening, and how shitty he felt. He took his wine glass and made his way to the couch, curling up with a throw blanket that he was pretty sure Elly had left at his house, and tried not to let any tears fall. As the third glass of wine emptied though, he lost the battle. It was midnight, and he was alone. He texted Tony to update him.

_She never came home, Tony. I can't get in touch with her._

He was surprised for some reason when a few minutes later, he got a text back.

_Do you think she's in trouble? Should I have McGee ping her cell?_

He shook his head.

_No, she's not in trouble. I think I might be though._

* * *

Vance had pulled into the driveway to find Jackie working in the front garden. He smiled as the thought he'd had earlier came to him, and he got out of the SUV with a gleeful and playful feeling coursing through his veins. He headed directly for her, sitting his briefcase down on the sidewalk, and as she stood up to greet him, he pulled her into his arms, spun her around and kissed her.

She was stunned, and when she was finally released from the kiss, she blinked at him in shock.

"You're in a good mood!"

Leon leaned in and kissed her again, this time with even more zeal, and she hummed into it.

"Okay, something's going on. What is it?" she asked.

Leon smiled brightly. "Gibbs and DiNozzo are causing all sorts of hell at work, and it's inspiring."

Jackie looked at him in confusion.

"DiNozzo has decided to take Gibbs' name, which means everyone is going to find out, so they're being proactive and letting it get out now that they're getting married. Kinda nice to see two people share their love shamelessly, and made me think of you, and how lucky I am, and how I not only don't care who knows, but how sometimes, I want to tell everyone just how wonderful you are," he said, leaning in for another short kiss. "And how beautiful you are," another kiss. "And how incredible life is because I have you in it." He kissed her again, watching the dazed look on her face.

Jackie looked at him, a sort of lightheadedness coming over her. "Those two have had the best influence on you. I think I owe them dinner."

Leon laughed and leaned his forehead against Jackie's. "Up to you. Sounds like they're finally progressing with their wedding plans. It hasn't been officially said, but I think we're going to need to keep September second open."

"Those boys had better send us an invitation! I think at this point, you'd be heartbroken if they didn't."

They both chuckled.

"The kids inside?" he asked, still not letting her go.

"Summer vacation starts early for us this year," she said with a sly grin. "The kids made plans for the next couple of nights to stay with friends that won't be at camp with them this summer. Kayla is going to be at Myra's tonight and Denise's tomorrow, and Jared is going to be at Mitchel's tonight, and Raj's tomorrow. They'll be home Saturday to spend the night with us before we take them up the coast on Sunday."

Leon grinned. "Have I told you yet how brilliant you are?" Jackie laughed. "You're brilliant. Let's head inside." He scooped to pick up his briefcase, one hand staying around Jackie's waist, and they walked into the house together, talking softly and abandoning the gardening tools where they fell.

* * *

Abby looked at a stack of papers quizzically. They weren't typed, they weren't handwritten, and they weren't printed. She realized that they were stamped, and looked up at Tim for an answer to her unasked question. He shrugged.

"I experimented with using stamps to write out letters for a description in the third book. I wanted to make sure that it was realistic. The blue thumbprints on there are from where the ink got on my fingers from turning the dials on the letter roller, and then touched the paper. The perp in the story has a fetish with latex gloves because of it. He doesn't want ink to touch his skin, and he's terrified of getting caught. It inspired me to write him with a really bad case of OCD."

"Uh! Tim! Spoiler alert?!"

"Why? Didn't you say you weren't going to read the next book after what happened with the last one?"

"We're living together now. I'm going to have to read it so I know what to expect. Consider it a safety precaution."

"Whatever will make you feel better," he teased as he leaned in and kissed the top of his head, taking the stack of papers from her.

They had picked up a bunch of boxes and totes, and were packing up Tim's apartment. It was a slow process, with things stacked everywhere. As soon as one pile moved, another one toppled over, or something hiding under it was revealed with a memory or story that Tim told reminiscently while Abby listened eagerly.

Abby finally called it quits. They had been going at it for two hours, and she was ready for some sleep. Tim turned off the lights, and took her by the hand with a smile, pulling her past the wall of windows towards his bedroom.

"Oh, it's definitely bedtime, but I don't know how much sleeping we're going to do," he said in a tone that no one would expect from him other than Abby.

She felt heat rushing through her body and down her spine, her nerves suddenly reaching for her skin, making the fine hairs on her arms stand up. She loved with Tim used that voice. It was confident, sexy, but not at all cocky, and the best part was that it was reserved just for her.

* * *

Ziva turned and looked around the darkened restaurant. Dion came up behind her, slipping his hands around her waist, and resting his head on top of hers.

"You've been rather quiet tonight," he said softly.

"I think Tony may have spilled the beans to Gibbs about my application to Georgetown."

Dion chuckled. "Your euphemisms, however correct, are hilariously outdated my love."

Ziva shook her head with a smile, and leaned back into the embrace. "I am just happy that they are finally coming out right. With so many different languages going through my head at any given minute, I am surprised I remember how to say my own name."

"I will confuse you even more, and speak Greek to you the rest of the evening. Éla spíti mazí mou ómorfo _[Come home with me beautiful]._ "

"Mmmm…" Ziva purred. "You are evil, and I do not mind at all."

Dion chuckled quietly in her ear.

"There is something… erotic… about someone speaking to you in a language you do not know. It has been a while since I have experienced that."

"You are dying to know what I said, no?" he asked playfully.

"Of course! But the fact that I do not is exactly why it is erotic," she admitted. "I believe it has something to do with requiring something from you."

"I require something from you, but it should wait until you tell me why you are so worried that Tony has, as you say, spilled the beans."

Ziva turned around and looked into Dion's eyes. His arms stayed around her waist, holding her close.

"I have really enjoyed doing this with you," she said, raising her hand to indicate the restaurant around them, lit only by a single light in the kitchen. "I would like to keep being involved, and of course, I want to be able to do it to the best of my ability, which means leaning more about how it is done. I do not know if I can go back to school _and_ stay with the agency. I am not sure if I am ready to leave yet. I have not even begun to make up my mind, and I am not ready to have that discussion with Gibbs, because he will want an answer; an answer I am not ready to decide upon, nonetheless provide. At the same time, I do not want him to think that I am keeping things from him. I could put off taking classes for a year or more, or take just one at a time online. There are many options, and I am trying to shift through them all."

"Do you mean sift through them all?" he asked, honestly confused if he was the one that had the phrase wrong, or if she did.

"Does it matter?" she asked with a hint of frustration.

"No, I only ask because I do not know if I am the one that has been saying it wrong all this time, or if it is you." He raised a playful eyebrow at her, and she narrowed her eyes at him with a smile.

"The point," she continued, "is that I am not sure where I stand with him right now, and he is very important to me. It makes me uncomfortable."

"Maybe you can ask him over dinner tomorrow night," he suggested.

"But I will be busy tomorrow night, helping you."

Dion shook his head. "We will spend some time eating with your friends and family. They have been extremely kind and supportive of our adventure, and I think they may actually like me. I like them, and I appreciate them for how well they take care of you. I would like to spend more time with them. Everything is going to work out. You will make your decision, your friends will support you, and no matter what you decide, I will support you and love you."

Ziva felt her heart flutter. She was still taken aback by the L word every time Dion said it. He did not say it frivolously, and he infused it with such genuineness that Ziva had never ever doubted it was one-hundred percent true when the words left his mouth.

"Thank you," she whispered, lost in his dark eyes.

"Thank you for being so wonderful and helping me with this. It means more to me than you can ever know, and I am honored to share it with you."

Ziva smiled at him. "Let's go home. We both have long days ahead of us tomorrow."

"Speaking of home," he asked cautiously. "Have you given any thought to my suggestion?"

"Not enough thought," Ziva said just as cautiously.

"Fair enough. Are we staying at your apartment tonight, or mine?"

"Mine. I have to be up earlier than you, and you will have time to go home before coming in here tomorrow." Dion nodded with a smile, and leaned in to kiss her gently.

Ziva's nerves settled right away. She hadn't told anyone yet that Dion has asked her to move in with him, and she was afraid that he would be upset with her for not having an answer yet, but there wasn't a hint of anger or tension anywhere in his expression, and for the thousandth time since they had gotten together, she was in awe of just how patient he was with her. He was understanding and reassuring about her work schedule and call-outs at the most inopportune times, and he was encouraging in all of her interests. He had said he loved her weeks before she could bring herself to say it, and when she finally did, he had said, "I know. I've been seeing it in your eyes for weeks. I do not need to hear it from your lips." She had swooned, and they had made passionate love for hours.

He took her by the hand and they walked towards the front door, setting the alarm. They stepped outside into the early summer air, and Ziva instinctively was on the lookout as Dion locked the door behind them. As beautiful as the warm breeze felt on her skin, the love flowing through her at Dion's gentle and reassuring touch felt even better.

* * *

Ducky sat on his couch with a glass of wine in his hands, sitting half cross legged and turned towards Candice. She had a glass of wine in her hands as well, and she was slightly flushed in the face, the tell-tale sign that it wasn't her first of the evening. Her eyes shone as she smiled at Ducky, their conversation close and intimate.

"I don't know, I always dreamed of maybe traveling through Europe. Taking the train here, there, everywhere. I'd love to see the historical sites, the art, the architecture. Dabble in a little French cuisine, Belgium chocolate, Italian wine. Then revisit my favorites for months at a time. I hear Greece is beautiful, Spain magical, and then maybe spend some time in Yorkshire getting to know all of my cousins that I've never met."

Ducky smiled.

"That sounds lovely. I don't know if I could stay away that long, myself. The people in my life now mean a great deal to me, and I would miss them too dearly to spend more than a month or two away from them at a time."

"Oh," Candice said, her eyes suddenly a little dimmer.

"Are you okay, my dear? Have I said something to upset you?"

"No- well, in a way. I suppose it's somewhat silly of me, but I've kind of been thinking lately that… well, when I imagine myself doing these things, I've been starting to imagine that you're doing them with me."

"Oh," Ducky said, realizing the dilemma they were suddenly faced with. "I see what you mean."

"Yes. I guess I figured that since neither of us have any family, we'd both be free to do as we please one day when we decide to put our work to rest. I'm starting to understand that you _do_ have family, and a very close one, only they don't happen to be related to you."

"This is true. I do feel very responsible for them all, and they are very near and dear to me, and not just in a professional sense."

"You're very lucky, Donald. I envy what you have with them."

"They all seem rather fond of you. I know that they are looking forward to seeing you at dinner tomorrow evening. We rarely get to gather the entire group for a meal, and I'm hoping you'll still want to join us."

Candice smiled at him. "We still have another five or six years until I'll be ready to retire. I'm not in any rush to give up on you yet."

"That is splendid news," Ducky said, a rush of relief relaxing every muscle in his body that had been tensing over the past few minutes. He smiled graciously, and then he leaned forward to steal a kiss.

* * *

Ned was lying in bed, playing a game on his phone. His brain was far from shutting down, and he knew it was kind of early to be trying to force it. He turned the game off and lay in the dark, staring at the shadows on the ceiling cast by the streetlights coming to life outside.

He still couldn't believe that they'd increased his security clearance. He felt more and more like a real field agent every day. The prospect of being invited into MTAC to help with such a significant operation was exhilarating. He couldn't stop smiling every time he considered it. He thought that he should feel nervous, but as Elly pointed out, that was his element. There was no better chance to show what he was made of than in that room, and he was scrounging information like he was born to do so, preparing for what was ahead. He already had multiple strategic plans mapped out in his head, and a couple of them charted in code on the back of placemats from where he and Elly had hit a diner for dinner the night before.

The look on Elly's face as they talked about it and he started making his diagrams was priceless. He wanted to capture that expression, and carry it around with him everywhere he went. It was full of genuine amazement and wonder, and he couldn't ever remember a time where he felt prouder.

He pulled up the photos on his phone that he had taken of their work, and he started playing it over again in his head. There were strategic strikes planned at various sites all at once, and figures ran through his mind about what they would need, resources, manpower, time, allies, emergency exits, people to notify before, during and after the attacks, and then exactly how they would deal with the fallout, who they would mobilize and to where, and when it would happen.

He scrolled across the gallery, looking at chart after chart, and remembering how Elly would ask why they couldn't do this that or the other thing, and he would explain exactly why it wouldn't be safe to do it that way, or how easily that move would be to anticipate considering what would have to be done to get to that point. It was indeed his element, and he was more than a little happy to be able to share his expertise with the man that had become his own personal beacon through this transition.

His finger swiped again, and it was no longer images of the placemats he saw, but the icon for the video Abby had sent him. He smiled, and felt sheepish as he decided to press play and watch it again.

The comments about Abby taking the video made him chuckle again, but his eyes were locked on the two men in the quad. They were more than a little hot together, and he struggled not to let his mind wander into what their sex life was like. He knew that if he took it there, he would have a hard time meeting either of their eyes for a while. It was when Abby zoomed in on their locked hands that made him sigh.

He remembered looking out into their back yard on Easter night. He hadn't thought about it until Elly had reminded him of what he had said, and then the memory came back clear as day. He thought about how great it felt to lie on the grass with his new team, welcomed, tipsy, and feeling completely… _right._ He was exactly where he needed to be then, and he was exactly where he needed to be now. He couldn't ask for a better team to have been adopted by. He felt safe with them, he felt wanted by them, and he was eager to make sure that he didn't disappoint them. More than that though, he remembered what he had said to Elly.

"I'd like to have that someday," he whispered as he watched the video again. He turned the video off, and laid the phone on his chest. He knew that Tony and Gibbs had been taking a big risk at that moment, and he was once again in awe of the couple. He'd been so afraid to even come out as an agent, and yet they were announcing their love to the world. He was touched, and he thought about how brave they were to let everyone see just how much they meant to one another. He considered it, and he knew that was something he had to have in his relationship. It didn't have to happen right away, but if he was going to spend the rest of his life with someone, it had to be someone that was proud to say he was his, and wouldn't be angry he was going to do the same.

"Yeah," he whispered into the dark, his mind still firing a million miles a minute. "I'd really like to have that someday."

* * *

Elly was _pissed_. He was hurt, and he was afraid, and he was pissed. He sulked around the apartment, a beer in one hand at pretty much all times, and huffed to himself. He hadn't gotten any response back from Abby after his text earlier, and he was afraid that she was mad at him, but he didn't care.

Things were finally going right! How could they mess this up? Didn't they realize that there were other people's lives, other people's happiness at stake here? Not just their own? What were they thinking!?

He sat down at his desk, and opened his laptop. His wallpaper was a photo of the team that was taken when they'd finally gotten Tony out for celebratory drinks. He had a handful of pictures from that night, but that one was his favorite. Dorney had just joined them, and Parke had just gotten his sling off, and they looked so happy together. All of the craziness had stopped for a brief moment, and they were able to simply enjoy where they had landed.

He pulled up the video of the traitorous kiss on his phone, and he watched it again. He took a deep breath as it came to an end, and sighed.

_And okay, maybe I'm a little jealous. I mean, they're awesome together, and I'm still so afraid that I'm going to screw someone up, or they're going to screw me up, that I can't seem to bring myself to even think about dating. But I have the job, ya know? And I have the team. And everything is finally sorting itself out, and maybe, just maybe, I can sort myself out, as long as I have them. And then the dumbass has to go and do something like make out in the middle of the fucking quad!_

Elly got to his feet and got another beer. He cringed when he realized it was the last of the six-pack he had bought after work, and knew that a hangover was definitely on his schedule for the morning. He cracked it open, and fumbled with the coffee maker until he was fairly certain that the timer had been set, and then went back to his desk. He looked at his phone. It was quarter 'til midnight, and he knew it was a bad idea, but he picked it up anyway.

He wrestled with himself a moment, trying to use reason to remind him that it was the beer that had control at the moment, and to be careful, but he lost, and the beer won. He slid the lock on the screen, and found Tony in his contacts.

* * *

Tiffany came home to find her husband sleeping on the couch, an empty wine glass in front of him. Her eyes were drawn past him to the table in the small open area before the tiny kitchen, and she saw the food sitting out, her own glass of wine, and the snuffed out, melted candles.

She sighed heavily, and sat her things down on the floor next to the coffee table. Her eyes burned for the hundredth time today, and she wiped the raw skin around them with the back of her hand. She quietly slipped her clothes of until she was in her cami and underwear, unclasping her bra and sliding it off from under her clothes. When it was all piled on the coffee table, she pulled back the blanket that was over her husband, and tried to lay on the couch with him.

She had picked the couch out when they moved in just so they could snuggle up on it together. She had always wanted a couch like that, because getting all cuddly and watching movies was one of her favorite things to do. She realized that they hadn't made time to do that lately, and she sighed as she felt Greg's arms slide around her waist. She felt the relief in her bones as she melted against him. They held each other tightly, and then she felt the racking sobs coming from the man in her arms. He could hear the ache in his weeping, and felt the desperation in how tightly she was pulled towards him, and she broke down with him, crying elephant tears and vowing to herself to fix this, to make this right.

"I love you, Greg," she said between her sobs.

"Love you, too, Tiff. Don't leave me. Please don't leave me," Parke said in anguish. Tiffany's sobs doubled in intensity, the guilt consuming her that she would have ever given him that impression.

"Not leaving you baby! Never. Never."

* * *

Shane was lying under the stars on a vista in the park. His tent was pitched a hundred feet away, and the fire was out already. It was a beautiful night. The stars were bright in the sky with no moon overhead, and he was content in a place deep inside of him that he thought would never be at rest. His life was perfect for him. Well, almost. He missed his brother, and though he preferred to spend most of his time alone, he was feeling a little lonely.

He thought back to the night he laid in the back yard with Greg and his new friends. They had all laughed so easily together, and mourned together too. The agent that had lost his life to bring down El Jefe and his stooge was given a proper send-off a couple of days later, and he was able to pay his respects. He still couldn't believe that Greg was a Federal Agent, but it suited him so well that Shane knew he'd have that badge for the rest of his life.

To hear Greg talk about the team he was a part of, and from the protective nature he had felt Tony exude whenever he was around, he was pretty sure that the team itself would be together for the next twenty years. Shane looked forward to his phone calls every Monday to Tony and Greg, and he was bound and determined to see them when he had his four day weekend at the end of the month. They didn't know he was coming, and he hadn't figured out how he was getting there yet, but he was considering making a call to Jackson.

The older man had been kind and friendly with him for the entire trip home after the funeral, and told him that if he ever needed anything to give him a call. He didn't want to take advantage of that kindness, but somehow, in just a short matter of time, Greg's team and their family had somewhat become his own, and he was feeling oddly homesick without seeing them now for a couple of months.

He'd love to go with Dr. S to the conservation summit being held in D.C. that weekend, and maybe find time to sneak away to see at least Greg, but he had specific plants that were supposed to start blooming any day now that he had to scrounge for and pack up to transplant to Eagle's Nest. Unless they all bloomed the next day, and he happened to find all thirty-two species, he didn't have a prayer. Not only would he have to find them and pack them up, but he would have to get back to the center and turn them over to the transplant team, get showered, changed, packed and find Dr. S before she left. It simply wasn't going to be possible.

He breathed in the smell of the earth around him, and stared at the sky, and for a moment, he felt the presences of the bodies that had laid in a circle with him in Gibbs' back yard. It faded quickly, and left him with an even deeper ache inside.

"I'll be home soon, guys. I'll be home soon."


	15. Chapter 15

"I'm going to go home," Tony said, looking over the partition as he packed his stuff up. "You'll be joining me soon, right?"

Jethro looked up with a smile, noticing that Tony hadn't pitched his voice much lower as he asked, intentionally not being cautious.

"Yeah. I'm just going through their reports, and then I'm going to drop them on Pam's desk for Leon."

"Good," Tony said with a smirk. "I'll be waiting."

"You'd better be ready," Jethro said quietly, his head buried in his paperwork, the rush to be done with it consuming him.

"Already am," Tony said over his shoulder as he headed for the staircase.

Jethro groaned as soon as the door to the staircase shut, and he closed his eyes, sighing. He couldn't wait to get home and ravage his lover, but he had to make sure the paperwork was done. It had been a long time since he was tempted to slack like this, and though he overcame the temptation easily, he wondered if the day just might come where spending time with his husband-to-be would win over.

He signed off on Ziva's folder, and then turned to McGee's. There was a stack of forms filled out on top of it, and he began to go over the SFA paperwork. He honestly wasn't even sure why he bothered. McGee hadn't messed up a single form in the over two months he'd been SFA. In fact, he'd started putting so much emphasis on getting those forms right, that he'd been cutting his descriptions short in his case files. That was a relief most of the time, but a couple did have to be sent back to him to make sure all of the details were there. It had gotten better though, so Jethro wasn't worried.

The forms were done, and he was about to open the case file when he paused to eat his last calzone. He had only meant to take a bite, but it made his fingers too greasy with garlic butter to handle the file, and he had to allow himself a minute to break.

He was excited and anxious about the ability to be open with everyone about his relationship, and he smiled as he thought about the reactions from his team at their announcement. His mile grew from ear to ear as he thought about how McGee had flat out affirmed that they were going to support them in every way possible. He was constantly reassured lately in the way McGee no longer hesitated when he spoke to him, and their eye contact was much more natural than he'd ever felt it. It was nice to see the kid with more confidence. He'd wanted that for him for a long time.

Kid. It didn't matter how long they'd worked together, Tim was always going to be a kid to him. He hoped he didn't take offense to it, but he was somewhere between a kid brother and a son. He definitely felt like Ziva was a daughter, right along with Abby, and he thought of what Tony had told him about his conversation with Parke. He chuckled to himself at the idea of Tony being a dad, dusting the crumbs off his hands, and reaching for a napkin.

He stopped laughing though as he thought about the way Tony had pulled Parke and Critten into the elevator the night the bullpen had been tossed. He thought about the intense and protective nature he had with them from day one, and the way he had been quick to reassure Critten that he wasn't leaving them when they were waiting at the hospital for word on Parke. So many times he'd watched Tony talk about his team with pride and concern, and as he played it back through his mind, he saw what Parke saw- a protective, caring, guiding, committed, supportive leader, and with the pasts that his agents had, it made complete sense suddenly to see Tony as some kind of father figure. Not to mention, he had at least fifteen years on each of them, which probably helped.

Tony had told him today in the quad that he realized what a dad was during their trip into Kelly's room the night before, but there was a lot more to it than that. Tony was all the things to his team that Senior never was for him, and Jethro closed the folder in front of him as he wondered if Tony realized just how much he had surpassed the older man at being a father to three men who were virtual strangers just a few months ago.

Ten minutes later, Jethro got to his feet, the folders in his hand to take up to Pam's desk, and his mind still on Tony and the concept of fatherhood. He and his dad didn't always get along, but Jackson had never done wrong by him like Senior had. He pulled his phone out on his way back out of the Pam's office, and dialed his dad's number. He headed for his desk to log off and grab his stuff, and the phone clicked and rustled as Jack answered.

"Hello," he said.

"Hey, Dad."

"Leroy! How you doing?" Jackson groaned as he took a seat in his recliner, the phone switching ears.

"I'm doing pretty good, Dad. How about you?"

"I'm hanging in there, son. So, pretty good, huh? How's that?"

Jethro chuckled. "Tony and I set a date for the wedding."

"I thought you already had one. Well, in a way. Labor Day weekend, right?"

"Yeah, but we've got a time and place now; Sunday, 6PM at this great park down here on the water."

"How about that? I'm glad you're finally getting this together. Was kind of wondering whether I'd make it to see it."

Jethro rolled his eyes. "We have caterers set up as of tonight, too."

"Oh? What are we having?"

"Italian. Tony's friend owns a great restaurant, and apparently she caters. Same restaurant we went to the night he proposed actually."

"I should have guessed that one!" Jackson said with a hearty laugh.

"Yeah, you probably could have. Listen, Dad, I wanted to tell you something else we decided today. A couple of things really."

"This sounds serious, Leroy. Everything okay?"

"Yeah, actually, everything is great. How would you feel about there being another Gibbs out there?" There was a long silence, and Jethro cringed. "Dad?"

"Yeah, I'm here. I'm not sure what you're saying. The two of you are going to have a kid?"

Jethro laughed. "No, Dad! Tony wants to take our name."

"Oh! That makes a- I think that would be a great idea!"

"I'm actually really touched by it. He's never had a good relationship with the jackass that was supposed to be a dad to him, and since he's the jackass' Junior, it works out in multiple ways. He's filing the paperwork end of August."

"I really like him, Leroy. He's good for you. I'll have to make sure he knows that." Jackson's voice was much quieter, and Jethro ducked his head in relief as he sat in the front seat of his car now, waiting to turn it on until they were done talking.

"I'm glad, because he's not going anywhere- ever." He half-expected a laugh at that, but none came.

"I know. I'm pretty sure we couldn't pry him away with a crowbar. He'd likely hit you over the head with it first."

Jethro laughed at that.

"Isn't this going to cause some trouble for you two at work though?" he asked.

"That's the other thing I wanted to tell you about. You know our boss knows about us." He heard the grunt of acknowledgement from the other end of the phone, and continued. "Well, when Tony asked him if he thought it would screw things up to take our name, he told him to stop hiding our relationship. It makes sense. If we are hiding it, then we must think that we're doing something wrong. If we're open about it, we can get everything out there, deal with any issues people have, and move on. Already tired of having this hanging over our heads."

"Sounds smart. There's some sense in that. Secrets are kept for a reason, and unless you have a reason, you shouldn't keep them. But don't you have a reason? Isn't that lady that had Tony's team before going to be on your cases?"

"I don't think she will. We have ammunition against _her_ relationship, which developed from a case. Let's just say that we're not going to have any problems with her."

"Sneaky bastards, aren'tcha?" Jackson said with a chuckle. Jethro laughed too.

"Maybe, but he's worth it. We're worth it. He makes me happier than I've been in a long time, and he's…" Jethro sighed. "He and I opened Kelly's room up last night."

"Ahhh."

"Ahh? What's that supposed to mean?"

"He told me that you got some hair-brained idea to clean it out when he moved in, but that he didn't want you to do that for him. Said you hadn't brought it up again, and we talked about whether you'd be pissed if he did something else with his stuff. He really cares about you, Leroy. I respect him for that."

Jethro was a little surprised that Tony had brought it up with his dad. He thought again about what Parke had said to Tony earlier. People simply needed a dad to talk to sometimes. He smiled, and shook his head.

"Well, we may have some friends of mine staying with us soon, and we are going to need the space while we take care of their situation. So, you know, we started small, and aired it out last night. Decided we're going to pack everything up and take it to Amira this weekend."

"That sounds like a great idea."

"Tony hinted at it, and I appreciated that. I didn't know what I was going to do with everything. I hadn't even thought about giving it to Amira. I didn't have the heart to throw it away, and it's nice to think that they might get passed on to someone else who cares about them."

"It's kind of frightening," Jackson mused.

"What do you mean?"

"How well the boy knows you."

Jethro smiled. "Yeah, well, he's worked with me for something like twelve years now, and I've spent so much time with him, he'd better know me."

"Nah, this is different Leroy, and you know it."

"Yeah, Dad, I do," he said somberly. "And I won't let anything happen to him."

"I don't doubt that, Leroy."

"I'm actually going to head home right now, so I'll call you this weekend. Thought I should fill you in."

"Oh! Did you tell him about Italy yet?" Jackson asked excitedly.

"Yes, and he loved the idea."

"Knew he would."

Jethro chuckled. "Yeah, thanks Dad. Goodnight."

* * *

When Jethro got home, he could hear the water of the shower come on upstairs. He took off running for the bedroom, pulling his clothes off, and found Tony stripping down in the bathroom. He was already down to his pants and he yanked at his belt, eager to get under the water with Tony. When Tony heard him come in, he turned to him and smiled.

"Hey," he greeted coyly. Jethro had no doubts that this was planned, but he was glad for it. His pants and boxers fell to the floor, and without a word, he pulled Tony under the water with him.

He'd always had a thing for shower sex. He could trace the roots of that back to his first rendezvous with a man. The soap he'd used for lube had left him chafed, but he didn't care. The next time they'd met up, it had been vegetable oil in a supply closet in the middle of the night. However, secret trysts in a past life couldn't begin to compare to what he had with Tony.

Tony gave him all of him. He did so willingly, without shame, and with an eagerness that Jethro could bask in for the rest of his life happily. He turned himself over to him, and appreciated every touch, every caress, and every whispered word. He could take his time with him, and he knew he had Tony's trust every step of the way. Even when they were sneaking in some time when and where they shouldn't be, rushing the release, it was so much better in every way than anything he'd experienced before. The connection they had, knowing when to move together, when to let the other lead, when to do this or that to enhance the pleasure, all while still learning new things about each other all the time, made sex with Tony the best thing he'd ever felt in his life.

He had Tony wrapped in his arms now, one hand on his chest, running down to his stomach, and the other stroking his cock until it was hard and heavy in his hand. He kissed the back of Tony's neck, and Tony sighed happily, pressing his hands against the tile in front of him. Jethro loved how responsive Tony was. He never had a doubt about whether or not something turned Tony on, turned him off, or whether or not he simply wasn't into it. He nibbled on Tony's shoulder near his neck, and he felt Tony arch back against him. He pressed forward, his hardening cock pressing against Tony's ass, and Tony kept pressing back, standing on his toes and then back down so that he rubbed against him. Jethro groaned quietly in Tony's ear as he leaned forward, enjoying the sensation.

He switched hands, his left hand taking over the slow strokes of Tony's shaft, and he began running his right fingers up Tony's side, then up his back, and down his arm until their fingers were locked together like they had been the night before. The warm water flowed over them, and Jethro lapped at Tony's neck as it ran down, tasting the sweat that had formed there through the day. He let his teeth graze him, and he was dying to bite into the flesh, but decided to hold off until Tony was coming to do that. He knew those orgasms were always the hardest for Tony to come down from.

He took his hand from Tony's cock, and reached to turn his face towards him. He leaned in and took Tony's mouth in a deep kiss, their tongues suckling on one another. Tony turned into the kiss, his body facing Jethro as their hands came unclasped to start exploring the ridges of one another's bodies. There was a slow, deeply intense energy in their touches, tinted with urgency, moving excruciatingly over one another as if though any minute the tension would break and they would be caught up in an overwhelming deluge of lust that would cause them to lose all sense of control.

Jethro wanted that. He wanted to be able to lose control with Tony, just take what he so desperately needed from him, but he equally wanted to make this last, to take his time and explore Tony until he learned something new about his lover's likes and dislikes. He kissed his way down Tony's chest, lavishing attention on his nipples. Tony arched into the nibbles on the sensitive nubs, and Jethro grabbed his hips to hold him still. Tony braced himself with a hand on each wall, turning his body so his ass faced the corner.

Jethro licked his way down the center of Tony's stomach, running his tongue around the edges of his belly button, and worried the skin around it with his teeth.

"You're such a fucking tease with those teeth," Tony groaned, wishing Jethro would take the hard bite they both wanted. Nothing was said in reply, and Jethro still didn't bite him. He did however run his nails down Tony's lower back and then ass as he dropped to his knees.

Tony half groaned and half moaned, his hand reaching up for the showerhead to move it so it angled differently, anxious to have Jethro's mouth on his cock, but not anxious for him to drown or choke on the water that was flowing down his body. He looked down at the silver head of hair just as the heat of Jethro's mouth engulfed the head of his dick, and he was lost.

Jethro loved the way Tony's smooth, swollen head slipped across his tongue, rushing towards the back of his throat as if though it knew exactly where it was supposed to go. He still couldn't get over how much he loved sucking Tony off. He had never given head before Tony, and he wondered if it was just Tony that tasted so incredible, that felt so amazing, or if it would have been that way with others if he had only had the balls to try it. It didn't matter now- he had perfection.

He relaxed his jaw as if he were yawning, and on the next pass let the head poke into his throat. He pulled back for another pass, and then tried it again, this time able to take even more. One more pass, and he had his lips against Tony's navel and balls. He held himself there for a count of five, and then pulled back with a gasp. He heard Tony making some kind of incoherent noises above him, and he smirked. He continued for another couple of long minutes, enjoying himself thoroughly, and then he decided it was time to move on.

He pulled off Tony's cock, earning a whimper from him that made his own cock twitch, and he reached down to give it a few good strokes for its trouble. He moved Tony, turning him around and pressing him against the wall before running his hands down Tony's back, ass and legs again. Tony handed him the body of shower gel, and Jethro soaped him up, letting the water rinse away the soap. He then slipped a single finger into Tony's puckering ass, making them both groan.

"I love how tight you get," Jethro purred. "Doesn't matter how often I get to have you, twelve hours later, you're just as tight as if though I've never plowed you." He took his finger out and spread Tony's cheeks, then leaned forward and licked up Tony's crack. Tony shivered, and Jethro smirked. When he licked back down, he kept going, tilting his head so he could tease Tony's balls with his tongue, and then his perineum. Tony began whining as his tongue pushed harder against the perineum and then up and firmly across his hole. He began using the tip to poke his way in, licking and teasing, all the while using his hands to knead Tony's cheeks.

He looked up at Tony's back, flushed with red, and released one of Tony's cheeks to stroke him.

"Hand me the lube," he commanded quietly, and Tony reached up, fumbling along the wall for the alcove where the lube was perched on a shelf. He handed it down to Jethro, who stopped stroking him to take it. After squirting plenty of lube onto his hands and rubbing it around his digits, he returned his hand to Tony's ass, spreading his cheeks and spitting before slipping his thumbs alternately into him until both slipped in effortlessly together.

"Oh, god, Jethro! I can't take anymore! I need _you_ …"

Jethro smirked. He loved hearing Tony beg, but he was even more satisfied in knowing that his lover was being brought so close to the edge by his ruminations. He slipped both thumbs in again, and pulled very gently in various directions, tugging here and there as he stretched Tony even wider.

"Fuck, Jethro! Get up here and fuck me!"

That's what he was waiting for. Not the begging, now the asking, but the command. He loved when Tony demanded what he wanted, and he stood eagerly to give it to him. He swiped his lube-covered hand over his cock, and with one swift thrust, he was half-buried in Tony, both of them groaning. He paused, only to let them acclimate, and after three deep breaths, Tony pushed back hard. That barely restrained tension between them finally snapped, and it was a frenzy of thrusts, grunts, groans, moans, growls, pushes, pulls, and what would become two blue handprints on Tony's hips within the next few hours.

Tony met every thrust with his own push and jerk, making sure Jethro was almost completely pulled out before he went back in, running across his prostate as he fucked him senseless. When he reached for his straining erection, Jethro grabbed his hands, pinning them to the wall next to them, not letting him touch himself. He groaned, and Jethro leaned in, his mouth next to Tony's ear. "You aren't allowed to come until I say you can. Do you understand me?"

"Oh, god! Not fair! So not right!"

"Do you understand me?" Jethro asked again, slowing his thrusts until Tony nodded fervently. "Atta boy."

Tony growled deep in his chest. The phrase had taken on a new meaning for them over the past couple of months. What once was a joke between boss and subordinate had taken on a dark and lusty edge when Jethro delved into his dominate side during sex. He couldn't help but follow Jethro's every command, especially when it was followed up with those simple words of praise: Atta boy.

He bit his tongue, and dug his nails into Jethro's hands as he tried desperately not to come during the barrage of thrusts and pokes, and he was relieved when Jethro finally filled his ass with his warmth. He had hoped that meant that it would be his turn soon, but Jethro instead dropped back to his knees and licked at the swollen rim of his ass again.

Tony thought he was going to faint. Jethro had never done that after taking him before. He'd rimmed him a few times before great sex, but never after he'd just unloaded into him. He wasn't sure what to do, but thankfully he didn't have to wait too long before Jethro turned his attention back to his balls instead, while slipping a finger back inside of him.

"You're going to kill me…" Tony thought he heard himself say.

Jethro stood back up, his legs feeling somewhat like Jello, and he pushed Tony under the water, fingering him mercilessly. He reached for the soap, did an ultra-quick rub down of the both of them, and turned the water off as soon as he couldn't feel the slick soap suds on Tony's body. He guided Tony out of the shower, carefully leading him over the edge of the tub, and using a towel to dry him briskly as he stood still, taking deep breaths to keep from coming at the simplest touch.

Once they were both dry, Jethro pulled Tony into the bedroom and pushed him down on the bed, and then searched for the lube that had rolled off of the nightstand. He found it, took Tony's hand, and then squirted some across a few of Tony's fingers before climbing onto the bed, and straddling Tony's chest, his hands against the wall.

Tony took a deep breath, excited by what was being asked of him. He reached his fingers up, slipping between Jethro's buttcheeks without hesitation.

"You have got to be the hottest fucking power bottom ever, Jethro. And damn if you aren't all mine," he said, letting his fingers trace the puckering hole waiting for him before slipping a finger in.

Jethro smirked at Tony's words, and he felt a rush of heat rise in his cheeks. He'd had a cocky feeling rushing through him, but Tony managed to lace it with humility, bringing him only higher. He felt Tony's finger working in and out of him, and then felt another one added. He rocked back on it, loving the way any part of Tony felt inside of any part of him. He jolted, and arched back into the touch suddenly as Tony skimmed his prostate.

"You like that," Tony said. It wasn't a question, but a statement, and Jethro felt his control slipping, turning over to Tony involuntarily. "You can push back on it, it's okay. I know you want to." Tony's voice was full of a sudden confidence that Jethro felt himself grow weak under. He tried to hesitate, but he couldn't even do that before he was pushing back against Tony's slick fingers. He handed the lube down to Tony, trying to hint about what he wanted to happen, but Tony just sat the lube on the bed. He reached up, taking Jethro's balls in his hand, and rolled them around in his palm.

"Damn it!" Jethro hissed. He wasn't sure what had possessed him to do this. He could have just given Tony a few well timed strokes in the shower, and they could be sleeping peacefully right now, but he didn't want to be sleeping peacefully. He wanted Tony's cock up his ass, fucking him as senseless as he had just fucked Tony.

He needed to revel in the equality he was finding with Tony more and more every day, the way they related on every level, the way their life stories overlapped, the way they cared for their teams, the joy they found in life, and especially the love they had for one another. It was what he'd needed for so long- someone to understand every part of him without making him talk about it, someone who knew him simply by knowing him.

Tony knew him now. Tony knew what he needed at that moment, and he was giving it to him. He was sharing in the control, taking his place at the top, despite laying on his back. He was using his words for the time being, but he knew any second now he would be pulled down and turned the way Tony wanted him.

And there it went. Tony had rolled, his arms around Jethro's waist, pulling him down until he was on his back under the younger man. He sighed in perfect contentment, savoring the way Tony took over. He ran his fingers through Tony's hair, trying to push him lower when he bent to lick his nipples, but Tony wouldn't let him. He took his hand with his clean one, pinning it to the bed next to them. Jethro wanted to lift his other hand and try with it, but he felt restrained by the words Tony hadn't said: _Stay still. No, don't rush me._

Jethro wasn't Tony, and Tony didn't expect him to be. He didn't handle being under Tony's control like Tony did. He didn't find it natural to turn everything over. He rarely felt the need Tony did to be tied down and used for their mutual pleasure. Tony craved it, and Jethro knew that, but Tony was more than willing to take the lead when it was offered. It wasn't easy for Jethro to turn over complete control like that. He trusted Tony completely, and as they'd learned the fine balance of control together when Tony left the team, he'd gladly turned himself over on multiple occasions. Now that they were moving beyond that struggle, he was having the urge to turn himself over in a different way. It wasn't so much to feel his own sense of control lost, but to feel Tony's sense of control rise to meet his. And as Tony sucked his cock back to a stiff erection, he knew that Tony was undoubtedly in control.

Tony didn't waste any more time than necessary stabilizing Jethro's erection. As soon as he knew he was stiff as a log, he sat up, opened the lube, and slicked himself from base to tip. His sticky hands grabbed Jethro's legs and lifted them, pushing them towards his chest as he walked on his knees forward. He bent down, kissing Jethro with a sloppy, lusty kiss, and then slowly guided himself into Jethro's tight passage.

Jethro could talk all he wanted about how tight Tony was, but Tony had never felt anything as deliciously tight as Jethro's ass. Seeing as it didn't spend nearly as much time being tapped as Tony's, it was a snug, warm sleeve of ecstasy with a muscular ring that made Tony feel like he was going to lose it with the first thrust. He took a deep breath, looking down into the darkened blue eyes below him. He wasn't sure he had ever seen Jethro's eyes look so dark. There was as much black pupil as there was blue iris, and it created such an eerily beautiful sight that Tony wished he could take a picture.

Their eyes stayed locked, gauging each other's level of pleasure as Tony started slow thrusts that soon turned fevered and arrhythmic. He reached down and stroked Jethro's cock, trying to slow his own breathing and strokes as he did so, drawing it out. It made Jethro whine, and Tony smirked. He slowed down even more, though he increased the pressure on both his pokes and his strokes, which made Jethro's eyes widen.

"What was that," Jethro said, swallowing hard. "That you said about me killing you?"

Tony leaned down until he was almost lip to lip with Jethro and whispered, "Payback's a bitch," with a breathy voice that tickled Jethro's face. He continued his strokes and pulled back, kissing Jethro's shins as he stroked and thrust. He wanted more, but he was enjoying the helpless expression on Jethro's face. When Jethro finally tried to move against Tony, he stopped stroking him all together, and Jethro's head fell back in anguish against the pillows, a sound like a caged beast escaping him.

"It's okay… just breathe," Tony said with a smile, running his hand down Jethro's chest in a gesture that normally would have been reassuring, but instead only enhanced the sensuality of their positions. "Now who's waiting for whose permission to come?"

"Oh, god…" Jethro gasped. "I'm sorry!"

"Too late. Maybe you'll learn not to bring me so close to the edge, and then tease me mercilessly. Now, I'm going to fuck you, and I'm going to come, but you're not yet. Are we clear?" Tony asked without the tiniest bit of playfulness to his voice.

"Crystal," Jethro said between gritted teeth.

"Good," Tony said, and he let loose, fucking Jethro in earnest until a few minutes later, he yelled out as he came, filling that hot swollen tunnel. He tumbled down onto the bed next to Jethro after he had pulled out, and breathed heavily for a few minutes. When his breathing slowed, Jethro started panicking. His cock was rock hard, and he was aching for release so bad that he was panting.

"Please don't fall asleep," he whimpered.

Tony's eyes snapped open with a glazed smile. "You know what would keep me awake?" he asked.

Jethro shook his head rapidly from side to side, not sure he could trust his words.

"Your cock pounding my ass again."

Jethro groaned, desperate to do just that.

"Well?" Tony asked.

Without another moment's hesitation, Jethro was on his knees, grabbing the lube, and letting it run down Tony's ass. He pulled Tony up onto his knees, the rest of his body still slumping forward in a post-orgasm heap, and plunged into him. He drove into him over and over again until he finally felt the relief of his orgasm coming over him. He pulled out, decorating his lover's ass and back before falling down next to him in the bed.

After lying together for a few minutes, Tony chuckled softly. "It really does just keep getting better."

Jethro smiled shyly, that same humility tinting his face that only Tony could inject. He reached for a couple of tissues and wiped Tony as clean as he could see in the pale light of the nightstand lamp, and then turned to toss them in the can next to the bed. They wrapped themselves around each other, and when Tony's phone made a blippity noise, he ignored it completely to stay lost in Jethro's warmth.

* * *

Tony started coming around, and ran his hand across Jethro's chest. Jethro hummed at the touch, and his eyes fluttered open with a smile. Tony bent over him and kissed him. He pulled away to grab a tissue from next to the bed to wipe a glob of lube off the pillow next to Jethro's head that his hand had landed in. He chuckled as he looked down into Jethro's eyes. "We're a mess."

"The best kind," Jethro said softly.

"I have to agree with you there," he said as he threw the Kleenex away.

The blinking light on his phone that signaled he had a text caught his eyes. He vaguely remembered the sound of the phone chiming while they were slipping into their orgasm-comas, and picked up the device as he turned into Jethro.

"Who in the hell would text me this late? Probably Abby with another smart comment about the video," he mumbled to himself more than Jethro. He was snug against the muscular man next to him when he slid the lock icon across the screen, and squinted as the bright light assaulted him. Jethro kissed his forehead, and glanced at the phone through hooded eyes.

_I know Im gonna regret this, & I know its probably the beer talking, but what n the HELL RU2 thinking?! I got the vid from Abby. RU trying to ruin the first good thing Ive probably ever had in my life? UR fucking this all up! UR gonna get caught, & UR gonna get us all split up, & UR gonna take away the most important thing in my life! _

"Oh, shit," Tony said quietly, looking at Jethro to see if he had been reading it.

"What?" Jethro asked, obviously not knowing what the text had said.

"Elly's flipping out," Tony answered, suddenly sitting up, not really sure what he should do, but feeling a kind of panic rising in him. He swung his legs over the edge of the bed, and leaned down with his elbows on his knees as he read the text again.

"Flipping out about what?" Jethro asked, sitting up to rub Tony's back gently.

"About the video. I wasn't thinking about that when I got home, and I should have taken the moment to email him and Dorney and let them know what we've decided, and what Vance said, but I didn't think about it, and he's…" Tony sighed, and then read the text out loud.

Jethro groaned a little in acknowledgement, and winced as the words were read.

"What are you going to do?" he asked.

Tony looked at the clock on the nightstand, and then down at the message. It had only been sent twenty minutes ago. "If he's really wasted, this should probably be a conversation we have in person," Tony said, looking over at Jethro with remorse. "And I'm not going to be able to sleep until it goes down. I should go over there."

Jethro nodded eagerly. "I get it. Go."

Tony smiled, and leaned in to kiss him. "See? This is why I love you." Jethro chuckled as Tony jumped up and went to get in the shower to rinse off the evidence of their extra-curricular activities.

Ten minutes later, Tony was slipping on a t-shirt to go with his jeans, and pulling a long sleeve button down over it that he was pretty sure was Jethro's. He grabbed his keys, wallet, and phone from the nightstand, and leaned forward to kiss Jethro again.

"I'll be home as soon as possible." As he said that, his phone chimed again in his hand and he groaned. He looked at it, and turned towards the doorway, then stopped dead in his tracks. "Oh, man. This one is from Parke. Tiffany never came home tonight." Tony turned towards Jethro, who looked honestly sympathetic. Tony shook his head. "I'll text you if I end up having to swing by there, too. Try to sleep. Long day ahead of us tomorrow."

"Love you, Tony," Jethro said. Tony smiled and walked back over to Jethro, sitting on the edge of the bed and slid his hand around Jethro's neck before kissing him deeply.

"Love you, too, Jethro," he said, pulling back to look into the blue eyes that stared back into his. Another quick peck and Tony was on his feet, returning Parke's text on his way down the stairs. He grabbed his gun and badge just to be safe, and then headed out.

Along the way to Elly's, the messages from Parke stopped, and Tony realized he must have either fallen asleep or Tiffany must have come home and they were having it out. He could tell that Parke had been drinking too, because he was pouring his heart out and even autocorrect wasn't catching everything. He was going to have to have a talk with his agents about the value of discipline when faced with the urge to drunk-text. He was glad if it was anyone though, that it was him.

He circled Elly's building, having learned where it was the night they'd all gone drinking, and tried to find a place to park. He ended up two blocks away before he found a spot, then texted Elly as he was coming around the corner.

_Buzz me in._

_What?_

_I'm downstairs you idiot. Let me in._

Tony jumped the small flight of stairs to the old building's door, and stole a look at the intercom to try and figure out which apartment was Elly's. When he heard the buzz of the door, he pulled on it and then made his way up the stairs, checking the numbers as he went. As he approached another hallway, he heard a door creak open, and he stopped, looking for a head to poke out. He wasn't sure if he was relieved or scared when he saw Elly peeking at him.

"Boss?" he asked drowsily.

Tony nodded as he made his way over to his door, and Elly led the way in. Tony shut the door behind him gently, and slipped the locks on. Elly flopped down on the couch, and Tony flopped next to him.

"Before we start, just how drunk are you right now?" Tony asked with a small smile.

"Six pack's gone, or I'd offer you one," Elly said through a yawn.

Tony nodded with a chuckle. "I should have called you after I knew Abby had sent you the video. I'm sorry. Abby meant well, you know how she is, but that's not the way I wanted to share the news with you guys about what was happening at that moment. What you were seeing was the result of me asking Gibbs if I could take his name."

"Hold on, what?" Elly asked, sitting up and turning towards Tony until he was sitting cross-legged. The confusion was written across his face, and Tony tried not to laugh at the odd way it looked on him. He simply nodded.

"Yeah. You know I'm a Junior, and I'm sure at some point over the past couple of months you've learned my distaste for my father. He's not the best person, Elly. I know you and your dad aren't close, but mine… he's bad news. He's a con artist, been married more times than Jethro, been dragging me into the middle of his messes my entire life, and after my mom died, he wasn't just never there, but dumped me places randomly. Other than boarding schools, there were hotels he'd leave me in for days, and half of the time I'd have to find my own way home, just to be greeted with an empty house for the summer. Eventually, one summer I came home and it was _completely_ empty, as in the bastard had moved with no forwarding address."

"Damn."

"Mmmhmm. My dad had caught me and this guy making out that year in my dorm. He'd shown up for what was supposed to be a home weekend, and ya know, I wasn't expecting him. He never came when he said he would, but there he was, and there _we_ were, and things got ugly. He told me I was cut off, didn't find out until later that it wasn't his right to cut me off, and that he'd been syphoning the trust money that was supposed to be mine from my mom's life insurance policy. He moved just so I couldn't find him. Thankfully, I had an athletic scholarship to OSU, and after spending the summer chasing Senior down, was able to find sanctuary away from him. Then, after years of minimal communication, he got the nerve to show up at work and invade my life here. He's lucky Jethro didn't kill him."

"Yeah, sounds like a real winner," Elly looked dumbfounded.

"Now, it's my turn to cut him off. I'm cutting him out completely, and he's not going to have any hold on me, whatsoever, and that includes my name. I have someone in my life who really loves me, and when we're together, I feel like I have a family. I feel happy and safe and wanted and loved, and never so much so as when he kissed me in the quad today, completely unashamed of me." Tony realized he was rambling, and rather personally, but the look on Elly's face reminded him of something he'd have seen on Abby if he was telling this story to her.

"I had asked Vance if he thought it was a good idea before I even asked Jethro, and he pointed something out-we're not actually doing anything wrong. We've been keeping this hush-hush to prevent the _perception_ that we're doing something wrong. We hadn't even been together for ten days when the bomb was dropped on Vance, and the option to take over for Kathy when she was on maternity leave presented itself. The only real concern was that Kathy would find out and try to mess things up for us-"

"Exactly!" Elly interrupted. "And you know what it looks like! So why would-"

Tony raised his hand to stop him. The way Elly's switch had flipped so easily concerned Tony, and he knew he'd have to watch for other signs of that in Elly in the future. Right now, he was going to blame the alcohol.

"We have dirt on her relationship, too."

"OHHHHHH…" Elly said with an evil smirk and a relieved slump. "What is it?"

"She met her husband on a case, and he should have been a suspect since moment one. Looking over the file, I'm not even positive he's completely innocent. It's a gray area he would have been involved in if anything, but still, hooking up with a suspect isn't good news for you. It especially looks bad because he's so high up on the food chain, and Kathy obviously wants to be high up on the food chain. Her marrying up and out of our hair might be the best thing for us.

"Besides you guys are thriving! I seriously couldn't ask for a better team, and I don't know what she was thinking by not letting you two shine. You're incredible together, and throwing Dorney into the mix…"

"Yeah," Elly said, sitting back on the couch, leaning against Tony. "He's a good fit, too." Tony felt the heavy weight of Elly's head on his shoulder suddenly and chuckled, realizing that Elly was finally giving in to his drunken exhaustion.

"I promise you, Elly, that I won't let anything happen to you guys. If, by some worst case scenario, something comes down from upstairs, I'm pretty sure Vance would assign you three to Gibbs until someone else could take over other than Kathy. He's willing to put his entire weight behind us though. He believes we're good for each other, and he's right. And no matter what happens, I'm always going to be there for you three. You can always come to me if you need anything."

"Thanks, Boss," Elly said quietly as he snuggled closer to him. Tony wanted to chuckle, but the words Parke said to him earlier came rushing back.

_I guess this is kinda what being a dad must feel like…_

Half an hour later, Elly was thoroughly reassured and passed out on the couch. Tony had tossed a throw blanket over him, and then let himself out, making sure to turn the doorknob lock as he went. He thought about how Jethro had copies of his team's keys, and he wondered if maybe he should have copies for his. That would be awkward to ask for from any other group, but from his team, he decided it might make them _all_ feel better.

He headed for his car, yawning. He suddenly had an urge to go check on Parke, but decided that could wait until morning. Pulling his phone out, he made sure he didn't have any more doomsday text messages. He was half-expecting something from Dorney since he was the only one he hadn't heard from yet. He was relieved when there wasn't anything, and he went home with a lot on his mind.

Elly had had questions, and Tony had answered them all with pretty much the same answer. Most of the questions began with things like, "But what if…" and Tony wondered if that's the kind of talks that Jethro had once had with Kelly when he was being deployed. He was pretty sure that they had flushed out all of the random possibilities that could come back to bite them, and he had pointed out that by being honest and not hiding, it looks better than hiding and having someone reveal their relationship further on down the line. After all, why keep something a secret that is only well intentioned and well purposed? That had settled Elly's nerves, and after a "Huh…" from the younger man, he'd fallen asleep against Tony.

Tony made a mental note that Elly got clingy when drunk, and thought of the way he'd hung on Parke the night they'd all gone out together. He understood the contact in the context, but if Elly got drunk and clingy with Jethro around, it might not go over so well. He had a tendency to get clingy himself when he'd had too much, and Jethro was well aware of that, and maybe he'd understand once explained that it was more like how Abby got when she was clingy. He wasn't going to chance that though.

He pulled up to the house to see a light on he didn't recognize. He got out of the car and squinted at it in confusion, and by time he reached the door, he realized it was the light in Kelly's room. He entered the house quietly, and gently took the stairs, not wanting to spook Jethro. As he turned the corner to the hallway, he saw the door to Kelly's room open, and he found Jethro with two bins next to him as he sat on the floor in front of Kelly's toy box.

Tony stepped into the room and sat behind Jethro, a leg on each side of him. He slipped his hands around his waist, and laid his head on Jethro's shoulder. "Hey," he whispered.

"Hi," Jethro whispered back.

"How's it going?" Tony asked gently.

"Made it in here, even sat down, but then…" he shook his head. Tony nodded.

"Tell me what to do."

Jethro nodded. "Just stay with me." Tony nodded back, and Jethro leaned forward and opened the toy box. Tony loosened his grip on Jethro's waist so he could move, but only a little, and he brought his legs around Jethro's as much as he could.

Tony watched as Jethro finally reached for a toy, pulling it out with a small smile. Tony recognized the weird green body of the stuffed and plastic creature, and Jethro squeezed it, trying to get it to do something that Tony couldn't remember at first. Then the name of the toy dawned on him- Glow Worm. It was supposed to light up like a nightlight for kids. He remembered the commercials for them.

"She was scared of the dark, just like all kids. We got her this, and then she… she was so smart. She asked if there was nothing to be afraid of in the dark, why she needed him. I smiled and told her because sometimes we need the light to find our way to the bathroom in the middle of the night, and that I was thinking about getting me one. She laughed and laughed, and I laughed with her. The look on Shannon's face was priceless."

Tony chuckled behind him, and he was relieved when the older man laughed as well. Tony could feel it against his chest, and it calmed him.

"What type of batteries does it take? We'll need to get some if we're going to give it to Amira."

Jethro nodded and pulled apart the Velcro in the back to pull out the battery box. Tony saw the antiquated cells, and was grateful they hadn't sprung a leak after all these years. He removed one hand from around Jethro's waist, and started a note on his phone for the type and quantity they needed. He set the phone down and slipped his hand back into place as Jethro put the toy in one of the bins.

They spent the next hour going through the toys. There was a story for everything, and Tony listened to them all, making sure to say just enough to let Jethro know he was absorbing everything, but not enough to make him stop. The toy chest was almost empty, and the two bins next to them were full. One was designated for Amira, one was for the nuns to take to the orphanage, and there were a few that were broken lying next to them on the floor to be thrown away or fixed.

Tony knew that he was going to be exhausted the next day, and he hoped he wasn't a complete bear by time they all gathered for dinner at Prisco's. He preemptively decided a nap on Abby's futon was the most productive way he could spend his lunch. He was trying hard not to fall asleep in the cozy position he had found himself in, his head laying on Jethro's shoulder, his body warm against his.

"Let's go to bed, Tony," Jethro said. "The rest of this can wait."

"Sounds good," Tony mumbled. Neither of them moved though. "You okay?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah. Surprisingly so actually. Not sure if there's a delayed reaction to expect, or if maybe this is just what I needed. Thank you."

"Anytime," Tony said genuinely. After a moment, he said, "You may need to help me unwrap my legs from you. They're kinda stuck."

Jethro chuckled and got to his feet with a groan. He reached down and pulled Tony up with him, and then against him. He kissed him softly, and then pulled him close for a hug.

"Is Elly okay with everything now?" he asked.

"Yeah. He's going to be fine. He's got his reasons to be afraid everything is going to go wrong. So does Parke, and Dorney, and Ziva, Abby and Tim. Hell, even us. We all know what it's like to fall into this weird sense of family we have going on here. The fear of it suddenly falling apart is always right there. We've had years to grow accustomed to it, years to accept the fact that no matter what happens at work, we'll stick together because what we have together is bigger than that. Elly said once we sounded like a mob family, and I told him he wasn't too far off."

Jethro chuckled, and shrugged.

"See? Just what any good mob boss would do when faced with that question!" Tony smiled.

"Nah," Jethro said with a smirk.

"Yeah. You're definitely the don." Tony winked at him. "Let's get some sleep."

Jethro stepped back to turn off the small lamp on Kelly's desk. He gently ran his hand over the small black bear's head that was still sitting on the bed, and Tony smiled at him when their eyes met. He reached out his hand for Jethro to take as he neared him, and led him back to their own room.

"I have the world's longest day ahead of me tomorrow," Tony said as he pulled his jeans off his feet, yawning. "I'm going to kill Elly when he's sober."

"You know you'd do anything for those three gladly," Jethro said with a smirk as he climbed into bed in only his boxers. "Just like I'd do anything for mine."

"Yeah, but it doesn't come without repercussions. He's on coffee duty tomorrow morning. I'm going to message him now and warn him." Tony took out his phone and started tapping on it, letting Elly know he was not to come in without something loaded with caffeine for them both.

"What's going to be so busy about tomorrow?" Jethro asked, rolling towards Tony after setting the alarm clock.

"Promised Elly he could have some time off the Qureshi research so he could compile the data coming through for the Stafford Database, I have to figure out what's going on with Parke, tell Dorney the same stuff we told everyone in the bullpen tonight, and tomorrow is MTAC with Dorney for the first time. We're checking in with Garnier and Stephens. Gotta make sure they haven't decided to do anything creative yet."

"Creative," Jethro said with a snicker. "Yeah, those two are something else. You still haven't told me about the tank thing."

"Remind me and I'll tell you on the way in tomorrow. Can't think now." Tony wrapped his arms around Jethro, and Jethro slid his leg between Tony's. Jethro grinned as Tony started snoring softly in a matter of seconds, and let himself relax.

The clock had read 3:15 when he had set it for 6:30. Tony had been getting up with him in the mornings, but he was going to do his best to let him sleep for as long as possible. Tony wasn't the worst person to deal with on only three hours of sleep, but he wasn't the easiest. He fell asleep thinking about how nice it was to have Tony's head leaning against him, and how despite how warm it was getting outside, he couldn't ever imagine not wanting Tony tangled up with him.


	16. Chapter 16

Greg woke up with Tiffany pressed against him. The sun was shining through the window on his face, and he jolted awake when he realized that meant they had overslept. He couldn't remember the last weekday that they had woken up after the sun had shown it's beautiful face. He looked over at the cable box and saw that it said a few minutes before seven.

"Tiff! We overslept!" he said quietly but urgently.

"I'm not going in until ten," she said, wrapping her arms around him tighter, pulling him close and burying her head in his arm.

"Oh," he said, and then he remembered Tony saying he wouldn't say anything if he came in an hour late. "And I'm not going in until 9:30, so I guess we're not late."

"Good," she mumbled. "Just want to hold you a while."

He smiled as he looked down at her, and then kissed her temple. He reached up behind his head for the cell phone on the end table, and set an alarm for eight, and then let himself drift back into sleep with his wife.

* * *

Elly woke up with a pounding headache. His phone was going off with a ringtone he didn't recognize, and he wasn't sure if he had set it or if Tony had.

_Oh, god! My boss had to come over to comfort me last night because I had a drunk-text hissy fit! What the fuck was I thinking?!_

He sat up way too quickly for a man with a hangover, and the room tilted. He could smell the coffee brewing in the kitchen, and sighed in relief that he had at least managed to set the coffee maker before he was too far gone. He wandered towards the scent, reaching for the bottle of aspirin he kept in the cabinet above the coffee pot just for this occasion, and then popped two with a glass of water. He poured a mug of the coffee, and then turned the can of sugar over it for a hearty helping. He took the mug with him to his bedroom, and he flipped open the missed message on his phone.

_Coffee is on you today. You may want to add espresso to mine. Bring two. If I don't drink it, Parke may. He's having a much worse night than either of us._

"What?!" Elly asked himself aloud. He had no problem picking up coffee, but the fact that Parke had something going on, and that he hadn't called him to let him know about it, had him worried and more than a little hurt. He realized he probably should have talked to Parke about the whole video drama before drunk-texting the boss though, so he considered them even.

"Guess there's just stuff you need a… certain type of person to talk to about." He shook his head slowly, remembering the weird events of the night before. He couldn't believe he had been snuggled up next to Tony like that. He was such a clingy drunk, and he knew he was in trouble when Tony text him to be let in. He didn't realize it was because he was about to make a big fool out of himself, and whine and cry on his boss's shoulder about how he couldn't live without his team.

He looked down at the phone in his hand, and pulled up the picture of the entire team at the bar. They were his very own little family, where he fit perfectly into place, felt right at home, and he never wanted anything to come between. He couldn't believe how understanding Tony had been. He really was a lucky prick. He not only was able to get away with making a drunken ass out of himself, but got to understand his boss a little better.

Remembering Tony's explanation of his father made him cringe all over again. He may not have a close relationship with his dad, and the man may not ever understand what kind of damage had been done by finding his mom the way he had, but he had never been the kind of dick that Tony's dad had been.

His thoughts ran through the night before as thoroughly as possible as he showered, striving to remember anything embarrassing he may need to explain when he saw Tony. He was pretty sure he was already paying his dues by picking up coffee, but he was on high alert and ready to be on his best behavior anyway.

He made sure to dress in clothes he wouldn't mind going to dinner in after work if he didn't have time to stop home first. The idea of dinner with the full family perked him up immediately. Not only would his team be there, but Gibbs' team would be there, and the forensics group as well. He chuckled to himself as he headed for his car, making the firm decision to skip on the alcoholic beverages that evening.

* * *

Tony leaned against Jethro in the kitchen as he sucked down his coffee. Jethro had let Tony sleep until he had gotten his shower, and Tony was ready to go right back to bed now that he was dressed.

"You gonna make it?" Jethro asked half seriously.

"Uhuh."

"That was convincing," Jethro said with a chuckle, kissing Tony on the forehead before he took a drink of his brew.

"Just gotta drink this, and Elly will have the good stuff when I get there. He already texted me back an affirmative on the caffeine delivery."

"Good. You still wanna drive in together?"

"Yeah. Since we're going to dinner together tonight, might as well."

"Then you can tell me the tank story," Jethro said with a smirk and Tony chuckled, drinking his coffee down.

"Okay, let's get going."

They packed their pockets and then their holsters, and made their way to the car. As soon as Tony had his seatbelt clicked, he started in on the tale.

"So, as you know, we're running this op out of Syria. Jen had a dozen reasons to stay away from it with the ties of the militants to the same weapons faction that La Grenouille sold to and bought from, and she had a lot of out of town meetings scheduled, so she handed it over to me. I had just been read in on the situation, and I was started to work on Jeanne, and it made sense.

"Our purpose was to make a major dent in the weapons trade route. There was a very specific way the bigger equipment was getting in. Rocket launchers for example, and torch throwers, the kind of stuff that brings entire villages to their knees. I'm working with six operatives, including Garnier and Stephens. One goes missing, and he's a buddy of Stephens. Stephens gets pissed, and he goes off half-cocked towards what everyone knew to be the main holding site.

"There's fourteen foot fences and walls built around this compound, guards every few feet, horrific tales of what happened to those who had previously attempted infiltration, but he doesn't care, because he's a Marine, and he's pissed, and this is his friend. He doesn't realize that Garnier has followed him for two days as he's made his way closer and closer to the compound. He confronts him when he gets to the wall in the middle of the night, and Stephens is like, I've come too far to have you fuck this up now. Rod though, being Rod tells him, Screw that, I'm going with you, two heads are better than one, but before we go over this wall, we're checking in.

"So they're outside of the compound, closer than any of our agents, our troops, the CIA, closer than _anybody_ has been able to make it to the damn thing unless taken there as prisoner, and they're in this little scrap of _woods_ , so, you know, maybe ten trees, in the middle of the desert, at night, checking in on one of those first series tablets, you know the ones-"

"With that stupid blue line that kept going through the screen?" Jethro asks with a smiling grimace as he pictured the antiquated gadgets.

"Exactly! Yeah, those. They're on this tablet, and I get pulled up to MTAC in the middle of a case for this emergency transmission, and they're telling me that they've gotten close to the compound. They've been incommunicado for two days, and suddenly, here they are, completely AWOL, and I'm like, okay, just how close are you. Rod turns the tablet around, and they are literally fifteen feet from the compound. Everyone in the room about shits themselves, including me."

Jethro chuckled. "What did you say to that?"

"I asked what their brilliant plan was now that they were there, and Stephens said that they were going to go get Venzenia back, come hell or high water. Couldn't say no, because it wouldn't have mattered if I did, but I made them agree to keep the tablet on and in constant contact with me at all times. I've got satellite feed up. All we really had was the infrared since it was night, but you know, I was watching for them the best I could, hollering directions out to them as they are literally running through the middle of this compound after somehow managing to get over the wall, busting down doors of every building they could, trying to find where the prisoners are being kept.

"They found them." Tony's voice was suddenly much more solemn. "It wasn't pretty. Venzenia didn't make it, and neither did a couple of others, but they were able to pull one guy out with them, and he was able to tell them how to get to the weapons stores. They figured if they were going down, they were going to bring everything down with them.

"They make it to the storeroom, and Stephens starts rummaging through the arsenal, and finds a large quantity of nitroglycerine blasting jelly. He and Rod and this other guy, who by simple luck was an Army Detonations Specialist, started trying to put stuff together to make it compatible with the flame throwers."

"Luck my ass!" Jethro said with a chuckle, checking his mirrors to change lanes.

"Yeah, I know! So anyway, they picked a few pieces to arm themselves with, and sprayed the blasting jelly all over the rest of the arsenal. The place was taking some cautious fire by the rebels that by then knew where they had been hauled up, but they weren't stupid enough to rain down anything heavy. They wanted to protect their merchandise. At the same time, our guys weren't sure how they were going to blow the place up without taking themselves with it, but they were laying cannon fuse, and Rod had a working Zippo lighter, and they decided that if nothing else they could try to make a go of it by spraying the rest of the blasting gel at the rebels that were waiting for them, and setting them ablaze.

"Then, as if the gods hadn't smiled on them enough, Rod finds a crack between the metal panels of the building, and he was able to see that behind the damn thing was a _parked tank_."

Jethro laughed again. "Those lucky bastards."

"They decide that they're all going to cram into this tank to at least protect them from the explosion. They pry the wall apart just enough that they can squeeze through, and Stephens is throwing the gelignite crap everywhere, and Rod is laying cannon fuse right through the mess, and they're helping the other guy up into the tank with his screwed up knee that's been busted all to hell. They climb into the tank, sitting on each other's laps, and before they close the hatch, Rod takes his lighter and lights the cannon fuse. We watch it take off _much_ faster than any of us expected it, and he went to pull the hatch closed, only they realized that it's been broken into in the first place, and the hatch doesn't lock anymore.

"Stick, which is what everyone called the guy from the Army Detonation team, decides to try the tank, and it starts right up, and they go barreling through the compound, taking out all sorts of crap along the way, and eventually roll right through the fence as you hear the explosion in the background of the cannon fuse finally hitting the blasting jelly. It set off the place like the Fourth of July! We had all sorts of colors coming up on the infrared. The guys abandoned the tank outside of the compound, hijacked someone's jeep, and took off into the night. Meanwhile, we're back here throwing a party in MTAC."

"Nitro, tanks… it's all coming together now," Jethro said.

Tony saw the joyful smile on Jethro's face as the story came to a close, and he kind of wished he would have told him about it years before. The connections to Jen and Jeanne were sensitive though, and he was glad they could laugh about it now, focusing on the good stuff.

"That was the dent necessary for us to pull out of the mission at that point. They had destroyed the largest cache the rebels had, and it left the place a crater with very few survivors. Venzenia was a good guy though. He was a contact, but he was under the direction of the CIA. He and Stephens grew up together, and they worked great together through the whole op. Sucked to lose him."

"Another of the good guys," Jethro said, pulling into the Yard. He took Tony's hand and squeezed it, and didn't let go.

Tony smiled as he realized they were approaching the guard at the gate, and Jethro wasn't going to release his grasp on his hand. It wasn't awkward, and he knew it was simply Jethro's supportive nature that kept their hands together, but Tony couldn't help but watch for a reaction from Steve, the guard that had transferred in two months ago from the Pentagon. He simply nodded them on through though, and nothing was said .

"By the way," Tony said. "Marcella gave me the name of someone who is apparently great with wedding cakes. I'm planning on getting with Abby and making plans to go taste a few sometime this week. You sure you don't want to come with us?" They got out of the car, and walked side by side into the building.

"No, you guys have fun. This is our weekend off together though, so try not to schedule it this weekend. I'd like to have some time alone with you."

"Ahhh yes! I'm looking forward to it! Sleeping in, breakfast at lunchtime, the chicken is ready to go into the crockpot tomorrow morning, actually getting to go for a run without my balls freezing off! Ahh… life is good!"

"I'm sure we can find much better ways to get a work out than running," Jethro said with a wink.

"Oh, don't worry, I'm definitely planning on some time naked in other parts of the house than the bedroom. Now that it's warm out, I may actually get a chance to talk you into spending some time in the shed with me." Tony wiggled his eyebrows at Jethro who chuckled as the elevator doors opened. They got on, and Tony went back to the discussion of the cake.

"I know you don't have any serious opinions about the cake, but do you prefer a buttercream icing, or a vanilla, because though they tend to turn out prettier-" The elevator doors opened, and some suits from upstairs joined them, and Tony had to school his breath as he finished his thought. "- though the vanilla makes for better coloring, I'm kinda partial to the taste of the buttercream myself."

Jethro shrugged. "I like 'em both, I guess. Like I said though, that's your thing, so you decide."

"It's our wedding cake Jethro, I'm sure you have _some_ kind of input."

"I told you, as long as it's not something like raspberry chocolate I'm fine." They both realized that they were having the discussion with an elevator full of people, and they got off in the bullpen with sighs of relief.

"Okay, that was nerve wrecking."

"Yeah, kind of was. I thought this was supposed to get easier."

"It will, once we get over that first wave of reactions. I couldn't even look anyone else in the eyes in there but you."

"That just means your eyes were right where they belonged," Jethro said with a cocky smile.

"And exactly where they want to be," Tony said with a smile that brought Jethro back up to that place beyond "cocky" and into "humbling" turning his smile to something almost shy.

"Get to work," Jethro said, his voice completely lacking any of the gruff command he used to say it with, and inflated with a playful laughter that made Tony feel like he was walking on air.

"You get to work!" Tony joked back, and they went down their separate aisles in the bullpen, all smiles as they stole looks at each other along the way.

"Elly!" Tony greeted, then saw the cup already on his desk. Elly looked up at him with a sheepish smile, and Tony chuckled. "There espresso in this?" he asked.

Elly nodded, chewing on his lower lip.

"Thank god, because this crazy kid I know kept me up half the night. He was plastered, and I had to stay up to reassure him that no monsters were hiding under the bed or in the closets until he fell asleep."

Elly rolled his eyes, but he smiled and turned bright red.

"What's the data looking like for the database?" Tony asked, letting him off the hook.

Elly was suddenly the confident computer geek agent again, his foot tapping to a beat only he could hear as he explained what he was getting.

"So far, there aren't really any major glitches that I can find. The data that we are seeing in the mid-range of results is all over the place. There's about forty cases that hit between a 30-60 percent, and I'm going to have to go through the flags for each one of them and make sure that they are good hits. That's going to require a lot of reading."

"Well that's okay, because we have a lot of time. What's even better is that when Jethro and I go on our honeymoon this fall, you and McGee will be combining teams, and you'll be able to go through all of the data then, compile whatever you have to, and dedicate your time to the database and cold case input."

"Sweet! Where are you guys going?" Elly asked, and Tony felt for the first time like it was a natural question asked that he could answer now that he couldn't just two days prior.

"Naples."

"Whoa, as in Italy?"

"Yeah, how about that?"

"That's frickin' awesome! Is that the area your family is from?"

"No, they're more from the Milan and Genoa parts, but there's no one I've ever met alive anymore. My mom has some brothers that live in England still, but honestly, I don't have any urge to reconnect with any of them."

"Understandable…" Elly said, and then bit his tongue before he could add something along the lines of, _after what you told me last night when I was snuggled up with you on the couch._

Tony smiled, knowing that he was thinking of their conversation the night before by the nervous look that suddenly flitted across his face. He hoped it was a reassuring smile, full of comfort and support, but he couldn't be sure.

"That reminds me though," he turned and looked at Jethro over the divider. "Are you planning the trip, or should I be looking into that?"

"The trip?" Jethro asked, looking up from some paperwork, oblivious to the conversation taking place next to him.

"The honeymoon?"

"I was planning on arranging the basics. I figured you'll want to choose different places we go see once we get there, but hotel, flight, that will all be done." Jethro looked at him with a small smile. He was excited they were able to talk about these things openly now, but he had a feeling he would soon miss the vow of silence that they had formerly taken. The relationship sharing was great, the idea of being constantly bombarded with questions about the wedding was daunting.

"Awesome! So if I said I just want to wander through the city eating and shopping and taking touristy pictures, speaking Italian until we're exhausted and retreat to the hotel, you'd be fine with that?"

"More than fine," Jethro answered quickly.

Tony chuckled. "It probably won't be that simple, but we'll keep it relaxed. I promise."

Jethro smiled back at him, and then Tony turned back to Elly to find him looking down the aisle at Connie who was making copies. He could tell that despite everything, he was trying to hold back his nerves. When he looked back at Tony though, he took a deep breath, and Tony could tell he was relaxed again.

"Other than the food," he joked, "what else are you interested in seeing? Architecture, art, history?"

"Maybe a little bit of everything? Most importantly though, I plan on treating the entire trip like one long wine tasting."

"I'll support that," Jethro said from over the divider.

"I'm sure you would," Tony said quietly with a private laugh and look over his shoulder. When he turned back around, Dorneget was joining them.

"What did I miss?" Dorney asked.

"We're just talking about the honeymoon," Tony said.

"They're going to frickin' Italy," Elly announced. "And they aren't taking the kids."

"You're going to Italy without us, Boss?" Dorney asked, the false rejection on his face making Tony grin. "But, what ever will we do without you for a week? The nanny smacks me around when you're gone, and she makes Elly eat all his vegetables."

"It's true!" Elly chimed in. "Even the broccoli, and you know I hate broccoli."

Dorney suddenly stopped, putting his hand on his desk as he froze in the middle of unpacking his bag. He looked at Tony, then Elly, and back at Tony. Tony realized what the confusion was that suddenly came over him, and he rolled over to Ned's desk. He made short work of explaining what he had explained to Elly the night before, and he was surprised by just how excited his baby agent got at the prospect of them being outed.

"That's so awesome! I mean, if you guys come out about your relationship," he said quietly, leaning forward so only Tony could hear him, "Do you know what it would do for those of us around here that have been afraid to come out? I know that neither of you are really the poster children for successful relationships, but to have two people that are known across the Yard be so open about their relationship will be a huge inspiration, and it will be very comforting to the handful of us who are struggling with the idea of coming out and standing up against the stigmas people around here carry."

"Well, we know it's not going to be a walk in the park, but I don't exactly see us as the rainbow flag waving patriots of the Navy Yard. We're just a couple of guys that fell in love."

"And everyone close to you knows that, but to everyone on the outside, that simplistic message goes a long way. The fact that you're downplaying this whole thing, treating it as business as usual, just goes to show how simple it can be, how coming out doesn't have to be a big horrific event, but just… showing how much you care about someone. It's a great thing! If you don't make a big deal about it, then maybe those of us who are on my lowly playing level can be comfortably out without having a big deal made about it."

"I see what you're saying. Consider it a happy side effect," Tony said with a shrug. That's when he realized why Dorney was so interested in his and Jethro's relationship; it gave him some kind of hope that maybe he could safely be out in the agency without people breathing down his neck.

He headed back to his desk weighing that thought. He wasn't really doing this to be some kind of equal rights spokesman. He simply wanted to be able to be honest and open about his relationship. If the other things happened, then good, but he was afraid Dorney was going to expect something from him he wasn't really comfortable with. He tried to turn off that train of thought, and focus on work.

He started gathering the materials needed for MTAC that day, and told Dorney to head upstairs to the conference room with him, and to bring the information he had gathered. Dorney looked at Elly, and Elly smiled at him, already knowing the plans.

"Just me, Boss?"

"Elly's working on the data for the, uh, database, and Parke probably won't be in until 9:30. Besides, this is more of a you thing."

"Uh, okay," he said, getting up from his desk and stacking an armload of files together, and then his laptop. Tony and Elly watched, trying not to gawk at all of the files.

"One more thing," he said, pulling out his phone and sending the pictures to the printer from his placemat explanations. He pulled them off, and then picked up the mound. Tony held the four files he had in his hand with a notebook and pen in the other, and led Ned to the back elevator, afraid the younger man would drop everything if he tried to carry it up the stairs.

"Got it all?" Tony asked as they boarded.

"Yeah, as long as you can be the one to hit the button, we should be okay."

Tony smiled and leaned forward to press it.

A few minutes later, they sat down in the conference room, and Dorney synced his laptop with the large television screen hanging from the wall. Once they were both sitting, and Tony was sure Dorney wasn't about to fidget himself out of his seat, he started.

"We're going to check in with two of my favorite operatives later today. First Lieutenant Ed Stephens and NCIS Agent Rod Garnier, a Special Ops Operative attached to Stephens. He's a retired Navy Seal. They are a couple of great guys, and when you meet them, you wouldn't think they do what they do for a living, at least not by personality. The word we've come to use for them is _creative_. I was just telling Gibbs on the way in this morning about how they, along with another man, took out an entire rebel munitions cache compound in Syria together, and escaped in a stolen tank."

Dorney's eyes widened, and Tony chuckled.

"They're quick thinkers. They're spontaneous, they're masters of improvising, and they aren't afraid to try things that haven't been tried before. They're both trained in information extraction, and won't hesitate to use it when necessary. They know their geography, and they know where their enemies are amongst it. They also know where their supposed allies are, and they steer clear of both unless instructed to do otherwise. They were working separately for months until they were put back together in March, and I don't anticipate us separating them again unless they come across extreme circumstances."

"And we're checking in with them. Okay. So what have they been doing so far? At what point are we coming in?" Dorney flipped open a blank notebook, and pulled a pen of out his jacket pocket. Tony nodded to himself, monitoring Dorney's reactions.

"They've been tracking the Qureshi faction members that scattered after we took out a large building in March that they were using to weaponize anthrax. We have reason to believe that at the time, there were infected people in the building. As you have probably read, a group of people known as Hajj's Ring came to the States and the UK, went to school, gained the information needed to weaponize diseases and planned to start a new life on a compound in Russia. When the Ring found out just how the Qureshi were planning on using the anthrax they were tasked with distributing, they decided to weaponize a cold instead. There were a few loyalists in the Ring though that turned on them, and all of the members of the Ring were kidnapped, killed, or turned themselves in to our operatives to seek asylum at Gitmo."

"Yeah, that file is over here. Stephens and Garnier are the two that took out the hut, right?"

"Exactly. They went into hiding for a few days, but pretty soon, they started hearing word that there were survivors from the explosion, and they were sent after them to track them down and kill them. The fear was that they were infected. It was very specific assassination orders, with no hope for gaining intel. In fact, they were told not to approach them at all if possible.

"When we ran the op in March, we had infrared of the hut for hours before it was taken out. We knew that two of the Ring members that were most capable of weaponizing and treating the anthrax had been taken alive. In the hut, there were two people lying down and squirming. Their heat signatures were slightly brighter than the others, a sign of a really high fever. We watched as one of the blurs started squirming more than the other, and then a few of those other little colored blurs went running towards him, and next thing you know that little lying blur was completely still, and over the next few hours, his heat signature decreased more and more."

"So he'd been infected and died."

"Yeah."

"And if there were any survivors, there's a good chance they could have been contaminated as well," Dorney said.

"Right, or carrying contaminated spores on their clothes, or with any belongings they tried to salvage. The Army Decontamination people tore the place apart and found the remains of the equipment needed to turn the anthrax into something deliverable, but after Ed and Rod blew the place up, the Iraqi police added fuel to the fire, and the place was mostly ash by time the Decon team got to it. Chards of glass tubing and metal pipes were found, but the anthrax had already been burnt out of them."

"How many people were targeted after the explosion?" Dorney asked as he took notes.

"Five, and four were found." Dorney's head snapped up to look into Tony's eyes.

"What about the fifth?"

"He escaped somewhere across the border into Iran." Dorney nodded and kept taking notes. "At this point, their mission has been to collect information about the faction rebuilding process. In our initial interrogations, the agents learned where the headquarters of the faction was. It was through a series of tunnels that began in the basement wall of a large mosque. Of course, we're not going to bomb a mosque in the middle of a heavily populated city, especially when the congregation had no idea what was going on, so it was kind of an ingenious place. However, we did eventually raid it, and a large number of the faction were killed in the process, and many more detained.

"Our operatives are working with their underground connections to find out exactly who is still interested in making the faction sustainable from the outside, while trying to pinpoint the extent of their resources. As you know, CIA Agent Meisner is doing the same, but he's more focused on the movement of people than resources. The death of Turhan Ubaydah was a catalyst for moving forward recklessly with the anthrax distribution. They had been killing the members of Hajj's Ring, and at first they thought it must have been one of their family members that had sought revenge with the killing. Security footage was able to show them it was Dina though."

"Yeah, I heard. I can't believe her journal is already across the world and in their hands. You know that some of the intel even talks about how in order to find her, you will want to search tea shops because she apparently writes about how she likes to try different teas? They're picking apart that book."

Tony hadn't heard that, but he had been focusing elsewhere. "Where did you hear that?"

"I kind of have access to an online forum they have set up to try to find someone willing to take the contract. The three of them have a reputation though, and they have made friends in low places. Various people have spoken up saying that they wouldn't take the contract because they believe that anyone who messes with the three of them are going to be cursed. The legendary Ali Bak being taken down is only feeding the tales."

"If you have access to their forum, are they able to use a back door to gain access to us?" Tony asked, concerned and intrigued at the same time.

"Anything is possible if you have the right people on your side. However, I don't believe they do. These are very low-tech message boards that are hidden on servers that have nothing to do with the topic. They are meant to be easily accessible, while not being easily found. It's like hiding a cigar box in a forest. It's not going to be easy to find, but once you do, you're not going to have any problem opening it."

"How did you find it?" Tony asked, impressed and surprised that Dorneget would have been able to track that down.

"You know how Meisner has Claudia sending us all of his pertinent intel?" Tony nodded. "The names that she sent us on who had the best potential on accepting the contract came through on Wednesday, and there's a Canadian national on the list that is known for helping funnel Jordanians into Canada to complete honor killings. It's actually a much more common occurrence than you'd think there. I posed as someone that may be able to help gain access to the U.S. in the same way he does in Canada, and asked if he knew of any business opportunities. He directed me to the board and a few others. I forwarded those on a friend of mine at the FBI, but kept the info and have been checking them periodically."

Tony was stunned. "You gotta tell me that kind of stuff! How can you _not_ tell me when you have such an awesome lead?"

"I just kind of figured it was normal research for something like this."

"Everyone has their contacts, everyone has their people, and sometimes it's best not to share names. Safer for everyone involved. But the information you gain needs to be shared."

"Oh, well then we have a lot to talk about," Dorney said, reaching for his folders.

Tony and Ned spent the rest of the morning going through folder after folder of information that Dorney had gathered. There was much more info than what they'd ever need in order to track down their assassins. He had enough planned and mapped out to bring down the entire faction, and Tony was blown away. He and Jethro had both said that they probably wouldn't know the fullest extent of what Ned was capable of until they got him in MTAC, but the prep alone was outstanding.

As they went over the various attack plans that Dorney had mapped out on the back of the placemats, Tony could imagine Ned standing over a large table covered in maps, moving things around like pawns on a chessboard. These weren't simple suggestions he had come up with almost effortlessly, but fully thought through strategic plans for maneuvers, attacks, and every possible recourse. Tony thought about those special kids that may not be able to interact with the world around them, but could sit at a piano and start playing full concertos without a sheet of music ever being put in front of them. Ned may just be learning to fit into the agency, little by very little bit, but Tony wasn't ashamed to admit that the work and information laid out in front of him was way out of his league.

A sad thought crossed his mind, and he was scared to voice it, but Vance's voice filtered through his thoughts, and the idea that Dorney was originally supposed to move on to Jethro's team made sense. Tony knew he was a great investigator, and he knew now that being a team leader fit him extremely well, but with Jethro's military background, he had a lot more experience in tacticals like this, with operations and missions. He couldn't help but wonder if Dorney would fit better with him.

They packed up the folders, and Ned noticed that he had gotten somewhat quiet. He hesitated, but eventually couldn't hold in his question any longer. "Did I do something wrong? You're being… weird."

"What?" Tony asked incredulously. "You haven't done anything wrong! No, you've done everything beyond right. You're meant to do this kind of stuff, Ned. I'm just not sure I've got the experience you need in order for me to train you and lead you. You're way beyond me with it."

"What are you saying?" Tony saw a look of panic coming over Ned's face, and he shook his head, deciding honestly was probably best.

"I'm saying you should probably be being trained under Gibbs for this stuff. He has a lot more experience with it, and he'll be able to give you the chance to experience a lot more of it than being on my team will since he's pulled into ten times the ops than I am."

Ned's face fell and he sat heavily in the chair, leaning on the table.

"But I don't want to go anywhere else." His voice was so quiet and rejected that Tony felt like he'd been kicked hard in the gut.

"I don't _want_ you to go anywhere else," he said, a surprised crackle to his voice as he sat down. He hadn't realized just how hard he'd fallen for his team, exactly as it stood. The idea of it being taken away from him because of his relationship with Jethro was one thing. There was an injustice behind it that he couldn't accept, and that made him angry more than sad. The idea of someone having to leave the team in order to be allowed to shine, and suddenly being faced with the very real possibility of it, hurt him badly. Dorney was such a different person than he was just a few months before. He was more confident, and not quite as socially awkward. He was developing really great investigative skills and personal interaction skills under the guidance of Parke. His interrogation of Brand still gave Tony the chills when he thought about it, and the way he simply fit into the little misfit team that he had completed the family.

"You belong to us," Tony said before he thought about it. "McGee and Ziva love you, but dynamically, you belong with us- with Parke, and Elly, and me. You're not going to be a field agent forever though, Ned. We're a stop along the trail for you. You're…" he waved his hand around the table. "This is you. This is your passion, your talent, your gift, and this is what you need to be doing. You deserve the chance to be able to explore that."

Ned looked up at him with pleading eyes. "Yes, one day, it will be. One day, I'll be stuck in that room up there doing this all the time. Maybe in ten years, I'll want to dedicate my entire career to it, but I really _like_ where I am right now. I'm not in any rush to spend all of my time on it. If I'm needed, yeah, I'll go, but I want to be a field agent first. I want to learn it all inside and out so that when I'm working with the agents and servicemen on the screen, I can say, Yeah, I've been there, I've done that, I've had to talk to people, deal with their issues, get into criminal's minds, and break down situations. There's a lot of value to what I'm doing now, and it may not be what comes the most natural for me, but it means a lot to me.

"I can do this stuff, op research, planning, all day long, and yes, one day, I will, but it's all going to be as natural as breathing. It's satisfying, but it's not the same kind of challenge that being a field agent is. I believe being in the field, finding my way over all these barriers is going to give me the confidence required to direct people when I'm leading an op. That's something I definitely don't have yet. I _need_ to stay where I'm at."

Tony watched that same kind of passion springing up in Ned that he got the day Tony told him he was being moved to his team, and he knew that somehow, he had tapped into the core of the man with the merest suggestion of being reassigned.

"Besides," Ned continued. "I've never belonged anywhere like I belong with you guys."

Tony could only nod at that, swallowing hard. He felt a strange sort of possessiveness come over him, and he was grateful that Dorney was able to give him plenty of valid reasons to stay where he was at. After a long minute of silence, Ned let out a shaky breath.

"So you're not going to reassign me?"

Tony smiled and shook his head. "No, like I said, you belong to us. You may train with Gibbs sometimes during an op, but…" he nodded and swallowed again. "You belong to us, to me."

The smile that spread across Ned's face made Tony worry that he might get hugged, and he was glad when Ned restrained himself. He'd already been snuggled by one of his team in the past twenty-four hours, and that was plenty.

When Dorney and Tony came back to the bullpen, Parke and Elly were sitting at their desks quietly working, and Tony saw that Jethro's team was missing.

"Hey, Elly! Where'd they go?" he asked, slipping his gun and badge into his pocket and holster.

"Not positive. They were working on cold cases I think, and then they were around the screen, and then they were gone."

"Hmm." Tony looked at his phone and didn't see any messages, so he shrugged and came out from behind his desk. "I'm going down to spend my lunch in Abby's lab. I'll be back in about 45 minutes. Don't ruin your appetites for dinner tonight! And Dorney, we're due in MTAC at two so don't go too far. Parke, walk with me a minute."

"Got it, Boss!" Dorney said. He waited until Parke and Tony were out of sight, and then flopped down in his chair.

"You okay?" Elly asked, getting up and coming to lean on Dorney's desk next to him.

"Yeah. Wow my head's spinning."

"And for once your chair isn't," Elly joked, cracking a small smile but observing Ned for any signs of what was wrong. "So what happened?"

"We went over all of the information I had gathered. He wanted to know, like, all of it. He told me he was impressed a million times, and then after we went over a couple of the different plans I've thought through, we started putting everything back together, and he tells me that Gibbs would be able to train me better on this kind of stuff, and that I should be working with him, and then I told him I didn't want to be working with anyone else, that I wasn't ready to stop being a field agent to do the MTAC stuff for the rest of my career yet, and that I wanted to stay right where I'm at."

"Good!" Elly said, his eyes wide as he absorbed Ned's rambling. "What did he say to that?"

Ned smiled and looked into Elly's eyes, suddenly feeling much calmer. "That I might train with Gibbs sometimes, but that I belong to him." Elly was taken aback by the wording, and sat straighter for a moment as he took that in. He remembered all of the times Tony had told he and Parke that they were his, and they he took care of his own. He smiled, and shook his head.

"He's kind of possessive," he said with a smirk, watching Dorney's curious expression. "I kinda like it." Ned chuckled, smiling broadly at him.

"I think I kinda do, too."

* * *

Ziva tried to watch the clock on the dashboard inconspicuously from the backseat, but Gibbs kept catching her expression in the mirror. He knew her thoughts had been on Dion's opening, and he knew that she wished she could be there with him for the lunch crowd. Part of him wondered why she hadn't asked for the day off weeks ago.

They were taking a little trip to canvass a neighborhood that a young man had been killed in four years prior. No one would talk back then because of the fear that a street crew that was strong at the time would come after them. As they went through the case that morning, they had found the crew was no longer in existence outside of prison, and they hoped that more people would be willing to talk about the gossip, and retell the tales they had been told about what happened that night.

They rode down a street in a somewhat rough looking neighborhood, and Gibbs cast a look at McGee. He had come a long way, but if there was anything that was McGee's weakness, it was talking a story out of the kinds of people they would be talking to today. He simply looked too clean cut, too unapproachable, too stiff. As they pulled into a spot, he watched the kid relax, a slow deep breath taking the tension from him, and Jethro knew he was trying to loosen up. He smirked to himself as Tim let himself slouch, and he wondered if that was something Tony had once told him to try.

The three of them wandered around the neighborhood taking notes and chatting with people about the victim. Jethro turned around to look through the street and get eyes on them, and when he saw McGee, he stopped and squinted. He was sitting on a bus bench with an older guy who looked homeless, and they were both eating hot dogs and drinking colas that appear to have been purchased from a place down on the corner. He moved back out of the way of the sidewalk traffic, and watched a few minutes as McGee appeared to get into an involved conversation with the guy. They both finished their hot dogs, and McGee was half turned towards the guy, listening carefully and eating chips from a bag. He reached forward, offering the guy a few chips as they talked, and then took another from the bag for himself.

Ziva appeared at Jethro's side without saying a word. Her glance was also locked on McGee, and Jethro sighed.

"Have you checked in with him yet?" he asked quietly.

"Hmm? Dion? No, not yet. I am hopeful that he is too busy to talk."

"You could send him a message."

Ziva smiled up at him. "I will on the way back to the office. There have been more important things to do."

"Nah. Family is always the priority, Ziva. Work should come second." Jethro made eye contact with her, trying to let her know that he meant it, and that whatever she decided, she would always be family before the job. She smiled at him, and tilted her head.

"Thank you," she said quietly.

"Go on back to the car and see if he's got a second to let you know what's going on. I'm going to go try and pry McGee away from his new best friend."

Ziva chuckled and pulled out her phone as she headed for the car, and Jethro shook his head as he crossed the street towards McGee.

"Hey, Boss," Tim said with a smile. He turned to the man next to him, and introduced them. "Wallace, I'd like to you meet my boss, Jethro Gibbs. Gibbs, Wallace Lively."

Jethro took in the older man across from him. He was appeared as old as his father, and he had eyes that looked like they had seen battle and lived to tell the tale. He reached his hand out at the same time that Wallace did, and shook it firmly. "Nice to meet you, sir. Looks like you've made friends with my agent. I hope he hasn't talked your ear off," he said with a smirk at McGee.

"No, I think I may be talking his off. Apparently we have a mutual acquaintance."

"Oh? Who would that be?" he asked.

"My dad," Tim said, looking up at Gibbs with a smile.

"Did you serve with Admiral McGee?" Jethro asked the man in front of him, wondering what his story was.

"He wasn't an admiral then. Your kid here wasn't even a gleam in his father's eye yet when I knew John. We were both on the Enterprise for a spell, and then the Spruance shortly after they commissioned her. Back then, we were young, and restless, and full of mischief. Then he started a family, settled down, as settled as you can get I guess moving up in the Navy, and I spent the next twenty years learning most every vessel on the blue from the inside out."

Tim started talking with an animation Jethro rarely saw out of him. "I know you're name because when I was deciding between computer science and engineering, Dad of course related the job opportunities of each degree to positions he was familiar with, and he used you as an example of engineering. He told me that a group of you came back from leave one night when docked, and an hour later were called out to man an emergency change in position, and that the two of you were trying to maneuver around this engine room, and he was impressed just how well you were able to handle things with how much you had drank. He said you could've done it in your sleep because you just understood how things function, how they work."

Jethro watched as both men's eyes lit up at that. Lively chuckled and his smile reached his ears. Something about him reminded him of Mike, and that was somehow endearing him to him.

"Oh! I remember that night! We had gotten a little bit crazy at this bar, and they'd kicked us out. We went to another bar, and before we could all get more than one shot down, a bar fight broke out, and your dad had the sense to shuffle us all out 'fore we could get involved. I may've known my way 'round an engine room better than anyone in the Navy, but John knew how to keep his wits about 'im and keep a straight head better than any man I know. He's a thinker, always thought everything through lickety split, and knew exactly what to do."

"I can't argue with you much there. He'd always been more of an intellectual than emotional kind of guy. Head, not heart." Tim nodded.

Jethro watched as Lively nodded sagely.

"I hear ya loud and clear there, kid. Pretty much why we stopped communicating. He was moving up, and keeping friendships like those of us who preferred the life at the level we were at wasn't safe for his aspirations."

Jethro thought it was funny when McGee blushed at what he'd given away until he wondered if some of the tinting on his pale cheeks was in shame for having a father that would leave behind his friends for his career. Lively looked up at him then, and he focused his attention on him.

"Tim here tells me you're looking into who killed Austin."

"You knew him?"

"Mmhmmm," he said with a nod. "He and I talked often. I tried to tell 'im to not make the same mistakes I've made. He was too good to end up where he was heading, if you catch my drift. We all make our decisions. I've made mine, and I'm livin' with 'em. I didn't want to see him sitting on this bench with me in a couple of years. You know he got out to help his mama. She didn't make it long though, and the kid was angry at the world. I didn't blame 'im, we all woulda been in his shoes. Got bitter for a while, then I started bringing him to meetings with me."

"Meetings?" Tim asked.

Lively nodded. "AA at the VA. They used to drive a van through the neighborhood over here and pick a buncha us up. We'd all go over, and they'd feed us. Pretty good chow too, so most of us took 'em up on the offer. Funding got cut of course, so now I go over to the Lutheran church up the road. They always have hot coffee and cookies, so a lot of us that used to go to the VA meetin' now go over there. Introduced Austin to Keith. He led the group, and pretty soon, Austin seemed to be turning things around. They talked all the time. Sometimes I'd see them walking through the neighborhood together. Austin really looked up to him, and Keith really helped him find peace with where he was. Austin was a good kid, but before he got everything cleaned up, there was a few months there he got mixed up in some things, and those demons were chasing him, catching up quick. He was prepared to make a stand though, I knew that. Looks like that's probably what took 'im."

"What do you mean?" Jethro asked.

"It was never official, as in, he never told nobody, but we'd all pretty much figured out that Keith had him go to the police about what he knew, and we all out here figured that was what got him killed."

"What made you think that?" Tim asked, his eyebrow cocking.

"Just the way they were acting, and it was something Keith would do, and something the kid would do, too. Keith actually fell off the wagon after he was killed, so it only confirmed what we didn't ever really know. It was safer back then to not even let those words slip, if you catch my drift."

Tim and Jethro exchanged a glance. "Did Keith sober back up?" Tim asked.

"He's having it rough. He's trying though, and I'll give 'im that," Lively said, his voice suddenly very solemn. "He shows up sometimes at meetings down here when he's slipped again, every few months or so. He knows there's a lot less judgement here than at the VA. Hell, half the guys that show up at my meeting come lit as hell, but they know the cookies and coffee are the real reason they're going, and if they can try to get some help to 'em, they're about it. Keith though, well, he's trying. He's really trying."

"Do you think you could give Keith our information, and see if he might want to help us close Austin's case? Not sure if helping might find some closure, or make things worse for him, but I'd really appreciate it if he could help us," Tim asked, his voice so quiet Jethro almost couldn't hear.

"He deserves all the help he can get. I've seen so many people manage to make it back to the land of the livin' because of that man. It's worth a try to ask 'im."

Tim pulled his card out, and then pulled his pen out and wrote something on the back of it before handing it to Lively. Jethro took his card out as well, watching closely as Lively read the back of Tim's card with squinted eyes. He handed his off to him, and thought a moment.

"You checked with the VA about getting some glasses?" he asked.

"Had some. No idea where they are now. Gotta go get an appointment to set up another pair."

"What do you need to do that?" Jethro asked.

"Not sure yet. Last time I went up there is when we had the bus. Been over a year. Guess I'll go over to the library and have the lady look up the numbers for me. She's just- well, she ain't the most pleasant of people you can say."

Tim already had his phone out, and he was tapping a few things into it. He took the cards back out of Lively's hands, and wrote a number on the back, and Jethro smirked when he put the phone to his ear to make the call himself before Lively could object.

"He always like this?"

Jethro chuckled. "He's got the Admiral's brain, but he uses it with heart." Tim smiled at him, and Jethro considered it a success that he had gotten him to turn pink again. "Gonna check in with Ziva. It was good meeting you, Wallace," Jethro said, extending his hand as Lively took it in another firm shake.

"Likewise."

Jethro went back to the car, standing next to Ziva, who was leaning against the trunk with her phone in her hand. He was able to watch Tim's interactions with the older man from where they stood, and Ziva asked him what was going on.

"This guy served with McGee's dad in what must've been the early seventies. They were friends. McGee is making arrangements for him to get to the VA. He was able to give us a lead on Austin though. He, and from what it sounds like, half the neighborhood thought that Austin Lagger was working with the police to bring down the people after him."

Ziva looked surprised, glancing at Gibbs and then back at the buildings around her. "There was no note of that when the LEOs turned the case over. They did not tell them that he was involved in anything. Brickerson's report specifically says that they were uninterested in the case and turned it over without any problems."

"Unless they, or even Brickerson, was lying to protect Lagger's involvement in a case that could have cost them their bust. Letting this become a cold case when the kid had no family to push them for answers could have been the key to letting them continue their investigation, and might have been what eventually led to the arrests of almost the entire gang."

"True. Would not be the first time it has been done. They are no longer a threat though, so it is time to find justice for him. I will get in contact with Brickerson to find out if he knows anything, and if he does not, when we get back to the office, I will call the officers that were on scene that night and see if they are willing to give anything up now that their perps are behind bars."

Jethro nodded, but his attention was more on McGee as he talked to Lively. He was worried McGee was going to get too attached to the man. If he could help him, and if he could make life a little better for him, that would be great, but Lively made it clear that he had gotten to where he was by his own accord, and would probably rather stay that way than change things now. He seemed to be pretty settled in, and he was afraid McGee was going to try to encourage big changes in that routine, changes that would probably cause him to be let down when Lively didn't want to take him up on them. There was always hope though, and he had seen some of the most stubborn men finally come up from comfortable hopelessness. Maybe McGee could do something for him, even if only make him feel better about himself.

Lively was probably closer to Jethro's age than he originally thought by the stories he had heard. If he and the Admiral were on the Enterprise together, that would probably put Lively at only ten years older than himself, and that worried Jethro, because he looked much older. He decided when he got back to the office, he was going to take a look to see what he could find out about him.

Tim got up, shaking the man's hand before coming back towards the car. He raised an eyebrow at the two of them as he approached, and Jethro shrugged.

"Too nice of a day to sit in the car," he said.

"This man knows your father?" Ziva asked.

"Yeah! They were friends once upon a time. They served on two different ships together before I was born."

"That is an incredible coincidence," Ziva said happily.

"Yeah, especially with the information he was able to give us."

Jethro bit his tongue as he struggled not to point out that there were no such thing as coincidences, afraid to kill the hopeful attitudes of his agents, but hearing it referred to as that gave him a twinge in his gut. He tried to stay positive, and told himself that people change every day, and that sometimes, all it took was someone to have a little faith in them. _Maybe Tim can give him that faith in himself he needs in order to get back on his feet._ He slipped behind the wheel of the car, and pulled his seatbelt across him. _And hopefully he doesn't do something stupid that costs McGee the courage he has to think with his heart._

"Have you heard from Dion, Ziva?" Tim asked from the backseat.

"Just a one line text that business is doing well. He even put a smile after it," she said, excitedly showing Tim the screen that she had been staring down into again.

"That's fantastic!" he said.

"Yeah!" Jethro agreed. "I'm looking forward to tonight," he added, looking over at Ziva with a smile before looking back at the road. Both of his agents agreed, and a minute later, he stole looks at each of them to find them wearing wide smiles at the prospect of getting together for dinner with the family.


	17. Chapter 17

Tony and Parke entered the elevator to find they weren't alone. They waited until it stopped at each floor, letting people off. It finally emptied on 'Ground' before heading to Abby's floor in the basement. Tony turned towards Parke and flipped the switch, causing the elevator to jolt to a stop. He asked himself it was more abrupt than usual, and decided that he was imagining things.

"How'd things turn out?" he asked.

Parke smiled. "I'm not sure. I woke up this morning, and Tiff had come home last night when I was passed out on the couch. I woke up with her on the couch with me. We didn't get much of a chance to talk, but it feels like the atmosphere has changed. She promised me she'd be home tonight to talk before we go to dinner."

Tony smiled. "Good. I'm glad to hear it. And I'm glad to hear you are both planning on being there tonight. I think it will do you some good to have her at one of your work related things."

"I won't argue with you," Parke said with a chuckle. "I want her to succeed, you know? I don't want to hold her back from going after this. She's worked hard for it, she's good at it, I support her causes one hundred percent… I just don't feel like I need to be tangled up in it with her. Once in a while? Sure! But once a week? I can't do that."

"I understand, but I'm not the one that you need to understand. Talk to her tonight. We're off this weekend, so try to spend some time working through it."

Parke nodded. "Thanks, Boss."

Tony nodded.

Parke grimaced. "And I'm sorry for keeping you up half the night."

Tony chuckled. "You weren't the only one sending me late night text messages. My team is a bunch of drunk-texting lushes!" Tony joked as he resumed the elevator's descent.

"Huh?" Parke mumbled, looking confused.

"Don't ask," Tony said, getting off the lift. "I've got to talk to Abby. Go ahead back up and see if Dorney can't give you a lead to follow for the op we're walking into."

"On it," Parke said, hitting the button to take him back upstairs.

Tony turned around and headed into Abby's lab. He yearned for a nap on the futon, and tried desperately not to follow its magnetic pull.

"Tony!" Abby greeted, bouncing to the music she had playing. It wasn't especially loud, nor was it especially harsh. He didn't say anything about it, choosing instead to encourage the softer tunes silently.

"Hey, Abby! Was wondering if you were free to talk cake for a few minutes."

"Oh! Totally! Let me save this." She tapped a few things on her keyboard, and then turned her attention on the man next to her. "What are you thinking?"

"I sent you an email this morning with a link in it to this cake designer's website that my friend Marcella, that owns Casimiro's, suggested. I really like some of her stuff. I was thinking we could set up a tasting with her next week."

"Oooo!" Abby exclaimed, already bringing up the site. "Definitely! How are you envisioning this?" she asked, waving her palms in front of her dramatically.

"Well, I want layers, three squares, though they don't need to be large. I'd like to turn each layer so that they aren't in such a traditional stack, but then I'm thinking something fairly simple."

Abby nodded, and then brought up a program in her computer that she normally would use for recreating a scene and figuring out projections. She had an image created exactly like what Tony was imagining in a few breaths.

"Exactly!" he said. "We have decided that our colors are going to be blue and green. The park has a blue garden in the late summer, and with Jethro's eyes being blue, and mine being green, we're going to wear shirts to compliment them. Hopefully we can find nice that doesn't make us want to rip each other's clothes off." The last part he added under his breath.

"Oh, that is perfect!" Abby exclaimed. "Not to mention, it's hot! Romantic, but _hot_."

"Down girl," Tony said with a smirk. "So here is what I'm thinking. The trim on the top layer will be a royal blue, inch thick rim, maybe like a ribbon. The bottom layer will be trimmed in green, again, an inch thick, and then the middle layer will be completely covered with the two. I'm not sure if I want to do an argyle pattern, or a basket-weave looking thing, or stripes, or spirals-"

"Argyle could be iffy," Abby interjected. "I've seen it done well, and I've seen it turn out really… well let's just say it's not what you want. Stripes could be tasteful, and I think it would suit you both more than spirals. The weave _could_ be nice, if it's done well. Maybe it they use the blue and green candy ribbon stuff that you were saying to edge the other layers with?"

"Hmm. There's a thought." Tony was imagining all of the ways that could turn out. "I like the stripes too. I think they would be the best option. Alternating widths, blue and green vertical stripes."

Abby nodded with a smile. "I like that."

"Now, what about a topper?" he asked.

"If they do the ribbon effect, they can make a blue and green bow for the top," she suggested.

" _No!_ " Tony said emphatically. "Jethro has very few requests for this whole thing, and one of them is no ribbons or bows. The trim around the cake being ribbonesque is fine, but I am going to do everything I can to honor that. Also, the cake can't be fruit flavored. I'd like my husband to actually get to eat a piece of the cake, and he's a very basic cake kinda guy."

"Well, each layer can be something different," Abby pointed out.

"Yeah, that's what I told him, too. I think I'd like to keep it simple though. Classic. The colors will be bold enough as is; the rest of it can be simple. A chocolate layer, a white layer, and then maybe something kinda different, like carrot cake or something, though I'm not sure I'm the biggest fan of carrot cake. Maybe red velvet? But doesn't that usually have a cream cheese icing? I wanted buttercream."

"Yeah, but they can make the cream cheese icing and buttercream icing the same color, or if you're completely covering the second layer, you can make it the specialty and it won't really matter."

"Good point. So what do you think about Ms. Sullivan's creations?" he said, turning to the site.

"She really is tasteful," Abby said absentmindedly as she shifted through photos. "Not really my style for a lot of these, but I could see how she would be exactly what you're looking for. Oh! Now this one, I like. You wouldn't, but that's definitely something I could do." Abby smiled at Tony as she came across a cake that was multiple round layers with a design that looked like blue, purple and black squares, checked and made to look like they were melting off the cake and dripping over a white bottom layer.

Tony nodded. "I can see that for you. It's actually kind of tame for you, but at the same time, if you were considering… say… combining your tastes and _McGee's…_ " he glanced at Abby with squinted eyes and looked down his nose at her inquisitively.

Abby rolled her eyes, but she was blushing furiously.

Tony's eyes widened. "Abby McScuito! What's going on in that dark, scary place known as your mind?"

She reached out and punched Tony in the arm.

"Nothing!" she answered too quickly. Tony gave her a seriously questioning look, his eyes much softer, and she sighed. "It's just, with us moving in together, and Jimmy's wedding last week, it's kind of like reality is setting in. This is looking more and more permanent every day, and I'm just trying to get comfortable with the idea that maybe one day, Timmy and I just might be doing this for ourselves. So, you know, it's crossed my mind a couple of times."

"And by a couple of times, you mean…?"

Abby pouted and looked back at the computer screen, changing pictures again. When she spoke again, her voice was much quieter. "I might mean I haven't stopped thinking about it since Jimmy's wedding."

Tony smiled from ear to ear. He tried to get himself in check. He knew that this was a sensitive area, and that it was a fragile thing to be working with. As badly as he wanted to rag on her and make jokes, he didn't want to tamper the flow of good feelings she might have been having towards the idea of permanence with McGee, and he deserved Tony's discretion here.

"Have you talked to Tim about that?" he asked quietly.

"Not yet. It's still a long way away. I don't want to get any hopes up when I'm probably just riding your and Jimmy's wedding high. I want to be able to make the decision without all that on my mind."

"Sounds smart," Tony said, bumping his hip against Abby's gently, causing her to look up at him with a small but genuine smile. He returned it. "Let's call and set up some time to chow down on some cake samples."

"On it," Abby said, picking up the phone.

* * *

Tony smirked when Dorney's eyes widened as he came into MTAC and looked around. Ned went to stand in front of the screen and took a deep breath, centering himself. Suddenly it was as if everything fell into place. Tony's eyebrow raised as he noticed an actual physical change come over the younger man. It was as if though he finally fit into his own skin, moving naturally, standing confidently, and exuding an air of belonging.

Ned was thinking about how it felt so incredibly right to be standing where he was. He would have never thought a few months prior, as he was sitting at a desk in the evidence cage checking logs, that he would be getting a chance to stand in that room anytime soon. Now, here he was. He felt like a completely different person. A lot of the changes were good, but at the same time, no matter how exhilarating it was, he was scared to realize that he didn't know himself anymore.

He looked around the room, and his eyes met Tony's.

 _No,_ he though. _It's just that I'm finally meeting myself. I'm finally learning who I really am._

Tony leaned against the control desk next to Evelyn, who smiled as Tony watched Ned.

"Probie's first time in MTAC," Tony said to her, and she nodded as if though everything suddenly made sense.

"First of many, I hope," Dorney said.

"There's no way you'll screw this up, kid," Tony said, pushing off the desk to join Ned in the middle of the room. "This is what you do; you simply haven't done it yet."

The screen turned blue in front of them, and Tony watched Ned's eyes light up for a moment like a child watching fireworks, and then he settled back into that calm place where he transformed into someone much more confident than he'd ever felt.

"Agent Garnier is signed on when you're ready, Agent DiNozzo," Evelyn said.

"You ready?" Tony asked quietly.

Dorney looked at him a long moment, then nodded. He turned back towards the screen, and Tony gave Evelyn the nod. The screen soon showed the smiling faces of two men, one plain clothed, one in a black tee with dog tags hanging over it across his chest. They were sitting in a dark room, their faces barely lit by what appeared to be candlelight as it danced and caused shadows around them.

"DiNozzo!" Garnier greeted.

"Rod! Ed! You two staying out of trouble?" Tony asked cheerfully.

"Us? No? That's what we get paid the big bucks to do, right? Find trouble and roll around in it?" Stephens answered, looking over at Garnier with a playful look of mock confusion and a shrug. "Did you hear something about supposed to be staying out of trouble? I didn't get the memo."

"Yeah, I somehow missed that one, too, Boss. Can you explain this whole staying out of trouble bit? I think I'm a little lost," Garnier said, squinting and leaning towards the screen, pretending to be serious for a moment before a wide grin spread across his face. Tony chuckled.

"Who's your friend?" Stephens asked.

"Agent Rod Garnier, Lieutenant Ed Stephens, I'd like for you to meet one of my agents, Ned Dorneget."

"One of _your_ agents? Got your own again?" Rod asked. "Moving up in the world! What's Gibbs got to say about that?"

"Well, he's gotta put up with me for the rest of his life now, so I'm sure one day he'll be glad that Vance finally found something he could use to force me to step out from under him and take a lead position." Tony realized that as the words were falling out of his mouth, he was growing hotter and hotter, and by the time he got them all out, he knew he was blushing furiously.

"Rest of his life?" Stephens asked, cocking an eyebrow at Garnier before looking back at the screen.

"Yeah. We're getting married in September," he said, looking to Dorney who was smiling at him proudly. That somehow gave him an odd sense of courage, and he looked back up at the expressions of the two men on screen to find them shocked.

"Well, hell! I didn't see that one coming for a million miles away!" Garnier said.

Tony laughed. "Yeah, well, we didn't either." He shrugged and moved on. "I've actually got three agents under me, but Agent Dorneget has an incredible aptitude for this stuff. He's going to be working with us through this, and he has a lot of thoughts and ideas that I hope we can put into action as we progress. As of right now, I'm sure you've gotten the word on what our priorities are now."

"We're bringing the bastards down!" Stephens said excitedly with a Cheshire grin.

"Yes, we are," Tony said, his smile almost matching. "We have three contract operatives on U.S. soil right now that are being targeted because one of them killed Turhan Ubaydah after he came across her on a mission to gather intel, assaulted her and raped her. She did not know who he was at the time. The Qureshis have been searching for her to exact their revenge, and had sent renowned assassin Isah Ali Bak after her. He was caught though, and is in federal custody."

"There are already bids being made to take the next contract to kill her and her to companions," Dorneget said, looking back and forth between the two agents, and then glancing at Tony for his approval to continue. Tony gave him a tiny nod, and Dorney took a deep breath.

"For the past two months, the faction has been able to regroup resources at a rate that they shouldn't have been able to. We have reason to believe that they now have new backing. It appears that larger supporters are falling into place with money, access, and resources that they didn't have before. Your success in March was able to take certain people off the rosters that these benefactors didn't want to play the game with. Whoever is left must be changing the rules enough that people who weren't willing to be allies before, are more than willing to be now. We're not sure where those people are yet, but we're looking into it. Do you have any ideas?"

Stephens shook his head slowly, and Garnier looked over at him with a grimace that Tony knew was a genuine lost look, unlike the one he had given them just a few minutes prior before the atmosphere changed so quickly. "Can't say as we do," Garnier said, looking disappointed. "We knock some down only so others can rise. This battle never seems to be won."

Ned continued. "The benefactors must have a serious say in how the resources are being used, otherwise they wouldn't be this dedicated. The organization is likely very fragile right now because of it. The faction has been together for years, and if the new money is coming on board and changing the way things are done, there is probably a major change in the balance of power, which is going to lead to disruption. We need to find out who the new key players are, and we need to find out what kept them from wanting to be so involved before that isn't in the way now. They didn't just appear out of thin air- they had to be around before, waiting for a time and a group that was desperate enough to bend to their whims in order to accept the offer of their goods."

"We can find out," Stephens said confidently. "We have connections we shouldn't have that we may be able to deal with for some information if need be."

"Good," Dorney said with a sigh and nod. "If we can make sure we're armed with enough information, we may be able to take advantage of their instability." He looked at Tony, whose eyes were glued to the screen.

"At the same time, our charges over here need answers. We need to know if anyone is coming for them, when, and how. And if you encounter the people being sent to take them out, which I hope you do, they need to be herded into our pen," Tony said, picking up the conversation. "If that is not possible, they need to be permanently intercepted."

"Understood." Garnier nodded sternly, the playfulness completely gone from his face.

Dorney nodded. "I'll make sure the information I have in regards to the most likely suspects to accept the contract is sent to you. You'll have it within the hour. The most likely at this point is a man known across the boards as Sam. I'm not able to get a real name on him. From what I've been able to find out, he's not interested in honor killings, like Ali Bak, and he doesn't have the same motivations. There is no moral aspect for him, only financial. We're not even sure of his nationality yet."

"I know who he is," Stephens suddenly said, his voice low and cold. "And you're right- he has no moral obligations to anything. He's a defector. His name is Adam Biston, and he goes by Sam after Son of Sam. He enjoys his _job_ a little too much. Some people say he snapped under the pressure, some say that he intentionally hid his issues from the psychiatrists that did his entrance tests and later evaluations in order to gain access to a position that might enable him to hide his murders. I don't know which I believe, but I definitely know who you're talking about."

Tony cringed. He didn't like that.

"When you say defector, what branch are you referring to?" He knew the answer, but didn't want to hear it. Jethro would flip when he found out.

"Marines," Stephens said grimly. "You know how we all like to say there's no such thing as a former Marine?" He only paused a moment for Tony's nod. "Well this guy will be a former _human_ if I cross his path."

"What's your personal connection to him?" Dorney asked with a strange, almost authoritative tone to his voice that made Tony look at him suspiciously. Dorney looked back into Tony's expression. "It's pretty obvious there is one."

"Eight years ago, shortly after he defected, I ran into him. I didn't know at the time that he'd turned, and he led me into what should have been a nasty trap. I had been sent scouting for information. Thankfully, the other scout they'd sent out made it back to my unit in time for them to come get me. What was supposed to be a trap ended up a win for us, but let's just say I didn't get away unscathed. Biston did. He won't next time."

Tony nodded, and Dorney looked at him for a reaction to see how they should proceed.

"What else can you tell me about him?" Tony asked.

"Every time I hear his name dropped, I note it. It's all in a file, and I'll send it to you. Basically, he's a gun for hire, but he likes to play with his prey first. Mind games, get them all riled up, and then if he's paid to, and sometimes if he's not, he'll play physical games too. Word on the street is that he gets off on it."

Garnier whistled low. "So we got a terrorist funded psychopath out there. And he's not going to have any trouble getting past airport security with his pretty U.S. passport."

"We can take care of that," Tony said. "I'll make sure if the damn thing even gets taken out of his pocket our systems get flagged."

"Interpol, Homeland, Customs, and TSA will all be on the lookout for him within ten minutes of us leaving this room." Dorney's voice had an edge to his voice that made Stephens smile.

"I think I'm gonna like the newbie," Stephens said with a glance at Garnier who smiled back and nodded.

Tony chuckled. "Get used to him, you'll be hearing from him a lot."

"Two minutes, Agents," Evelyn said quietly.

"Our satellite time is almost up," Tony announced.

"We'll do our digging and get back to you in 72 hours. That should be enough time to do our digging. It's too late now, but first light we'll see if a contact of ours wants to grab some breakfast," Garnier said, a smirk to his expression that made Tony grimace.

"Don't get yourselves mixed up in something without letting someone know," he ordered. His voice was stern, and Dorney was impressed at how both men on the screen turned serious at the simple change in tone.

"Don't worry, DiNozzo. We're too close to freedom now to screw this up," Garnier said. "Want to get this done and over with so I can come home."

"Amen," Stephens said, shaking his head and sitting back. "I've got six months left before I can put in for retirement. I threatened, and they promised to bring me stateside. When I'm finished with this, once the faction goes down, I'm coming home. I'm not going to screw it up now. Not to mention, Rod's promised to treat me to a genuine Mardi Gras experience next year, complete with some homestyle Cajun cooking."

"Damn straight! Get these punks broken down and scattered, and send me home to the bayou!" Garnier smacked Stephens on the back, and Tony smiled and nodded.

"Then it's settled. Get your info, check in on Monday, and then we'll strategize."

"Woohoo!" Garnier shouted. "We're going home, Ed!"

"Hold your horses, now! We still gotta get these guys running. _Then_ , and _only_ then will be having jambalaya on your dock."

"Good enough for me. See yas on Mon-." The transmission was cut short, and Tony shrugged. They only had so much time scheduled on the satellite.

"So, what do you think?" Tony asked with a grin.

Dorney nodded with a smile. "I'll go get the reports together for the BOLO on Adam Biston, aka Sam, and then I'll shoot the information to the guys about what I've got so far."

"Good. So what do you think?" he asked, eager to find out how Dorney felt about the experience.

"It felt good, right."

Tony liked the smile he saw on Dorney's face. It said he was confident but not cocky, and he was glad that he was keeping an even head about it. He'd taken his place without hesitation, and Tony was proud of him.

"I can't believe you told them," Dorney said quietly with a chuckle.

Tony smiled from ear to ear, and felt himself turning red again as he led Dorney from the room. "Yeah, well, they've been around long enough to know, and I didn't want Rod to get back and hear through the grapevine. There's some trust there, and I had a feeling they'd be okay with it."

"You mean they're…?" Dorney asked, confused, stopping in the hallway in surprise.

"Huh? Oh! No, no. They aren't together. Not that I know of at least. They've been paired up for a long time, but I don't think it's like that."

"Ahh, okay." Dorneget sounded almost rejected, and Tony decided there was something he wanted to know. He slowed his pace.

"Can I ask you something kind of personal?" he asked.

"At this point, I'm not sure what _personal_ even is anymore around here, so sure, go ahead."

Tony chuckled at that. "Yeah, the lines do get blurred pretty easily once you're on a team, especially ours and Gibbs'." He leaned against the railing above the bullpen, his voice lowering. "Why aren't you out outside of our teams?"

Dorney sighed and practically collapsed against the railing next to Tony. "I know how things work around here. The gossip is worse than high school. We could probably take bets on how many people will know about your engagement by the end of the day now that Evelyn and Scott just heard everything in there."

"Scott? Is that his name?" Tony asked, considering the guy working at the switchboards with Evelyn. "Hmm."

"Evelyn… well you don't have to worry too much about her. It will just be gossip. But Scott's a dick. Seriously. He's the type of guy that was the mouthy bully in college. He still feels like he's got a right to say whatever he wants, to whoever he wants, whenever he wants to. He's an ultra-conservative fundamentalist, and I've heard some of the things that come out of his mouth and shivered. It's hard to believe that people could be so full of hatred."

"Ned," Tony started softly. "He can't touch either of us. Not literally, and not our jobs. You're a full blown, active agent now, and you're under my protection, and by proxy Jethro's, and even more so, by the Director's. What you need is to be under your _own_ protection though. You've got to apply the confidence you have in your work to your personal life. You're stronger and better than that. Don't let the running mouths of idiots get to you. They don't know you, they never will, and you don't have to let them. It's not your job to make friends out of people who are raised into idiocy. Live your life the way you need to live it, be honest with yourself, the people around you, and tell those that have a problem with it to go fuck themselves."

"Easier said than done," Dorney said, standing up straighter, his eyes taking on that passionate glint that made Tony pay attention immediately. "Sure, Scott is the current example, but not everyone is so far away from the job we're doing. In this building, on this floor, at some of the desks right under our feet, there are people who are going to have a hard time swallowing the pill you are putting out there. Some may come around, might even learn to open their eyes and see the fact of the matter that this is not a choice, that loving someone, being attracted to someone, is not a _choice_ , but there are others that are going to try to rock the boat. They may not do it by going after our jobs, but creating a hostile environment doesn't have to come in the form of direct contact.

"Worse than causing obvious trouble, they could just completely ignore you. They can stop speaking to you, stop even _looking_ at you, talking to the people around you like you're not standing right there amongst them, and what happens when one day we're all going into an ambush together like with El Jefe? They step back, letting you go in first? They don't take the shot quite fast enough once they realize the target? They hesitate just enough to take you out of the picture for real? What then?"

Tony watched Dorney's genuine anger and fear as he stepped closer to him so that he could talk quietly and not be heard, though his voice was so full of passion that Tony wondered if half the bullpen wasn't looking up at them.

"And you have twelve years' experience around here. That's twelve years' worth of time under one of the hardest to please people in the agency. That means you have respect; you have an untouchability that I don't have. I haven't earned everyone's respect yet. Maybe after this op people will see me differently, but right now, what do I have? About two months of being very probationary on a team."

Tony was surprised his voice was so calm when he started talking, because he didn't feel it inside.

"I know this, trust me, I do. That's why I only talked about the women I dated until Jethro and I got together. But when I got here twelve years ago, things were much more sensitive than they are now. There are so many more protections in place than when I came here, than when I was in Baltimore or Peoria or Philly. The world is changing, and I can tell you want to be a part of that change. You're eager to be more accepted, and to obviously feel safer here. I have a feeling there's a reason why you don't feel safe enough to do so, something specific, and that's why I'm asking."

Dorney took a few deep breaths to try to calm himself. When he finally spoke, his voice was so quiet that Tony almost couldn't hear him. "Let's just say those I have come out to haven't been as accepting as our team and Gibbs' team."

Tony took the hint that he didn't want to go further, and he saw it in the gray eyes staring back at him, cold as stone.

"Same here," he simply said. Dorney swallowed hard and then nodded. "In case you haven't picked up on it, my father, and the few people in my family I know are still alive, are not welcome at my wedding. They aren't even welcome in my life. There's reasons for that." Tony watched as Dorney absorbed that, and saw that it had given him something to think about. He left him on the balcony to mull it over, clasping his should for a moment as he went past him.

When he looked over the railing, Jethro was looking up at them openly. Everyone else was suddenly burying themselves in their paperwork, and Tim even had a faint blush creeping up his cheeks. He ignored them all and went to his desk.

"You got a live one?" he asked Jethro over the partition, ignoring the question in his eyes.

"The possibility to warm up a cold case, and it looks like we have a connection with a possible inside track."

Tim dropped a couple of papers on Jethro's desk, and Tony looked up to see him grinning. "Yeah, and the guy knows my dad," he said. Jethro nodded as he watched Tony's surprised expression.

"Really?"

"Yeah! Surprised me, to say the least."

"You'll have to tell me the story tonight at dinner," Tony said with a smile, turning to sit down at his computer.

He felt a little stressed, and that thought almost made him chuckle out loud. He was planning a wedding, coming out at work, building relationships with his team while feeling an overwhelming urge to take care of their personal problems, and he was trying to run an op to bring down a powerful faction in the Middle East in order to protect three of his fiancé's friends. Not only that, but he had a cold case to finish up on, and a team to manage as they created a technological masterpiece he was worried he might not even be able to operate after a few years of updates.

He picked up the phone and dialed Fornell. It was time to talk about the Stafford case and the database. After that, he was going to have to call the agent-in-charge for the day and try to check in with Malek. Then, if he was lucky, he would be able to make it through the stack of files on his desk before they had to leave for dinner.

He waited through three rings as he made a list on a Post-It about everything he had to do before he could call it a week. On the fourth ring, Fornell's voice came through the line, and after a quick hey and hello, they started talking about the case. He tried to ignore the way Parke and Elly turned their attention on Dorney as he rejoined them in the bullpen, but he couldn't deny that he saw Elly's concerned expression, and the way he immediately began typing and looking up at Ned. He pushed it to the back of his mind, and promised himself that he would talk to Ned about it at dinner.

* * *

Jethro wasn't sure he liked what he was learning about Lively. He'd waited until he'd sent his team home to get ready for dinner before he started researching the man. He found out that Lively had retired after an incident with an engine he was repairing on the USS Ramage while in port, resulting in it catching fire and almost taking out the whole ship. Multiple incidents had been filed over the years for intoxication, including two the month of the engine fire. Thankfully the ship had been docked for four weeks at that point for serious maintenance. Resources were at hand, and crews were able to evacuate to safety.

Jethro actually remembered the incident when he saw the date. It was shortly after Tony had come on board at NCIS, and they had passed the scene of the ship smoking and everyone waiting on the dock. News filtered around the Navy Yard that everything was okay, and life went on.

Officially, the paperwork stated that the older man's vision was to blame for him finally retiring, but the incidents, and the statements Lively had made to them today, made him wonder if he'd been drinking.

He wondered if the man was succeeding with his sobriety. He sounded like he was, and if so, that was great, but it had also sounded like he carried the attitude that he was too far from being helped, unlike the attitude he projected for Kevin and Austin. Jethro had to wonder what the repercussions would be of McGee befriending him.

He looked back further into his record, and he saw that there was a sudden increase of demerits while on the Nimitz, where he was transferred after six months aboard the Spruance with Tim's father. He suddenly picked up the phone on his desk and stared at the buttons. He put the phone back down and ran his hand over his face. He wasn't sure what he was doing, but the thought of calling Tim's dad without him knowing didn't sit well with him.

He looked over the divider at Tony, whose head was buried in yet another folder, and he shook his head. He didn't want to put Tony in the awkward middle of it all. It wasn't fair to involve him in things that he couldn't talk to Tim about. After all, Tim was his go-to, his one person he chose to talk to about their relationship when they only had one person each to confide in. He couldn't expect him to keep secrets from him.

He decided to put it away for the weekend, and just focus on relaxing with his fiancé.

"Are you going to be ready soon?" he asked.

Tony looked up from the file and rubbed his eyes. He nodded and yawned, and Jethro smirked.

"I'm ready," Tony said, turning to look at Jethro. "I'm ready to leave, and I'm ready for this weekend to begin, and I'm ready to go have dinner with everyone and relax. I'm so ready."

Jethro realized just how tired Tony actually looked. He suddenly remembered how late Tony had been up the night before, and cringed. He may be used to only a few hours of sleep, but even he was feeling drained after the night they'd had. Tony had been handling the day so well though that he hadn't thought about it.

"I think we have some time before everyone is expected to be at dinner. Want to go get a cup of coffee?" Jethro asked, anxious to get Tony away from work so he could ask him what had happened with Dorneget on the balcony.

"Definitely," Tony groaned as he spun back around in his chair and locked the files he was reading in his drawer.

He got to his feet, took a second stack, and put them in the front of the cabinet next to his desk, locking it as well. When he turned around to pick up his bag, Jethro was turning off the light on his desk. Tony smiled and did the same, and his eyes met Jethro's as they started heading for the elevator. He could almost feel the work week breaking off of him in chunks with every step, leaving it behind him.

"Abby and I are going cake tasting Monday night!" he said excitedly as they pushed through the stairwell door. Jethro followed behind him with a small smile. He knew Tony wanted to go down the stairs so they could stop in their usual blind spot for a quick kiss.

"Good," Jethro said, and as they took the last step into the bend, Tony turned and pulled him close, placing a soft kiss on his lips that was so gentle it surprised him. When they pulled back, he blinked and took in the nervous look on Tony's face. "What's wrong, Tony?" he asked as softly as the kiss, reaching up to tilt his chin so that he'd meet his eyes. Tony fell against him, and he caught him, wrapping his arms around him. Tony hugged him back with a groan.

"Coming out is exhausting."

Jethro laughed. "Yeah, I'm getting that."

Tony didn't let him go, but looked up into his eyes. "At least you don't have Dorney on your team on top of it."

"Ahhh."

"Yeah. Ahhh." Tony took Jethro's hand, and turned to lead him down the stairs. They both looked at their joined fingers and smiled.

"Does this have anything to do with what happened on the balcony earlier?" Jethro asked, taking the opening while he had it.

"Yeah. Garnier and Stephens asked what you thought about me being on my own team, and I said something along the lines of you're probably relieved since you have to put up with me the rest of your life now. They asked for an explanation, I told them we were getting married. Kept it simple."

Jethro looked up at him with two raised eyebrows, then shrugged.

"We were leaving the meeting, and Dorney voiced his amusement about saying something to them. I decided to ask him why he wasn't out beyond our teams. He… he has some valid concerns. The same ones I've had over the years. He informed me that Scott, that new guy that works with Evelyn, has a rather ill opinion of relationships like ours, and that he has no problem voicing it. And Dorney is just so excited about us coming out about our relationship. He sees it as a door opening to let all of the other non-straight agents and workers around here come out. And he's right, but I wasn't bargaining for that.

"I mean, I don't plan on making a big deal about it, at least no bigger than anyone else getting married would, but he thinks that since we have a long history around here, our reputations will cause people to respect it more, and he thinks people will be less likely to harass someone who follows in our footsteps. As he pointed out, if _he_ came out right now, after only being on a team for couple of months, he's not as secure as we are. If he waits six months, once the dust settles from our revelation, and once he's got the op under his belt, he'll have a precedent and more respect, and he'll be safer. And it sucks to think that we work with people who would let something like that get in the way of a working relationship. I'm not anxious to experience the backlash, and I'm honestly not anxious to forge that path. I simply want to be able to share my joy with the people around me."

They were halfway across the garage, still hand in hand, when Jethro realized they weren't alone. Evelyn was standing outside of her driver's door, her coat and purse over one arm, her hand on the key still in the door. She was fifty yards away from them, and she was staring in such a way that though she was obviously surprised, he couldn't tell if it was with a negative or positive tone. He tried to ignore her, looking instead at Tony to see if he had seen her. He realized he hadn't, and he decided to keep it that way. He could tell Tony was already overwhelmed, and he figured that unless he saw the stare, he didn't need to know about it.

Once they were in the car, Jethro turned to Tony.

"Do you still want to do this, Tony?"

"What? Dinner?" Tony asked, looking genuinely confused.

"This whole coming out thing."

"Oh! Yeah! I mean, it's kind of hard to stop the ball from rolling now anyway, but as exhausting as today has been, I'm still happy we're doing this."

Jethro nodded once. That's all he needed to hear. He slipped his seatbelt on and turned the key over. He was definitely ready for some coffee.

* * *

Parke came home to find Tiffany's car already in the small driveway. He wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not, and after a moment of weighing his options, he decided he would remain optimistically curious until given reason to feel otherwise. He bounded up the stairs and into the house, a small smile on his face. He opened the door to find Tiffany waiting for him on the couch. She looked like she had been crying, and his defenses rose immediately. He closed the door behind him, and dropped his stuff where he stood before going over to the couch and sitting on the coffee table in front of her.

"Babe? What's wrong?" he asked quietly, a terrifying dread washing through him as she still didn't look up at him. He cupped her face in his hands, and he could tell that she had definitely been crying. She opened her mouth to say something, but she had to stop and take a deep breath and start again. She took his hands in hers and kissed his fingers.

"I have some news, and I don't know if it's good news or bad news, and I'm kind of scared." She let out a shuddering breath, and Greg chuckled nervously.

"Seems like you're more than a _little_ scared. What's the news?" he asked.

"I had a doctor's appointment this morning. I was planning on taking a half day, and then I couldn't, because I was in shock. Greg, I'm pregnant."

"Whoa!" Greg said, a bright smile breaking out across his face. "What?! Why would you be upset by this? I mean, yeah, it's not when we were planning on doing this, but we wanted this eventually."

"We've just been a little… you know… angry with each other lately. And then last night, you were saying we needed to talk, and I thought you were going to leave, and then I got home, and you were asking me not to leave _you_ , and I was so confused. I haven't known what to think all day." Some of the color was coming back into Tiffany's cheeks, and Greg smiled as he shook his head slowly and reached to brush the dark brown hair from her face as he took it in his hands. He leaned forward and kissed her deeply, pulling her forward off the couch and into his arms. She came willingly, and they held each other for a long time, kissing and nuzzling each other.

"Let's move to the couch before our table falls out from under our asses," Greg joked as they finally stopped kissing to just hold each other.

Tiffany chuckled, and got up just to fall back onto the couch cushions.

"Hey! Be careful! My little girl is in there!" he joked, plopping next to her and resting his hand against her stomach.

"Little girl?" she asked with a bright smile. "You think so?"

Greg shrugged, smiling back. "I don't know. Kinda like the idea of a little girl, but I'm ecstatic either way. No matter what, she or he will never go a day of their life without knowing how incredibly loved they are."

Tiffany put her hand over Greg's on her abdomen and smiled at him. "That I don't doubt for a minute."

"Can we talk about us?" Parke asked hesitantly.

Tiffany nodded. "We should. You wanna go first?"

Greg nodded. "I've been doing a lot of thinking lately, and I've been trying to figure out how to make things balanced and happy for the both of us. I've been trying to map all of the things that make us argue, and I have even talked to Dr. Mallard and Tony of all people about it. I've been kind of upset."

"Uh, yeah! I'd say so, if you're talking to the work shrink and your boss!" Tiffany said, stunned.

"Yeah, well, if anyone knows how important it is to talk when things are getting bad, it's me. I just realized I haven't been saying what I need to say to the person that really needs to hear it. I think that I've lived that way. We always told the counselors what we experienced because that's the only people that were there. Our anger was with foster parents who wouldn't listen, or with dead parents who couldn't listen, and so I guess I'm not used to being able to directly talk with the person I'm upset with.

"That's my mistake. I know you'll listen, I know you want to hear what I have to say, because you're amazing like that, but by instinct, I just haven't felt like I can say it all until it's been bottled up for so long it gets to be like it's been the past couple of weeks. So, I promise I'll work on that, but for the time being, it's been bottled up, and so before I let it all out, let me first say that I love you, I don't want to separate, and I love your passion for the work you do, and I want you to be able to take that passion and run with it. I support it, and I support you as you fight to be a voice for those who don't feel like they have one, and I think it's beautiful."

Tiffany smiled, tilting her head and looked into Parke's eyes. She knew there was a "but" coming, but she also knew that Greg's words were genuine, and she appreciated them.

"That being said, I don't like who you become at the fundraisers, and I can't stand being in those crowds. Like I was telling Tony, I've been trained- no- I've _immersed_ myself in the understanding of the human body and body language, specifically to try to figure out when people are lying, being dishonest in anyway, and playing mind games. So, imagine how I feel in a room full of politicos and organization reps like you who are trying their damnedest to bite their tongues and get points across that need that special kind of political finesse. It sucks. I hate it. It makes my skin crawl. I especially hate watching _you_ have to do it, and it really makes me uncomfortable sometimes that you're so good at it."

Tiffany looked hurt, and Greg swallowed hard.

"You've been the one honest thing in my life. I trust you with every single cell in my body. I understand why you have to kiss so much ass to do what you do, and like I said, I support it, and you can come home and bitch to me allllll about it, as much as you want, and I will listen, and rub your feet, and massage your shoulders, and give you my two cents, but I really don't want to go to those things. And at the same time, I'm afraid. I'm afraid in what I thought was the irrational, monster in my closet kind of way, that you're going to start trying to use those tactics on me."

"I would ne-" Tiffany began emphatically. Greg shook his head and held his free hand up.

"You did yesterday morning, Tiff. When I tried to talk to you about how much I didn't want to go to these things anymore, you started trying to lay it on, and I saw you go into that manipulative mode that you have during those dinners, and galas, and fundraisers. It had me extremely angry, and hurt, and scared. If I can't trust you, Babe, who can I trust?" He watched Tiffany's face fall and she sighed.

Greg waited for his wife to gather her thoughts, and he took her other hand in his, and pulled both of them into his lap, afraid that if he let go of them, she might decide to run away. He watched her eyes grow wetter and wetter as she thought, and he hurt inside for her.

"I feel so much better when you're in that room with me," she started quietly. Greg felt those words like daggers to his heart. He figured she did, and that was the worst part of it for him.

There was a time in Tiffany's life that she couldn't even speak with men. It didn't matter who. Teachers, pastors, bosses… she could barely get a word out. She was one of the voiceless. Her own tortured childhood had kept her silent for years. When she got to high school, she finally got the help she needed when a teacher had cared enough to make sure she was taken care of, and after a wild few years in college, she had met Greg. He was rough around the edges, had his own trust issues, and was just as broken on the inside as she was in his own way.

Together, they worked on getting over their pasts, and they both found the healthiest ways possible to do that. She started working with a counseling center in California, and she realized that she had a talent for talking to people about the importance of funding centers like that one and the hundreds of others in the country. She was also really good at explaining how to notice the signs of sexual abuse in children. Her reputation lead to an invitation to give a talk at a seminar hosted by the YWCA. She had thought it was going to be about fifty people, but when she showed up, it was over a thousand people, and she'd freaked out.

She'd called Greg, and he had driven over to calm her down. As soon as she saw him, the panic subsided, and he was able to offer her the support she needed. She'd told him that she felt like she could do anything if he was there to catch her and protect her. Whenever she had a hard talk coming up, he'd made sure to be there. She was incredible at it. She knew how to talk to people so that she was personal, but not too personal, and informational. She had their attention every minute of the lecture, and though it hurt him to think about how she knew most of this from personal experience, he would watch with rapt attention, amazed and awed by her courage and her insight.

She was his heroine, and he was her hero.

The fundraisers she went to these days were very different from the conferences and lectures. They were one-on-one conversations with some of the slimiest people in politics. Even though they were a far cry from the large seminars she used to speak at, she was just as good at them, and she was very successful in securing necessary funding for many centers that fell under the umbrella org she worked for.

He knew she wanted him there, and he knew why, but he just couldn't do it.

"I know you do," he finally said quietly. "And I've been trying so hard to be there for you, but I feel horrible when I'm there."

"I miss doing the educational stuff," she admitted. "I'm good at this though, and it's important."

Greg nodded. "You are, and it is. Have you thought about sharing the load? You like the educational aspect, but you're not doing _any_ of it anymore. Maybe you need to split the work you're doing now, and trade it off with someone who is doing all the education."

Tiffany thought about that. "Would you come with me then?"

Greg shook his head no. "You can pick a couple big ones through the year for me to go with you to. I'll go to any office party or whatever you want, like what we're doing with dinner and my team tonight, and if you want me to be there when you give big educational seminars, I'll _gladly_ be there. But the fundraisers make my skin crawl."

"I'll see what I can do about working something out with Emily to juggle our tasks. This doesn't fix our other problem though. We never get to see each other anymore." Tiffany looked down at their hands, then looked back up at Greg's sad eyes.

"I know. My job is just as important to me as yours is to you, though. I haven't even been able to explain what's happened since we never see each other. It's pretty huge."

"What's happening?" she asked, trying to take advantage of the little bit of time they had together. She really was interested in his work, as much as it scared her. She smiled when she saw the way her husband's eyes lit up, and the way he was suddenly energized from head to toe testified to just how much he loved his job.

"We're doing a couple of major things since Tony has taken over. We're developing a computer program right now that we're hoping the entire country will be able to use in order to search cold case files from every police department and government agency, coast to coast. If we need to find out if our killer's M.O. matches that of any unsolved crimes across the nation, we'll be able to search for it. It's such a basic idea, but we've been able to add a psychological profile aspect to it so that the officers and agents that are entering the case can select terms that they have found are important to that case so that other people can find it. So before, we may have only been able to search for a particular type of weapon used, or a physical characteristic, but now we'll be able to search for things like if the person has a particular tick, or if they have narcissistic personality traits. It's awesome! Oh, and we're taking down a terrorist cell in Afghanistan. No biggie."

Tiffany's eyes got wide, and her mouth hung open. "You're doing what?!" she asked.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to Afghanistan!" he was quick to reassure her. "It's a long story, but yeah, we're responsible for helping to lead an operation to bring down a terrorist cell in the Middle East."

Greg watched as his wife finally understood exactly what he was doing. He had gotten the feeling this whole time that she saw him like an old school beat cop that walked the streets breaking up fights and catching jaywalkers. He knew he was shattering her safe little vision she had cooked up, but he needed her to know that he wasn't messing around, that his work had serious meaning and implications. Even after he got shot, she seemed to go right back into that happy place, avoiding the reality that he was doing work that oftentimes led to dangerous situations.

"Is that normal?" she asked.

Greg nodded. "Yeah. Well, kind of. Our team is specially armed with skills to do what we're doing. The database is kind of Elly's area of expertise. That guy can find _anything_. Ned specializes in operations and tacticals."

" _Ned?_ " she asked surprised. "Really?"

Greg laughed. "Yeah. He's new to it, but he's like some kind of prodigy. It's actually pretty sweet. And then there's me, and I'm the profiler of the group. I help them get into the heads of the people we're working with, predict their next moves, the reasons for the past moves and how that is going to manifest itself next. And the boss of course, well, he's always seemed to have things figured out before they happen. He knows just where to lead us so that we thrive, and he's just… he's our compass."

"When you talk about them, your eyes light up like it's Christmas." Tiff said. She felt even more lost than before. She couldn't take that away from him, but she couldn't give up what she was doing either.

Greg smiled and chuckled. "Other than you, they're my family. I feel like I finally belong somewhere, like everything in my life that's been so fucked up is okay because it led me to where I am, and it all just fits right into place."

Tiffany smiled sweetly. "That's all I've ever wanted for you."

Greg looked down at their hands shyly. After a moment, he looked back up into her eyes. "So, how far along are we?"

"Seven weeks. Due date is January fourteenth. And with the hypoglycemia, I'm very prone to diabetes. We're going to want to start saving up everything we can, because I haven't been with the organization long enough to get a full paid maternity leave. They have no problem with giving me the time off, but that's going to make money tight."

"We'll be fine," Parke said, shaking his head, his eyes drifting off into something dreamy as he looked back into his wife's. "We'll figure it out."

Tiffany felt relief wash over her. Those were the magic words she had needed to hear all day.

"Let's go get ready to go. I can't wait to tell everyone our good news!" He leaned in and kissed Tiffany on the cheek.

"Hell, I can't wait to eat! I'm starving! At least now we know why I've been so hormonal lately."

They headed for the bedroom together. "Any morning sickness?" he asked, not sure when that was supposed to happen.

"Nope. It looks like I'll be one of the lucky ones. However, those foot rubs you mentioned sound fabulous." She nudged him as she went for the closet to pick out something to wear.

"I'll do you if you do me!" Greg joked, pulling his shirt off and moving to step into the bathroom.

"That's how we got into this situation!" she called after him.

Greg laughed loudly as he turned on the shower for a quick rinse. "Nothing wrong with that!" he shouted over the sound of the water. _Nothing wrong with it at all._


	18. Chapter 18

Ziva had headed for the locker room as soon as Gibbs gave them the okay to leave. She had a dress hanging up in her locker, and heels on the shelf. A quick jump in the shower, and a few minutes brushing her hair out under the hand dryer, and she was slipping the dress on. Her heels slid over her feet, and she rummaged in her bag for a small abalone box with a simple pair of gold and diamond drop earrings. She carried her makeup back to the sink ledge and a few minutes later smiled in satisfaction.

She was anxious and excited. This was the big night. Dion had texted her about how great the lunchtime crowd had been, and he was already starting to seat guests for dinner. Everything seemed to be going well, and she was eager to join him. She was on her way out of the locker room when Abby entered, both startling each other and laughing.

"Wow! You look gorgeous!" Abby complimented. "I love your dress!"

"Thank you!" Ziva said with a smile. "I bought it just for tonight."

"He's going to love it," Abby said with a wink, making Ziva chuckle.

"I hope so. Wanted to make a good impression if I am to make the rounds and meet his friends and colleagues. I have met some of his friends, and they are very warm, but I know he also has business connections that will be there tonight."

"Very appropriate," Abby said with a reassuring nod. "I'm actually about to change, then meet Timmy at his place, and then we're going to be going from there."

"I will see you soon, then," Ziva said.

"I can't wait! Especially since I skipped lunch."

Ziva chuckled and headed off towards the car as quickly as she could, hoping she didn't run into anyone else. She didn't mind usually, but she was eager to get there. When she finally pulled up, her smile grew and a tingle spread through her. The lights were on, and people were walking in. She parked and headed for the side entrance, a small sign above it reading _Prisco's European Dining_. She was greeted with a pleasant cacophony of sound as the chefs were busy in the kitchen. She felt an energy bubbling up in her that she rather enjoyed.

Stepping into the side office, she draped her jacket over a chair, and put her purse in a filing cabinet drawer that she then locked. The key was put into the bottom of a cup of pens on a shelf, like always, and she checked herself in a small mirror they had hung on the wall. She headed for the kitchen, tentatively looking around for Dion. The kitchen had a happy feeling coursing through it, and the staff all greeted her with cheerful shouts, and one cat call.

"Ms. Ziva!" came through the noise to catch her attention. It was Angel's voice, the chef's assistant. They had tried hard to get him to use their names, and the closest they could get was Ms. Ziva and Mr. Dion. She looked up and met his eyes.

"Mr. Dion said that when you were to get here, he wanted your opinion on the alfredo sauce. He said not to tell you that yours is just a little better than his." Angel's smile was mischievous and he had a twinkle in his eyes. Ziva chuckled as she joined him, and he spooned out just a little into a dipping sauce bowl. She took a spoon and raised it to her lips, blowing on it before she tasted it.

"It is delicious. I do not know what he's saying. I think he just likes mine because I use garlic pepper instead of regular pepper, and we both know the man is obsessed with garlic."

Angel chuckled and began ladling the sauce over the prepared pasta plates next to him. Ziva took another taste of the sauce and dropped the bowl and spoon into the sink. "Angel? Is he on the floor?"

"Yes, Ms. Ziva. He is expecting you."

"Thank you," she said.

She was infused with a sense of wonder as she passed through the kitchen. She loved every smell she smelled, and multiple dishes were being gathered on trays for customers. Two waitresses came through the double kitchen doors and greeted Ziva right away with smiles on their faces. One went for a tray, the other went up to Ziva. She had been there since the doors opened that day, and she immediately reached for Ziva's hands, which she offered. They had talked multiple times, and she was a warm and friendly soul with a slight hint of Spanish accent from her childhood.

"Ziva, it has been awesome! I do believe he's going to bubble out of his skin, he's just that excited to share it with you. He's back by the party room, making sure it gets set up perfectly for your friends."

"Thank you, Lena! Are you doing well today?" She was concerned about how waitresses got paid, having never been one herself. The idea of living off of tips was disconcerting for her, and she and Dion had discussed it, making sure the waitress got paid well.

" _Very_ ," she said emphatically. "Thank you."

"Wonderful. Let me know if that ever changes." Lena smiled and nodded, and Ziva let go of her hands after a quick squeeze. They had been lucky to get Lena. She had managed the waitressing staff at a family owned restaurant that had closed just a few months prior after losing one off the owners to an illness. She had taken another job, but she was very unhappy there.

As she stepped out onto the dining room floor finally, she was thrilled to see that most of the tables were full already, and it was only a little before seven. They would be seating people until midnight, and she prayed they had enough supplies to hold out. They had tried to think of everything. There were even deep freezers in the basement that ran on generators with backup supplies if they were to perhaps have a power outage. Their first weekend had to go off without a hitch. It meant everything to the future of a business like this.

She was greeted by various staff as she walked towards the party room, and they all smiled happily at her. There was such an incredible atmosphere around there that she hadn't expected. The only thing she could compare it to was the way people acted before a school play or concert as a child.

She entered the party room, and Dion stopped his conversation with the two people he had commandeered to set it up. He stared at her, and she smiled. The other two in the room stepped back, and Dion moved towards the doorway, picking Ziva up and spinning her once. She laughed; he had never done that. Even when he put her down, he did not let go.

"You have been the only thing missing from this perfect day," he said quietly do her. His voice was an odd mixture of ecstatic relief, and she felt the words sink into her, warming her from the inside out.

* * *

Tony watched Jethro drink his coffee at a little place down the road from Prisco's. It was close enough that they planned on walking over when they were finished. He could tell something was on his lover's mind, and he wanted to know what. He'd been waiting to see if it would come out naturally, but nothing had been said, so he decided it was time to approach the subject. He reached across the table and took Jethro's free hand in his. They shared a smile, and Tony took the plunge.

"What's on your mind?" he asked quietly.

Jethro smiled and shook his head. _How does he always know?_

"I probably shouldn't tell you. Might put you in a hard spot."

Tony shook his head slowly. "That's not how this works."

"Oh?" Jethro said with a chuckle.

"If something is bothering you, you tell me. And if something is bothering me, I tell you. I've told you everything bothering me, now it's your turn."

"Since when?"

"Since we're about to have a work free weekend, and that means leaving any work related concerns behind, and from the distant look in your eyes, I know it's not about _us_ , so it's work related."

Jethro sighed and nodded. He had to admit Tony had a point. He wanted a work free weekend as well. It was going to be hard enough taking Kelly's things to Amira, he didn't need work hanging over his head.

"Case we're working on?" he started. "We found out that the gang that kept everyone from speaking up during the initial investigation has been dissolved. The majority of the members are in jail now. We canvassed the neighborhood, and McGee ends up striking up a conversation with this older guy."

"The one that knows his dad?" Tony asked quietly. Jethro nodded.

"Yeah. Name's Wallace Lively. Served with the Admiral before McGee was born, but Lively remembers McGee's dad, and apparently McGee remembers stories about Lively. He was able to give us some information, and at the same time revealed that he's in AA. Our vic was in meetings with him, and the guy that led the meetings was close with the kid. He might be our first real lead.

"McGee is taking Lively under his wing; trying to get him some help at the VA. He seems to be living on the streets, and he's pretty much at peace with it, saying his mistakes landed him there. He also said he had tried to keep our vic from making the same mistakes he did."

Tony nodded, not saying anything, but getting an idea about where this was going.

"Looked into Lively after the kids left tonight, and found that he had multiple reprimands on file for intoxication. It was like every time they made port somewhere for longer than a week, he was in trouble."

"Sounds like his willpower had a time limit on it."

"Yeah, that's what I'm thinking." There was a long moment of silence as Jethro turned his coffee cup in front of him. "Do you remember, maybe a few months after you joined NCIS, we were driving through the Yard, and we saw the Ramage evacuation?"

Tony's head tilted. "Yeah actually, I do. I remember it being the first major security alert at the Yard since I'd come on. Information was coming from all sides, but it took a while to know what was true."

"He'd been working on one of the engines, and something happened, causing a jam and a whole lot of smoke."

" _This guy_ was the one that caused that?"

Jethro nodded again. "Yeah. He retired right afterwards. They said it was his sight, and I can vouch for the fact that the man has a hard time seeing, but the Ramage had been in port for almost three weeks at that point undergoing maintenance."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"Well past his will power's expiration date," Tony said with a wince.

"McGee had said his dad had told him a story about how they had come back from an evening of leave, drunk as hell, and emergency maneuvers were thrown at them. He said that even drunk, Lively was able to handle it because he knew the engine room so well; simply understood what he was doing."

Tony nodded. "You think his commanders had been covering for him all this time?"

"It's not always easy to find someone who knows their job so well, especially one that didn't really care about moving up the chain of command. He seemed happy where he was by the way he spoke today. If they needed him, they would have let some things slide. His file showed that he was willing to do whatever program they tried to get him into. What has me really concerned though is that after only six months on the Spruance, when he was serving with Admiral McGee, he was suddenly transferred. The information in his file regarding it was bare minimum. No explanation whatsoever."

"Six months isn't very long," Tony said, his face contorted into a questioning look as he thought about his own stint as Agent Afloat. People didn't usually come and go that quickly other than Agents Afloat themselves.

"Right. From our discussion earlier, it sounds like that was the point that he lost contact with McGee's dad. I wanted to call Admiral McGee and ask him why Lively was transferred. Thought maybe I'd get a real answer out of him, but I couldn't. It felt wrong to go behind McGee's back like that. It's not going to do anything at this point to reprimand Lively's commanders. They did what they felt they had to do. I'm just worried that something happened between the two of them, and that McGee might get the brunt of it."

Jethro sat back, his fingers still locked with Tony's. He stared at their joined hands, and wondered if there was ever going to be a time he when he was tired of holding that hand. His band shone on his finger, and he looked up into Tony's green eyes, lost in them as they tried to find a solution to the problem. _Nah, never,_ he thought. _Right where they're supposed to be._

"What if you didn't call the Admiral, but someone else they hung out with from the ship? When McGee tells me the story at dinner tonight, I can see if he can remember any of the other names from that time, and maybe they would have more information."

Jethro smiled at him. "That could work."

Tony gave a mock bow, and Jethro chuckled. "He did a full background check on Dion without anyone asking, Jethro. I'm sure he'd only appreciate it if he found out you were covering his ass."

Jethro shrugged. "If I called your dad and started inquiring into his past with an informant, how would you feel?"

"It's not the same situation. My dad would probably be a suspect."

"True," Jethro said with a smile and laughing eyes. "But if you were to call Dad and ask him how well he knew someone I was working with on a case, checking in on me, I don't know if it would sit well at first. Eventually I'd probably realize everything was done with the best intentions, but with McGee just getting into his role, I don't want to give him any reasons to think I doubt his judgment."

"You care a lot about that. I've noticed it. You've been working really hard at keeping his confidence in his position."

"Yeah, well, he's not you. He needs it." Jethro's smirk told Tony there was a dig in there somewhere.

"Are you trying to say I'm _over_ -confident?" Tony said sitting back and laughing.

"Nah. You just had a different way of understanding how I felt about you." The words were somewhat quieter, and said with a slightly more intimate tone.

"And how was that?" Tony asked just as quietly.

Jethro leaned forward against the table, eyes locked on their joined hands a moment, and then back to those green eyes he never got tired of staring into. "Like I could trust you with anything, with everything. And I have. You know my deepest, darkest secrets, my weaknesses, my joys, my fears, my desires, and I know that you'll never betray them, never try to take them away from me, never play me."

Tony felt his face growing warm, and he looked down at their joined hands. He let his free hand rest on top of them, then looked up to meet Jethro's eyes. "I know I'm safe with you, too."

Jethro smiled fondly at him. "We should probably head over to the restaurant," he finally said begrudgingly. He was enjoying just spending some time with Tony. He loved their coffee dates on the wall, but this was somehow different.

"Yeah. I'm not sure what I'm feeling. I know he's amazing with Greek food, but I'm kinda feeling something else."

"From what Ziva was saying, there's going to be plenty of other choices. I'm sure you'll find something."

"I'm sure I'll find a lot of somethings. That may be the problem," Tony said, knocking back what was left in his cup of a hazelnut latte.

"You've been dropping weight. A big meal isn't gonna kill you," Jethro said, getting to his feet with a smile, looking Tony over.

"I'm right on the edge of my pant size though. If I gain a few pounds at this point, I'll have to go the next size up and wear a tight belt to keep them up. I kind of like the size I am now. I'm finding muscles there I haven't seen for a while."

Jethro chuckled as they walked out of the café. He reached for Tony's hand instinctively on the sidewalk, and they walked hand-in-hand towards the restaurant.

"That brings up an interesting thought," Jethro said, trying not to blush. He'd had this on his mind for a while now, and he was waiting for the right segue to bring it up. Tony looked at him, and he felt the gaze like a spark that ignited an inferno within him. "We never spar anymore."

Tony smirked. "I have a feeling there's a reason for that."

"Yeah, well…"

"I mean, can you imagine it? You, me, hands all over each other, bodies slamming against each other until eventually, one of us is pinned under the other?" Tony's low and seductive voice only made things worse on Jethro as he imagined exactly what was being posed. All he could do is swallow and nod. Tony chuckled quietly.

"You miss it, and you've obviously been thinking about it."

Tony grinned from ear to ear, calling on every ounce of will power he had to not pull Jethro into the alley they were passing and ravage him. The only reason why he even tried to fight it was because they were already running a few minutes behind when they said they would be at the restaurant. He felt the Jethro's palm slick with sweat against his, and he knew he was having the same struggle.

"That probably wouldn't be the safest thing to do at work," Tony continued. "Maybe if we cleared room in the basement, or even the back yard, we could put mats down. It could actually be a good stress reliever as we deal with what this summer looks like it's going to throw at us."

"I'm sure I can find room in the basement," Jethro said casually.

"Then I'll look into the mats," Tony said with a wink as they walked around the corner of the block the restaurant was on.

They looked through the window as they approached the door, and they saw that it was packed. Tony smiled and looked over at Jethro who did the same.

"Looks like business is good," Tony said.

They walked in and the first thing Jethro saw was Ziva and Dion standing next to each other as they spoke to a few people at a table. He watched them a moment, noticing just how happy they both looked. They were glowing, and Jethro knew this was the beginning of the end somehow. It might not be this year, but eventually, he suddenly _knew_ that Ziva would one day leave them to do this. He looked at Tony, who had realized what he was staring at, and Tony squeezed his hand.

"Good evening!" A woman in a crisp black blouse and black pants greeted them. She smiled brightly at them, and Tony smiled back.

"Hello. We're with Ziva's party," he informed her. Her eyes lit up even further.

"Wonderful!" she said, leaving the menus on her podium and moving into the room. "If you would follow me please."

Tony and Jethro relinquished each other's hands in order to follow her through the restaurant and to a back room that was separated by a glass and wood paned wall that was more a series of windows than wall. Two double doors made of the same light colored wood and glass panes opened to reveal a large table arranged with many chairs around it, set with glassware and silver, and appetizers already sitting between plates. Abby and Tim sat at one end, Dorney and Elly sat across from them. Ducky and Candice were just taking their seats next to Tim. The hostess stepped aside so they could pass her and take their seats. Tony moved to sit next to Elly, and Jethro sat next to him, across from Ducky.

"Hey Duck. It's good to see you, Candice," he greeted with a smile.

"You as well!" she said. "Hello, Tony."

"Hello, CandIce! I'm glad you were able to join us tonight. Ducky said he wasn't sure if you were going to have other obligations."

"Thankfully, no. I can definitely use a night in good company with good food."

"Ah yes, a table set for people who have too much on their plates," Ducky said.

"Here, here!" Tony said.

"Hey, Boss!" Elly said. "Are you insinuating your plate is too full?" His voice was playful, and his smile was content.

"Maybe just a little!" Tony said with a chuckle. "Hmm… A wedding to plan, an op to run, a project to manage, Oh! And this little thing called a team to raise… I mean, run."

Elly smiled brightly, but Tony saw his cheeks going rosy. He chuckled and reached out to squeeze his shoulder, reassuring him that he wasn't mad about the night before.

"At least if it's full, it's all foods I enjoy," he added.

"Hey guys!" Abby said from the end of the table.

"Hey, Abs," they greeted in almost unison. They nodded their hellos to McGee and Dorney, and then Jethro turned his attention back on Abby.

"Tony says you guys are doing cake testing on Monday."

"Yeah! I'm so excited!" She clapped her hands and looked at Tony.

"Did I hear cake?" A voice came from behind them. Palmer and Breena were coming in, and moved to sit next to Candice and Ducky.

"Abby and I are doing cake testing on Monday with this awesome little cake designer a friend of mine set us up with," Tony told them.

"Least stressful part of the entire wedding planning," Breena said, leaning forward on the table. "Mainly because you get to eat cake."

Tony chuckled.

"I swear I gained two pounds that day. Not just from eating all the cake. It was kind of a girls' day for my aunt and I, and we had the _best_ food that day."

The hostess was suddenly replaced by a waitress in a pressed white shirt and black pants, an apron around her waist, and a notebook in her hand.

"Good evening, my name is Lena, and I will be taking care of you tonight. I encourage you to look through the menu before selecting your drink choices. With many different types of food, the choice may change when you select your dish."

Tony looked at Jethro, and they both looked at their menus, flipping them open. There was already water in pitchers on the table and Tony decided to pour him some as he considered the menu choices. Lena moved to the other end of the table where those who were seated first had had a chance to decide on at least their beverage.

"I see what she means," Tony said. Jethro nodded. The menu had six pages, each divided in two, and each section was devoted to a different type of food. There was German, French, Italian, Mediterranean, Spanish and even a section for Irish and Scottish favorites. Each section included suggestions for drinks, whether wines or beers, and the variety made for a harder decision.

"I'm not sure I'm going to be able to decide by time the place closes," Tony said. He was stuck on the Italian section, feeling a craving for comfort food. More voices came from the doorway, and Greg and Tiffany came to join them. Tiffany immediately went to Breena, who stood and gave her a hug. Elly sat next to her at the end of the table, and Ziva and Dion were behind them.

"Hey!" Tony said, and a chorus of greetings erupted, laced with compliments for Dion and Ziva and the restaurant. After a couple of minutes, Tony looked up at Ziva. "So do you have any suggestions?" he said, pointing at the menu.

She came to look over his shoulder. "What are you in the mood for?" she asked. Tony noticed her eyes were dancing, and just how happy she seemed. Dion began circling the table, helping people make their choices as well, and Lena felt emboldened to do the same.

"I'm feeling something… well something that's going to make me feel warm, heavy and sleepy afterwards," he said, making them both, as well as Jethro, chuckle.

"Maybe the Shepherd's pie, then," she said. "Or, of course, you could go with pasta. I have tasted tonight's alfredo, and Angel is able to work magic with Dion's recipes. Or the beef sauerbraten is good, and you can have that served over a wide noodle."

"Hmm. Maybe with a good beer," Tony said, nodding at her.

"Exactly! There are a few suggestions for just that."

"Thanks," he said, smiling at her. "You look happy, Zee."

She smiled shyly at him, and rested her hand on his shoulder. "Thank you for being here."

"Nowhere else we should be," Jethro said quietly, causing Ziva to turn to look at him. "What beats a family dinner?" They shared a small smile that said more than any words could, and she sighed.

"What have you decided on?" she asked him.

"I don't know. Never had haggis," he said.

"Oh, you are so not kissing me after eating haggis! Think again," Tony said. There were chuckles from around them. Jethro chuckled, and Tony saw the gleam in his eye that said he had been joking. "You're such an ass," Tony said under his breath, shaking his head and smiling.

"I'm actually thinking the moussakas and spanakopita."

"Oh! Try the stuffed grape leaves!" Ziva said, searching the table. "I am pretty sure there are already some out here."

Tony smirked at Jethro. "Are you going to try the Ouzo?"

"Should I?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"If you don't mind me driving your car home."

Ziva watched the two and knew there was a challenge in there.

"What are you drinking?" Jethro asked.

"I can stick with water and a beer if you want." Tony knew how Jethro was with his liquors. He had his favorite, but he'd brought up Russian liquors one night, and bragged about all of the different ones he got to try over the years. The chance to try the specialty Greek liquors Ziva had told them about a few weeks ago had piqued his interest, and Tony had been paying attention.

"Oh, if you're going to try the Ouzo, there's another one you should try as well," Dion said from across the table. "I will make sure they are brought to you." Ducky looked over his shoulder at Dion and they shared a look that Tony liked, and he started looking forward to having a tipsy Jethro under his control that night.

Ziva looked at him curiously. "Tsipouro?" she asked.

"Sí," Dion said, a mischievous gleam in his eyes.

"Espera un poco. ¿Qué planes teneís para mi novio?" _Hang on! What are you thinking about doing to my fiancé?_ Tony asked. "Qué es tsipouro?" _What is tsipouro?_

"Es un licor. Muy fuerte." _It is a liquor. Very strong._

"Hey! No fair with the Spanish!" Jethro joked. "You know mine sucks!"

"Not our fault you lived in Mexico for months and didn't pick up a thing!" Tony joked with a bright smile, and then turned back towards Dion. "¿Estamos intentando emborracharle?" Tony asked. _Are we trying to get him drunk?_

"¿Les traigo un surtido de bebidas distintas, entonces?" Lena asked. _Should I bring them a variety of drinks?_

Abby laughed from the end of the table. Everyone was huddled together as Elly whispered translations to them. Tony caught what was going on and laughed. "I didn't know you spoke Spanish, Elly."

"Spanish and French," he said. "My accents are terrible, but I can understand them both just fine."

"Huh. You guys will just keep surprising me, won't you?"

"I grew up in Cali, man! My accent is _fine_. And I probably know all the curse words they didn't teach Señor Tecnología down there." Everyone turned to Parke with a chuckle, and Parke turned to Tony. "I didn't know you spoke it though."

"I didn't know _Dion_ spoke it. I knew he knew multiple languages, but I didn't know Spanish was one of them." Tony looked over his shoulder at Ziva where she stood staring across the table at the reactions on her boyfriend's face.

"I think this might be the most linguistically capable group I have ever known," Ziva explained to Dion. "Tony speaks Spanish, Gibbs speaks Russian and a little French, he and Abby both speak sign language…"

"Dorney does too!" Abby pointed out.

"See! Another one I didn't know," Tony said, looking to the end of the table at Dorney.

"And very basic Arabic," Dorney added.

"Really?" Tony asked. He and Ziva exchanged a look. "That could be really helpful with where you're heading. You might want to expand on that."

"I have been. Otherwise I wouldn't be able to make it through- well, what we're working on."

Tony nodded, approving of how he caught himself from saying too much in mixed company, as well as his initiative to expand his knowledge. He smiled proudly and reached for his water glass. "Very nice! And that's why I love my team."

"And don't forget McGee speaks Japanese," Jethro pointed out.

"I haven't used it in forever though. I can still understand just fine, but speaking would be rusty."

"That's probably how I'd be with Dutch," Palmer said. "My grandmother spoke it to me often, but she's been gone a long time now. I can usually understand it when I pick it up, but don't ask me to say anything other than 'Can I go outside and play?'."

Lena started taking everyone's orders.

"So! What else have you two decided about the wedding?" Breena asked excitedly.

"Are you having withdrawals?" Tony asked playfully.

"It hasn't even been a whole week, and I don't know what to do with myself!" she said.

"Well we decided on a place and time. It's going to be September second, in Yards Park, and my good friend Marcella is catering. Oh, and we're honeymooning in Italy."

"Oh! That's exciting! We're putting ours off until next February."

"Island getaway in the middle of winter. By then, we'll be sick of the snow and need some sun," Palmer said, slipping his hand around Breena's shoulder to pull her in for a squeeze that she obviously enjoyed.

"We're going in September, aren't we?" Tony asked, looking at Jethro who nodded.

"Slow season, so it will be easier to leave these guys alone," Jethro clarified.

"Are you having flowers? Being in a park, I don't know if that's necessary or not," Breena asked. Tony looked up from giving Lena his order, and shook his head.

"No, I don't think so. The park will be beautiful enough. Not really ribbons and bows or anything either. Though I am excited about the cake."

"Are you going to have a DJ?" she asked.

"Oh! That's what we're forgetting," Tony said, looking at Jethro who nodded. "Now that I know you'll dance with me in public," Tony joked, making Jethro roll his eyes.

"I DJed in college," Elly said as he leaned forward and started loading his plate with various appetizers around the table. "I haven't done it in over eight years, but I think I actually know someone I can borrow equipment from. If you want, I can do it for you."

"Really?" Tony asked. He felt like he'd been saying that for the past half an hour as he learned about the hidden talents of the people around the table.

"Sure, consider it my wedding present," he said. "Just give me a list of ten songs or so that you like, and I'll build a list similar."

"Where did you used to spin?" Dion asked. Both Jethro and Tony noticed how he appeared very interested all of the sudden.

"Two different clubs in Minnesota. One was more techno, club, trance. The other was a variety, and they had specialty nights. Friday night was their techno night, and I usually worked that, but sometimes I'd work their Wednesday rock night if they needed me. I like a lot of different stuff, and though I'm more of a rock guy these days, I still have a soft spot for EDM and chillstep."

"I have someone you need to meet. He's actually here, and I just found out- just- hang out a few minutes." Dion slid past Lena as she took Candice's order, and made his way out into the room.

The table was full of happy chatter, and appetizers were being passed around the table when Lena arrived with another waitress and a couple of trays of drinks. Beers were sat in front of various people and wine bottles were tipped over glasses. There were more than a few mumblings of, "You gotta try this." Tony and Jethro were picking off each other's plate, and Elly snickered when he saw. Tony punched him in the arm, smiling ear to ear.

Dion returned with a tall slender man with long hair that was pulled back in a ponytail. He was in jeans and a button up over a t-shirt, and he had a bright smile for Elly. Tony watched him carefully, and so did half of the other people at the table. Tony noticed that Dorney and Greg stopped their conversations completely to watch.

"Christopher, I'd like for you to meet Elijah. Elijah, this is my friend Christopher. He owns Synthinity, a club that used to be in Eckington, and is about to reopen next weekend in their new location in Logan's Circle. He has a problem you may be able to help with. I will be back soon. I need to go check on things in the kitchen."

Christopher reached out his hand to shake Elly's, and Elly stood up to be on the same level as them since there was nowhere left for them to sit. He was somewhat confused as to how he could help, but he was intrigued.

"Nice to meet you," he said, watching the man in front of him with rapt curiosity and wide eyes.

"Likewise! Dion told me you used to work the tables in a techno club?" Christopher's hand rested on Elly's shoulder, and he gave him a look that said he was the answer to some kind of great mystery.

"Yeah! It was more of an Oakenfold kind of crowd back then."

"Nice! I love my underground, but I have to admit I get sucked into a few of the more mainstream mixers."

Elly chuckled. "Yeah! I was a Tiesto kid. I'm more Sizzlebird, Crywolf, JacM, these days. I'll admit that I like Avicci, but I won't touch Skrillex with a ten foot pole."

"Oh! I knew I liked you!" Christopher finally took his hand off of Elly's shoulder, and Jethro saw Dorney sit back in his chair behind them, a puzzled look on his face. He watched him closely as Christopher continued.

"I have a small- okay, it's really a _huge_ problem. With the new building, we're going to have a patio level on the roof that is open as a much quieter venue through the summer. The plan is for it to be more of a chill and synth vibe up top. My DJ has an affinity for the softer stuff. He records it, he creates it, he's on the pulse of it all, and I'm putting him on the roof for the summer. I have another DJ lined up to run the main show downstairs, but he lost his dad this week, and he's in Arizona tying up loose ends there. He's been trying to find a way to get back here, but the funeral is Friday."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Elly said sympathetically.

"It wasn't unexpected, I'm afraid. He's a student at MIT, he's only interested in working through the summer, which is perfect for what I need. I've seen him do some house parties through the year, and he's actually really good, so I don't want to lose him. He's planning on being back in town Saturday, but I don't have anyone for the grand opening this weekend. No one wants to do just one night, they all want longer term stuff, or they think that if they do a really great job, I'll boot my new guy out, and I can't do that to him."

"Oh! So you're asking if I want to…" Elly's eyes widened as the offer became apparent.

"Yes. If you want to dip your feet back in the pool, so to speak, I could really use the help. There's another reason why this would be so perfect for me. As I'm sure you know, the scene gets a little dicey. It's hard to do, but we try to maintain a clean club. My entire staff is clean, and I make sure it stays that way. If opening night, I have a Fed working the tables, word is going to get out, and hopefully we can keep the more hardcore stuff out of the club."

"Wow, I- uh-" he looked to Tony for a little help, but Tony just smirked.

"We're off next weekend. Jethro's team is first string. It's up to you."

"Oh! This is your boss?" Christopher asked.

"Yeah! This is my boss, Supervisory Special Agent Tony DiNozzo, his fiancé Supervisory Special Agent Jethro Gibbs, and," he waved his hand around the table, "we all work for them, or love someone who does." He smiled at Tiffany and then looked back at Christopher.

"Hi," Christopher said, waving sheepishly. "Didn't realize I was bringing your personal life up among your coworkers. Sorry."

"No! It's perfectly fine!" Elly said, smiling at the Parke and Tony, then turned to Dorney and smiled extra brightly. "They're my family, too." He turned back to Christopher, who smiled warmly at him like he understood the concept a little too well.

"Okay, so what do you think?"

"I'm not sure. I mean, I haven't hit the tables for a real club in years now, just minor events. Are we talking more underground, mainstream, what?"

"Both. In the old building, we had a pretty good mix. And the equipment is already set, I can even get you the lists of what we already have. You can talk to Rise and get his input; he's really easy to talk to."

"DJ Rise? That's your other DJ?" Elly asked, taken aback. "I have one of his most recent mixes on my iPod!"

"See!" Christopher said excitedly, clenching his fists in front of him as he practically jumped for glee. "This would be so awesome! What do you say? Can you help me out?"

Elly sighed, and the entire room was quietly waiting for his answer. "Can I think about it and let you know in the morning?"

"Sounds perfect. Here, let me give you my number, and you can shoot me any questions you may have."

The room started moving again, and people started talking as the two men exchanged phone numbers. Christopher and Elly talked quietly for another moment, and Tony noticed that Dorney's eyes were still trained on the two men standing between them. He wondered for a moment if maybe he was into Christopher, but then his attention was stolen when Lena came in, followed by Ziva and Dion, each with a tray of shots.

The group got much louder as laughter exploded, and a few people clapped their hands.

"That's a _lot_ of liquor," Tony said, looking up at Ziva with a slightly dropped jaw.

"There's enough here to share," Lena said with a friendly smile.

Dion stood at the end of the table next to Ziva, putting her hand around her waist. "I'd like to thank you all for joining us tonight," he said, everyone quieting down to hear his voice. "Ziva has been the most incredible thing to ever happen to me. Without her, I would never have gotten through this. To have the people she considers family come here tonight to show their support, it's humbling and heartwarming. I have not felt such love in so long."

Tony looked at Jethro, and then his eyes slid over to Parke. He noticed he and Tiffany were holding hands and leaning into one another, both wearing smiles. That made him feel good. He also saw that Ziva and Dion looked ecstatic, gazing dreamily into one another's eyes. That made him feel good, too.

"I have brought extra shots in case you'd like to join me in a toast," he said.

"Ahhh," Tony said, looking back towards Abby and that end of the table to find they were all nodding happily. When he looked back at Parke, he was looking nervously at Tiffany, who smiled and bit her lower lip just as nervously.

"Can we toast with our water?" she asked sheepishly, looking up at Dion.

"Sure! It doesn't matter what you're drinking," Dion said comfortingly.

Parke leaned in to whisper in Tiffany's ear, and she nodded, looking even more nervous.

"Thank you. I don't mean to sound ungrateful, but we found out today that I'm expecting."

"What?!" Tony exclaimed, and everyone else joined in with their own shouts of celebration.

"Dude! That's fantastic!" Elly shouted.

"Could this night get any better?" Dion asked Ziva loud enough that Tony and Jethro heard. He turned to the group, a smile so wide Tony wondered if his teeth would blind them. "We have much to celebrate! A little education on the shots. The square tray has a few mojito shots and cinnamon rum shots. The round tray has the tsipouro and Ouza. The tsipouro has almost a grape flavor, and is very strong. The Ouza is also very strong, and it is made with anise."

"How strong is strong?" Abby asked.

"Forty-five percent alcohol," he said. "So about 90 proof."

"And here I wasn't going to drink tonight," Elly leaned in and whispered to Tony, making him laugh out loud.

"As long as you keep your keys and your phone where I can see them, everything will be fine," he said with a chuckle.

"Aw, Boss, you ruin all my fun! I was going to drive home plastered while drunk-texting!"

Parke burst out laughing, finally getting what Tony had said earlier in the elevator, and realizing who the other person drunk-texting him was. Elly and Tony looked at him at the other end of the table, and Jethro took one of each shot from the round tray. They were all sliding shots to one another, and Tony noticed various couples around the table negotiating who was driving and who was drinking. A minute later, Ziva and Dion raised their glasses, and Ziva took up the mantle of delivering the toast.

"To this family- my family. For the support you all give me, for the support we give one another, and for the love we manage to teach each other when we least expect it. For the new beginnings that follow in its wake, and for the dreams it gives birth to."

"To family," Jethro said. They all raised their glasses, clinking them around the table with one another, and then knocking back shots or sipping from wine glasses, beer bottles, and two glasses of water. Tony watched Jethro's face closely. When he'd swallowed his shot, he shrugged, and looked at Tony. They joined hands under the table, resting them on Tony's knee, and stared back at each other for a long minute, letting the world around them dissolve. "Our family," he whispered.

Tony nodded. "The best damn thing to ever happen me," Tony whispered back.

"Me, too," Jethro said.

The food arrived, and everyone focused on sharing the masterpieces in front of them. Dion made another sweep of the restaurant to make sure everything was still going smoothly, and turned it over to his managers for the next hour so he could eat with his family. Ziva sat next to Jethro, and Dion next to her. The table was full of happy voices, great food, and great spirits.

McGee sent word down to pass one of the tsipouro shots to him, and Jethro smirked. That tray had barely been touched. He had used an Ouzo shot for the toast, so he picked up his tsipouro as well, and tilted his head towards McGee. They both took them back, and Tony could feel a slight playful tension in the air between them. McGee shrugged, and Jethro passed him one of the Ouzo shots. Abby and the rest of that end of the table stopped talking, watching as the two men downed another shot together.

"Should I order more?" Dion asked with a chuckle. There were only two left on the tray, and everyone stopped to watch to see whether or not Jethro and Tim were going to knock those back as well.

Tim looked at Abby, who eyed both her and Jethro suspiciously. "I already know I'm driving," she said. "It's up to you two if you want to get into a drinking match."

Tony laughed. "Damn it! Why did I agree to drive? I could so take both of you!"

"I don't know. We were drinking different drinks on St. Pat's, so we couldn't _really_ gauge who won that night," Jethro said, smirking at Tony.

"Oh, I think we _both_ won that night. If it wasn't for that night, I wouldn't be planning a wedding right now!" Tony said, earning chuckles from around the room.

Lena was suddenly at the door with the desert menus, and Dion motioned for her to bend over so he could whisper in her ear. She stifled a chuckle, and handed him the menus before leaving the room quickly.

"Are you encouraging shenanigans?" Ziva asked.

"Me? I would never do such a thing my love," he said, leaning in to kiss her gently, earning "awws" from multiple people in the room, and a very distinct sigh from Dorney.

Dion passed the desert menus down, and everyone started looking over the delicious options. Lena was back in a few minutes with another tray of shots, this one much more loaded than before, and with random colors amongst them.

"What the _hell_ is that?" Parke asked, causing everyone else to laugh.

"McGee, you're on," Jethro said, earning laughter and a couple of "Ooo!"s from around them.

"Bring it!" McGee said.

"You know, if you want to," Dorney said, turning to Elly. "I could take you home. I mean, you've dragged me home before, it's only fair to return the favor."

Elly looked at him excitedly. "Hell, I can just crash on your couch! I have the earplugs in my glove box."

Dorney chuckled.

"First!" Tony said, "Turn over your keys and _phone_."

"To who?" he said, already digging them out.

"I guess Dorney since he's taking custody of you." Elly handed them over, and then reached for the tray in front of Jethro.

"I wanna try the tsipouro one," he said. Jethro chuckled and handed him that shot from the tray, and took the other one, holding it up.

"Any takers?"

Breena reached for it. "I'm in!" she said.

"Alright!" Tony cheered.

Lena called for any desert orders, and then made the rounds, taking them as she watched the group in front of her.

Jethro picked out a couple of shots from the tray for himself, and slid it down to Elly, who picked a couple, and then over to Tim who took _three_ , causing even more laughter and noises. The tray was passed beyond Ducky and Candice who sat laughing at the group, and on to Breena and Parke. Breena looked through them.

"Did you leave me with the _fruity_ ones?" she asked, looking around the group. "Here, someone trade me one of these for something else." She took three as well, holding one up. Elly passed a shot of a dark brown liquor to her in trade for a bright pink shot. Parke took two off the tray, and Jethro leaned forward to take the remaining two, making everyone laugh.

"Oh! Wait!" Abby said. "There's still a cinnamon rum and a mojito shot on the tray from earlier."

"Cinnamon is mine," McGee said, reaching for it.

"I'll try the mojito shot," Elly said, taking it.

"You people are crazy, you know that?" Parke said chuckling. Dion's eyes glittered, and Ziva shook her head at him.

"You and your drinking games," she said.

"Eh, it's a Greek thing," he said. "There's a Greek in the family now, the family can play Greek drinking games."

"What's the game?" Tony asked.

"The objective is usually to drink until someone passes out or yells at someone else," he said with a chortle. Tony laughed.

"That's no different than Italian drinking games," he said, his hand slipping a little further down Jethro's thigh than he intended as he leaned back to see Dion. Jethro's left hand quickly redirected it to a safer spot, and Tony only smirked.

"This is true, only we use different spirits," Dion said, leaning so that he looked behind Ziva and Jethro at Tony. He turned back to the table. "Though if anyone can tell me what is in each of their shots, I will be very impressed."

"That sounds like a challenge," Jethro said with a smirk.

"I do believe it was," Breena said. She held up the dark brown shot that Elly had traded her, and everyone watched as she took it back. "Wow, that was really good. I'm going to have to say that it was amaretto and a coffee liqueur. Wasn't what I was expecting."

Parke took his back. "Coconut rum," he said, nodding at Jethro.

He took it back. "Straight vodka. Stoli."

"Nice!" Dion said. Elly looked at Dorney, and then took back the pink shot.

"Oh, that's Aftershock. Definitely." Elly blinked hard as he adjusted to the powerful cinnamon taste.

"You've got Aftershock on your bar?" Tony asked Dion, once again behind the backs of their partners. Dion nodded, a gleeful look in his eye as he watched McGee.

Tim took back his shot, and smacked his lips. "151?" he asked, looking at Dion.

Lena looked on from as she finished asking Jethro for his desert order. She turned to Ziva.

"Your friends have discerning pallets," she said quietly, impressed. Ziva smiled at her.

They rounded the table again, each making their decisions about what was in the shot. Elly wasn't quite sure of the next one, and Dion looked at Lena, who smiled. "The high proof Southern Comfort and cherry syrup."

"The syrup is what threw me," Elly said, sitting his glass down with a smirk and nod. "I am so going to feel this when I stand up," he joked.

"I think we all will," McGee said as he knocked back his shot and raised an eyebrow. "Citron?" Lena nodded.

A waitress came to get Dion for something, and Lena followed him out with their desert orders. They all watched as Breena took her last shot, and then Jethro, and then Elly, and then McGee all back to back without pausing for one another.

"Oh, that was Jager," Breena said, wincing. "I can't believe I couldn't smell it."

"Yeah, especially when that's all I could smell for the past twenty minutes," Palmer said with a chuckle. He looked towards the others. "Bad memories with Jager." Breena began sipping on her wine again daintily, a complete contrast to the shot chugging guzzler she was a minute before.

Tony looked at Jethro, who turned towards him. Tony could tell he was starting to feel the liquor, and chewed on his lower lip as he tried not to laugh.

"I think that last one was Absinthe," Jethro said. "Not the European version, obviously, but still pretty strong."

"Are you okay?" Tony asked with a quiet chuckle. The room paired off, and Ziva went to check on things in the kitchen.

"Yeah," Jethro said, looking Tony over. "Just fine."

"I'm going to have to get you home soon, aren't I?" he asked.

Jethro nodded, trying to get himself under control in front of their teams. "How many was that?"

"Shots? I think it was seven," Tony said, thinking back. "There were four just now, two with McGee, and one before that."

"Oh, I can do more," Jethro said scanning the table, and Tony knew he was definitely tipsy.

"I know you can. Here, make yourself useful and finish my beer," Tony said, handing it to him. Jethro took it and drank it down in one long drink. "That's _not_ what I meant." He couldn't be mad. He fell over onto Jethro's shoulder, and he loved the way the laughter felt under him as Jethro chuckled.

Abby's voice was suddenly aimed in his direction, and Tony sat up as he and Jethro turned to listen.

"Elly! Are you going to do it?" she asked.

"It?" he asked. He looked startled, and Tony watched as he jumped from the quiet discussion he was having with Dorney as if though they had been caught telling secrets.

"The club? Are you going to DJ?" She winked at Tony, and he knew that she was trying to get him to agree while he was drunk. Jethro noticed that Dorney's glass of wine had somehow ended up in Elly's hand.

"I don't know. Maybe?"

"You totally should. I'd definitely go."

"Really?" he asked.

"I bet Tony would too," Jethro offered. Tony looked a little surprised by that, but shrugged and turned towards Elly.

"Yeah, I'd go!"

"We're on call," Tim said. "Or I'd go."

"Even if I don't DJ, we should go. I think it would be fun. It's hard to find a clean atmosphere like that, and it would be great to support it." He looked at Elly as he talked, and Jethro watched the exchange, wondering if Tony saw what he saw, or if he was just that drunk.

Deserts interrupted the discussion, and everyone started passing their plates back and forth to try their different confections. Tony and Jethro shared baklava and German chocolate cake.

"Carrot cake or red velvet?" Tony asked him.

"Hmmm? For the wedding cake?" he asked.

"Just one layer of it, yeah."

Jethro shrugged. "Red velvet is pretty much devil's food cake, so probably that."

Tony smiled and nodded. He wondered what else he should ask Jethro while he was tipsy and pliable. He heard Elly chuckle behind him, and he knew.

"What should our song be?"

"No idea. You have any thoughts?" Jethro asked, reaching up to brush Tony's hair with his fingers.

"Not off the top of my head. If I picked out a handful of songs, will you listen to them and choose one?" Tony let his hand rest a little higher up on Jethro's thigh.

"Sure," he said, shrugging, his attention more on letting his finger run down Tony's arm than the agreement he was making.

The checks were delivered and Tony slipped his debit card in the folder, handing it back to Lena before she could even leave the room. They continued sharing the cake while making small talk with Ducky and Candice until the receipts were returned. He saw Greg, Tiffany, Palmer and Breena all get to their feet. They announced that they were leaving, and once again, everyone congratulated Tiffany and Greg on their announcement.

"Let's get out of here," Tony whispered.

"Yep," Jethro said, getting to his feet. Tony stood quickly next to him, waiting to see if the liquor went to his head. He didn't even wobble, and Tony shook his head with a grin.

"Have a good weekend," Tony shouted, waving as he led Jethro from the room eagerly, causing chuckles from Abby and a very drunk Tim.

Dorney looked at Abby and then Elly. "They're so cute." His dreamy sigh and small pout made everyone still at the table laugh, and he turned bright red.

"One day, my friend. One day, you'll have that," Elly said, his eyes shining brightly as he looked at Dorney.

"You think?" Dorney asked, his eyes locking on Elly's.

Elly nodded. "I know."


	19. Chapter 19

Dorney and Elly had finally said goodnight, leaving Tim, Abby, Ziva and Dion at the table talking. They were walking towards the car, and laughing about how drunk Elly was, when he stumbled. Dorney reached out a hand and caught him, then slipped his arm around his waist to steady him. Elly had ordered another beer as they all sat around talking, and Dorney had snickered when he finally stood up, only to sit right back down, clinging to the table. Now he was chuckling again, and Elly put his arm around Dorney's neck as he tried to stand up straight.

"Thanks," he said, taking a deep breath. "We might need to get some coffee."

"No, we need to get you home and into bed," Dorney said with a laugh, then froze, realizing how that sounded. "You know what I mean." That caused Elly to break out in a fit of giggles.

They finally made it to the car, and Dorney closed the passenger door on Elly, then went around to the driver's side and got in. He pulled his car up next to Elly's a block down, and put his flashers on. Pulling the other set of keys from his pocket, he got out and popped the trunk, snagging Elly's lockbox and duffle. He tossed them into his back seat, and a moment later, pulled away.

"I'm so glad you remembered that," Elly said. "I totally forgot."

"That's why one of us should always stay sober," Dorney said. "Between the two of us, we're bound to forget something if we're both drunk, and knowing our luck, it'll be something major like leaving our gun and credentials in our trunk the night our car gets stolen."

"Truth! Preach it Brother Ned!"

Dorney laughed, and he considered how he had been doing a lot more of that lately. It felt good.

They were a mile away from the restaurant when Dorney decided to ask Elly about the club. He wasn't really a club kind of guy, but now that things were going so well for him, he was wondering if maybe he shouldn't get out and try dating. The club may be overwhelming, but if he had his new friends with him, he might be able to enjoy himself for an hour or two.

"Do you want to do the club on Friday?" he asked tentatively.

"I don't know, Ned." Elly's voice was quiet as he turned and laid his head on the seat to watch Dorney as he drove. "It's been a long time since I've done the DJ thing. I was kind of a wild child back then. I was a geek most of the time, but on Friday and Saturday nights, I would take on this other persona. I'd go from spending my days working on computer code and hacking into people's files, to rocking out, and creating the vibes that hundreds rode to a good time. It was like being two completely different people. During the day, no one knew me. When I was behind the tables though, _everyone_ said hey, bought me drinks, took me home. I've gotten those two personalities to merge, and they came together to make me who I am, but _how_ they came together wasn't pretty. When your weekends are blending into your week, things get messy. I was so irresponsible. I don't know if I want to dip back into that world."

Dorney couldn't imagine Elly as a party animal that let everything slide. He tried to imagine him passed out in a dorm room, and he couldn't do it. "We won't let you get carried away, and you definitely have a head on your shoulders now. But, at the same time, it sounds like you enjoyed it. It would be like doing it once for old time's sake."

"You'll come?" Elly asked hopefully.

"Maybe? I don't know," Dorney said with a wince. "It's not really my scene. There's all those people. I'm feeling a little better these days about, you know, talking to people, and I think I may finally be really understanding which things I need to keep in my head, and which ones I can say aloud, but knowing my luck, I'll get one beer into me and forget."

"You don't do so bad when you drink around me," Elly pointed out with a smile.

"Yeah, but you're _you_. That's a little different. Hanging out in my apartment with beers and a movie isn't exactly the same thing as going to a bar."

"This isn't a bar, it's a club. You probably won't be able to hear anyone to talk anyway."

"You're not really winning me over with that."

"Well, I'm not going to do it if you're not coming." Elly shrugged and closed his eyes against the way the world spun around him.

"That's not fair! Why are you placing it all on me?" Dorney asked with a chuckle.

"Because I think you need a night out just as much as I need a trip down memory lane. If I'm going to let go for the night and try to relax, then you're going to, too. We've all had a lot on our plates for the past couple of months, and it's been a little overwhelming. I'd make Parke go with me, but he's struggling to find time with Tiff anyway, so that would be counterproductive. Especially now that they're prego? Yeah. Not happening. And, as we've pointed out, our luck _sucks_ , so that probably means that Abby will get stuck on a case and won't be able to go, and it will just be me and the Boss, and that could get kinda awkward, ya know?"

"You think so?" Dorney looked over at him with a confused look on his face.

"Oh, he didn't tell you what happened, did he?" Elly's eyes widened.

"No?"

"Last night, after getting the video, I got pissed. I didn't have any explanation yet about how, you know, they've decided to come out about their relationship, and I was mad that they were screwing things up and getting caught. I went and got a six pack, and drank to the end of our team as we know it, and then sent him this drunk-text _rant_."

"Oh, no. Tell me you didn't."

"Yeah, I did. Totally did. And he showed up at my apartment at like midnight."

"What?!"

"Mmmmhmm. He was actually really cool about it all. He explained how they were coming out with their relationship, and I may have… kinda… _snuggled_ up against him on the couch." Elly ducked his head sheepishly as he turned red, and ran his hand through his hair.

"Wait. You _snuggled_ him?" Dorney asked in disbelief.

"I was plowed! I just kinda leaned on him. While we were on the couch. And kinda nuzzled him."

"Uhhhh… if he tells Gibbs, you're dead."

"It wasn't like _that_. It was kind of… I don't know. Maybe like, a big brother or even…"

"A parent?" Dorney asked quietly.

Elly's eyes met his, and saw something there he connected with. "Yeah," he said softly. Dorney looked back at the road in front of him and sighed.

"After MTAC earlier, when I was so excited about him telling his operatives about his engagement, he asked me why I'm not out with anyone that's not on one of our teams. I sort of laid into him about it. I didn't mean to. I was just blowing off steam. When I had said what I had to say, he very calmly told me that he already knew it all from personal experience, and that he understood, and then he said that the only reason he had asked was because he'd figured out there was a specific reason why I hadn't told anyone else, and he was worried about me."

Elly nodded.

"I felt like an idiot. He was so… _understanding_. He told me he didn't speak to his family anymore at all, and that they weren't welcome at the wedding. I didn't tell him about my family, he just _knew._ How does he do that?"

"I don't know. You don't talk about your family much. I mean, I know your bro's a dick, and your parents didn't like you studying theater, but you never really talk about… you know, how they handled your coming out."

Dorney got quiet, looking at the streetlights on the road.

"Do you mind telling me?" Elly asked quietly, leaning in closer, hoping that he'd share his story.

It took a long minute, but Dorney finally started talking very quietly. "I think Tony has the right idea, about cutting them all out of your life. I mean, they all cut me out of theirs, so why not?"

Elly sat silently, waiting.

"When they found out, and they _found out_ , I didn't tell them, my parents stopped acknowledging I was even in the room with them."

Elly grimaced.

"They wouldn't look at me, wouldn't speak to me. There was no place set for me at the table, my mom cooked portioned meals sized so there was just enough for three, not four. I was home from college for the summer. When I went back to school in the fall, I simply moved there. I took everything I owned. They didn't even tell me goodbye. It was before my last year at University of Maryland, and thankfully my student loans and everything were already set up, so they couldn't back out of those, but they'd tried apparently. I'd gotten a call from a friend of mine in financial aid that thought I was dropping out or transferring."

"That really sucks man," Elly said, horrified. Dorney pulled into the parking spot designated for him next to his apartment, and turned the car off. They sat there a long moment in silence.

"There was no offer to come home for Christmas, no card on my birthday, no phone calls, nothing. My younger brother emails me now and then just to brag about his own life, and I'm going to tell him to stop. They've chosen not to have me in their lives, and Tony's right; it's not my job to try to make them love me. It's their loss. I've got you guys now, and a job I love, and my life is taking a great turn for the better. I obviously don't need them."

"But you obviously do want them," Elly said softly, watching the way Dorney's gray eyes glazed over as he blinked the tears away.

"I want my family. They aren't my family. Family doesn't do to each other what they did to me, Elly. That's not family. That's not love. That's not how a person is supposed to cherish their family members. That's not something I would wish on my worst enemy."

Elly reached up and clasped Dorney on the shoulder. "We're your family now. And you know we'd never do you that way. You don't have to worry about that with us."

"I know," Dorney said, once again smiling, even if sadly. "Let's go inside. I can make you that coffee."

"Sounds good," Elly said, realizing he really did want to sober up some now.

They were soon standing in the kitchen, a mug in each of their hands, and they hadn't said a word yet.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to unload all that on you."

"I asked, and I'm glad you told me." Elly watched Dorney through new eyes, wondering how he could still have such a good heart when he'd been treated so wrong.

"Maybe one day, someone will fall madly in love with whoever I become, and I'll have a great relationship like Tony and Gibbs. When you look at everything they've been through, and how long it took them to find it, it makes you have hope, you know?" Dorney sighed and took a drink from his coffee.

"Or maybe someone will fall in love with who you are now, and grow with you. Don't sell yourself short like that, Ned."

"I'm not. I'm changing so much right now, and I don't know if I'm going to be the same person in six months, a year, two years. As much as I'd love to go out on Friday night, and meet the man of my dreams, even if I'm the man of his dreams right as I am, I'm going to be really different in just a year, so much so that I'll probably grow out of whatever it is that he loves about me."

Elly laughed. "It sounds logical, but it doesn't work that way."

"Love? I really think it works that way. People grow out of each other all the time. The divorce rate is astronomical, and people don't stick it out like they used to. We give up on each other so easily. I need someone who is going to be willing to go with the flow when we change, and be willing to try to fall back in love with each other over and over again."

"That sounds really sweet," Elly said. He looked down at his mug and took another deep drink.

"However," Dorney began, "until I find Mr. Right, I could really use a Mr. Right Now."

Elly laughed and snorted coffee up his nose, causing him to choke, but he couldn't stop laughing. Dorney pounded on his back, and they both laughed until they had tears coming out of their eyes.

"I definitely did not expect you to say that!" Elly said, wiping his eyes with a paper towel, and then trying to find all of the coffee that sprayed out of his mouth and nose, and wipe that up too. "You're like, La de da, lovey dovey, happily ever after, BAM! I need to get laid."

"I'm a guy! A lovesick gay man, but a guy nonetheless."

"Okay. So, here's the plan. I'll do the club on Friday, and you're coming with me, and we'll totally hook you up with someone. The DJ's friends always get laid."

" _Sure_ they do," Dorney said skeptically, rolling his eyes. "How much did you drink again?"

"No, we'll totally find you someone to take home. What's your type?" Elly was suddenly really excited about this idea.

"I don't know if I really have a type per se. I haven't been able to be too picky."

Elly stared at him blankly for a minute. "M'kay. Tell me about the last couple of guys you dated."

"I minored in theater in college. You kind of get to know the artsy crowd. And then after that, I sorta of dated an intern named Kyle for a while."

"Which translates into, 'I was sleeping with' an intern named Kyle," Elly said with a smirk. "Go ahead."

"Well, I was dating him, he was sleeping with me." Dorney shrugged, and Elly sighed.

"Damn it. Are we going to get anything that's not an absolutely gut wrenching, heartbreaking story out of you tonight?"

"Probably not." Dorney said with a shrug. Elly narrowed his eyes at him.

"Then we'll stop here, and we'll focus on getting you laid Friday night, and _then_ we'll focus on finding someone who will appreciate you." Elly drank back the rest of his coffee.

Dorney thought about it a moment. "I like this plan. I think I approve of this plan."

"And with the DJ as your wingman, you'll be set up with someone in no time, bumping and grinding to whatever jams I throw at you."

Dorney chuckled and shook his head as he took a drink of his coffee.

"I think I'm going to go pass out on your couch. Between such a heavy meal and all the shots, I feel a coma coming on."

"I'm surprised you're still on your feet!" Dorney joked.

Elly reached out to punch him playfully, and Dorney jumped back chuckling. He put his cup in the sink, and headed towards the living room. Elly did the same and followed him.

"You got everything you need?" Dorney asked, looking at Elly as he slipped his jacket off and started unpacking his pockets.

"Yeah, just going to crash. I think I'm going to make a little sign to put over the couch that says, 'Elly's Second Home'."

"Damn it," Dorney said, snapping his fingers. "I didn't think about getting your earplugs from the glove box."

"It's cool. I'm going to sleep so hard tonight that I doubt it's going to matter."

"Well, goodnight. If I wake you up with my snoring, come wake me up. I'll put one of those nose strip things on. Maybe it will help."

Elly cocked his head to the side with a wince as he looked at Dorney. "You hate those things."

"Yeah, but it was my idea for you to crash here tonight, and I don't want to keep you up."

"I tell you what, if you're keeping me awake, I'll come wake your loud ass up, and you can put a strip on. Otherwise, we'll try it without it."

Dorney smiled at him. "Okay."

"Sleep well, Ned."

"You, too."

Elly pulled the blanket on the couch around him, and reached to turn off the lamp on the end table. Ned flipped the switch on the wall next to the kitchen doorway, and then slipped into his own room, closing the door behind him.

* * *

Tony decided he really liked it when Jethro got hammered. They were halfway home when Jethro's hand slipped very casually from his thigh to his dick, and started rubbing it through his pants.

"Damn it, Jethro! I'm driving!"

"Do you want me to stop?"

"Nooo…" Tony whined as Jethro started sliding his fingers over the shaft as he hardened.

They had just pulled off the beltway when Jethro unzipped Tony's pants.

"Fuck, Jethro! Not fair! Very not fair!"

"What's not fair about it?" he asked coyly.

"I can't do anything back! I'm driving! Ohhhhh… fuck!" Jethro's fingers were working over him slowly, making sure to take his time with his fingers as they slid over the head, smearing the dewy precum forming there. "Okay, Jethro, you're really going to have to stop. Coming up on a red light and a truck is going to be next to us."

"Damn," Jethro said, taking his hand away and pulling Tony's boxers over him as best he could quickly. "Ruins all my fun."

Tony stopped at the red light with a sigh of relief, glad that Jethro didn't insist on continuing. He didn't think he would have the strength to call him off if he had pressed the issue. He was amused until he looked over to see Jethro glaring at the guy in the truck, and Tony prayed for the light to turn green faster. As soon as it did, he hit the gas, eager to put space between the two of them.

When Tony pulled up in the driveway, he was immediately under Jethro's handhold. He groaned and reached to stop Jethro's hand but as soon as he made contact, he went weak. The hand rested on Jethro's wrist as Jethro reached over to stroke him, and then started chewing on his neck.

"Oh, god, Jethro…" he groaned. His hand finally left Jethro's wrist, and instead clawed at Jethro's leg. "Can we go inside? Please? Oh, please… I… I want… Oh, god…"

"What?" Jethro asked huskily in Tony's ear. "What do you want, Tony?" He put a twist on his stroke that made Tony whine until his voice exploded from his throat.

"God, I need you to fuck me!"

"Yeah, you do," Jethro said, but he didn't stop his stroking, and went back to nibbling on Tony's neck.

"Then take me inside and fuck me, damn it!" Tony finally demanded.

"Mmmkay. In a minute," Jethro said, chewing on Tony's earlobe gently, sucking on it and then licking his way back down Tony's neck.

"He's trying to kill me. He's going to kill me," Tony muttered, his head back on the seat. He finally couldn't take it anymore. He growled loudly and opened the car door, trying to escape and pull his pants up at the same time only to find the seatbelt was still attached. He hoped harder than he'd hoped for anything in a long time that their nosey neighbor wasn't bored and looking out the window.

Jethro pulled him back towards him. "Not done with you, yet," he cooed.

"Then take me inside!" Tony growled, leaning forward as he tried to tuck himself in and get at the seatbelt release.

Jethro laughed, and then got out of the car. Tony jumped at the chance, pulling his pants up and unbuckling the seatbelt, then ran towards the house. Jethro was already unlocking the front door, and Tony closed it behind them eagerly. When he turned around, Jethro was stretching nonchalantly and tossing his keys on the coffee table as he went towards the lockbox to put his gun away. It was such an extreme contrast to the frantic fondling he was just doing in the car that Tony was in shock.

"You coming?" Jethro called over his shoulder at Tony who was standing in the doorway with his mouth half open.

"Hopefully soon!"

"Yeah, no kidding," Jethro said as he unloaded his weapon and put it in the box. He turned back towards Tony. "Come on!"

Tony shook his head and moved towards Jethro, pulling his gun and taking out the clip. Jethro stepped away from the shelf they kept the box on as Tony approached, and headed for the kitchen. Tony put the gun away and turned the combination on the lock. He slipped his jacket off, throwing it over the back of the recliner, and then the holster, keys, wallet and badge all stacked up on the coffee table. Jethro walked through the living room with two beers in his hand, motioning for Tony to join him as he took the stairs towards their room.

Tony followed, one eyebrow raised. He had no idea what Jethro was up to, but he was enjoying the playfulness. When he entered the room, Jethro was stripping his jacket off, and the two beers were sitting on the nightstand. He moved towards the bathroom as he took his clothes off, and Tony thought he was supposed to follow, but Jethro returned without a shirt on, and two of their bath towels in his hand. He tossed them on the bed, and then moved towards Tony with a sly smile. He slipped his hands around his waist, kissing him so hard it took Tony's breath away. Tony's hands hung over Jethro's back, crossed at the wrist, his arms resting on his strong shoulders.

Jethro's hand moved towards Tony's pants where his belt was still hanging open. His hands slid down Tony's hips, pushing them down, and Tony helped kick out of them, still not breaking the kiss. His lips were right where they belonged. Lost in one another's mouths, Tony wasn't sure how they both ended up naked, but he knew that it was about damned time. Jethro pulled back, finding Tony's hand with his and led him the few steps to the bed. He spread the towels out, and then, with a smirk, pushed Tony until he fell backwards on them. Tony laughed as he bounced just a little.

Jethro opened both beers, handing one to Tony, and then taking a drink out of the other. Tony sat up a little and took a long pull from his bottle, watching Jethro closely. He joined Tony on the bed, and very carefully poured some of his beer over Tony's chest. Tony's breath caught in his throat as he inhaled sharply, the cold liquid stunning him and causing a shock to his system.

Jethro watched it roll down Tony's body, pooling at his navel, and running over the sides of his stomach. He followed the trail with his tongue, suckling as he went, nibbling the flesh under his lips. The flesh was soft in some places, harder in others, and Jethro thought about Tony's joke earlier about finding muscles he hadn't seen in a while. He had never been left wanting by Tony's body, but he definitely appreciated the definition beneath his hands and mouth now.

Tony squirmed under Jethro's touch, but a few presses of his hands let Tony know he needed him to stay still. He poured more beer on his stomach, lapping at it where it ran. Tony groaned as Jethro got closer and closer to the dark pubic hairs that were inviting him to take his ministrations lower. He poured just a little bit of his beer over them, and waited for it to slide through the hairs and towards Tony's balls. Tony groaned under him, and when his mouth started lapping the golden liquid from his testicles, Tony whined. He pulled back when he was sure he had gotten it all, and took a long drink from his bottle, then sat it on the nightstand.

His eyes coasted over the body laying out for him on the bed. A glistening path led him back up to Tony's mouth where he kissed him until he thought he would pass out from lack of oxygen. He let his lips ghost across Tony's lips one last time before he trailed it down his jaw slowly, then over his ear, and down his neck, stopping to kiss it at the jugular and nip at it. He continued using his tongue to trace a path down Tony's shoulder, over his collarbone, inhaling deeply at Tony's armpit, absorbing the scent of deodorant and masculinity. He continued down Tony's chest, stopping at his right nipple a moment to tease it with first tongue, then lips, and then teeth. Tony arched up off the bed, and Jethro's hands held him down easily as if though it was nothing to pin a strong, grown man down as he thrashed. His tongue dipped along the ridges of Tony's stomach, which were becoming more and more defined as his breathing deepened.

Finally, his tongue crossed the threshold to Tony's navel, and then dipped in among the pubes, only to trail up the length of his shaft, culminating in Jethro's mouth swallowing him whole.

Tony grit his teeth, his hand clenching tightly around his beer bottle as he tried to hold on to the one gossamer thread that kept him connected to his sanity. It was damn near impossible as Jethro's hot mouth worked on him so agonizingly slowly, taking his time as he traced every vein with his tongue.

Jethro finally pulled off, using one knuckle of one finger to gently caress Tony's sac intently.

Tony thought he was going to go nuts. He sat up a few inches to watch Jethro in disbelief that he had once again stopped so suddenly to act so relaxed. He wasn't sure what to say, so he took a large swallow from the bottle of beer in his hand, and then flopped back down on the bed. He caught his breath just in time for Jethro to take it away again, returning his mouth to Tony's cock, and took him deep in his throat.

"I swear to God Jethro, if you stop again, you're not getting any for a _week_!" Tony croaked out, leaning up just a little on an elbow to watch Jethro work on him.

Jethro let Tony's head slip past his lips with a slurping sound. "I seriously doubt that," he said, his eyes on Tony's as he bent and took the leaking cock back into his mouth, letting his tongue swirl around it slowly as he descended.

Tony groaned and growled, but soon his eyes were rolling into the back of his head in ecstasy, and he took another drink of the beer in his hand in an attempt to cool the dry heat in his throat. His hand started running up and down the bottle involuntarily to the strokes Jethro was making over his sensitive shaft with his incredible lips. Tony felt the orgasm tightening his balls and drawing them up.

"Jethro…" he warned, but like usual, Jethro ignored him, and moments later, he was swallowing Tony and everything he gave him.

Tony was a twitching puddle on the bed when Jethro finally let his softening dick slip out of his mouth. He reached forward, taking Tony's beer and stealing a drink before sitting it on the nightstand next to his own. Tony's arm flailed out as he tried to pull Jethro to him, but he was as weak as a wet noodle.

"Hmmm…" Jethro began. "I bet I could…"

He slipped his arms under Tony and pulled him up into a sitting position against him, and then into his lap. Tony moaned quietly as he felt his back pin Jethro's cock between them. Jethro reached for the lube that had taken up permanent residency on the nightstand between the box of tissues and the two beers. His arms were both around Tony, his right hand outstretched while his left poured lube over the first couple of fingers. He reached under Tony's leg, and began dipping his fingers in and out of Tony's hole.

"I don't see how you can be so tight already after everything I've done to you this week," Jethro said quietly in Tony's ear. "After you fuck me, it takes a couple of days for me to be this tight again, but no matter what I do to you, you're as good as new just hours later." He slipped both fingers into him up to the palm, and wiggled them, barely tapping on Tony's prostate in the process and making him whimper.

"Mmmm… yeah, I bet that feels good. You know what's going to feel even better? How full you'll be sitting on my cock. Come on," he said, taking his finger out and trying to maneuver Tony's limp body so that he sat on his lap over the side of the bed. Tony tried to comply, but he barely had strength in his limbs. He landed on his feet, but they couldn't hold him. Jethro was prepared for that though having already wiped his lubey hands on the towel under them, and his firm grip kept Tony steady until he squatted over Jethro's erect member.

Jethro carefully lowered Tony's body down onto him, and Tony groaned, leaning back and nuzzling Jethro's face with his own.

"More?" he whispered, feeling a little bit of the life coming back into him.

"Mmmhmm," Jethro said with a nod, letting his mouth find Tony's a moment to suckle on his tongue as he lowered Tony another inch onto him. He loved the way Tony felt around him, and in his arms, and he was especially enjoying a very pliable Tony. He suddenly let go, dropping Tony down on his lap. Tony's eyes shot open, surprised by the movement and the way he was filled and stretched.

"What the…" Tony gasped.

Jethro didn't say anything, but his hands were on Tony's thighs, sliding under them in order to lift Tony up and drop him again.

"Uhhhhhnnn…" Was all Tony could say. Jethro did it again, and again, and when Tony started to try to move with him, he nodded.

"Atta boy, come on," he encouraged. Tony stretched his toes, trying to find enough feeling to take up his part in this. He rocked a little, and his head swam. He and Jethro fit perfectly together. When he sat on him like this, Jethro's thick cock pressed on his prostate just right to be able to keep him from being able to think at all, nonetheless coherently. "No?" Jethro taunted. "I can take care of that for you if you want."

Tony's brain couldn't remember how to send signals to his mouth to speak. He was in a half-orgasmic state still, and his brain couldn't be more muddled by the dick shoved in him so deeply that he thought he was going to choke on it.

Jethro picked Tony up and dropped him again. Tony nodded, eager to have it happen again, though he didn't realize his head had moved at all. Jethro's smirk was almost malicious as he picked him up, dropped him, picked him up, dropped him.

"One day," Jethro whispered into Tony's ear, his breath hot and moist. "I'm going to find out what it's going to take to keep that ass loose and open for me. I'm going to bend you over every surface in this house, over and over again, and I'm going to stretch you so right that I can lose my hand in you." Tony groaned at his unspoken fantasy drifting from those incredible lips into his ear. Tony's cock betrayed him, twitching hard as it tried to come back to life at the image that rushed through his mind.

"Oh, you like that idea? Why haven't you told me? We can work on that. For tonight though, I just want to pound you until we both pass out for the night."

Tony nodded fervently, and Jethro stood up, not letting Tony slip off his cock, and turned so that Tony fell face down on the bed. He wasted no time in beginning to plunge into him over and over again. Tony laid there, barely finding the strength to hold up his exhausted body while Jethro fucked him to the point his ass and thighs stung from where Jethro's slapped against him. He wondered if Jethro was ever going to stop. He kept going and going, and Tony felt his cock twitch now and then, trying desperately to join the fun again.

Jethro's hands on Tony's back steadied his breathing, and then one of the hands left to slam down hard again on Tony's right ass cheek. Tony's gasp sent a chill of power through Jethro that he felt push him a little closer to finally being able to let go, so he pulled back enough to let his left hand fall on his left cheek this time, creating an identical handprint on that side. Tony whimpered, and Jethro laid another set on him. At this point, Tony found the pain just the push he needed to be able to get it up again, and he tried to reach a hand under him to stroke his cock back to full stiffness.

Jethro let another couple of smacks rain down on his ass, and Tony was fueled to start pushing back, eager for more as he stroked himself furiously.

"Shit, Tony," Jethro growled, aroused by the sight of the red handprints on his lover's ass like marks of possession, and even more so by the way Tony reacted to the sensation. Jethro stopped his thrusts a moment, not needing to do anything else as Tony fanatically pushed back against him over and over. When he rejoined the movements, they were sporadic and without rhythm.

"Jethroooo…" Tony moaned.

"What do you want, Tony?" Jethro asked.

"I want to feel you come inside me," Tony groaned. "Please, Jethro? Please? I need to… I need to feel you… I need to feel you fill me… to drip from me."

Jethro groaned, the words catching his befuddled brain off guard, and he stuttered to a halt as his orgasm hit him hard. Tony felt the thick, hot liquid coating his insides, and it pushed him over the edge a second time. They managed to wiggle up on the bed together before they both passed out on top of the blankets and towels, and Jethro partially on top of Tony.

* * *

The two men were dozing in a sticky mess when they both suddenly sat up at the sound of the front door opening.

"Oh my God. I forgot to lock the door," Tony said. He looked at Jethro, and they both jumped up and grabbed clothes, making for the shower. Before they could even get the bathroom door closed behind them, they could hear Diane's voice letting out a tentative and rather uncertain "Hello?"

Tony looked at Jethro, and shook his head, his eyes wide as saucers. Jethro burst out laughing, trying to contain himself. He was still feeling more than a little tipsy, and he was glad, because otherwise this situation would have been incredibly uncomfortable.

As soon as the water was on, Jethro jumped underneath it. Tony helped suds him up, glad Jethro was able to find humor in this. As soon as the soap was rinsed off, Jethro was out of the shower and drying off. Tony took a super quick scrub down as well, rinsing off just enough to be comfortable once he had clothes on. Jethro opened the bathroom door tentatively, not putting it past Diane to be waiting on the other side of it. He was relieved when she wasn't.

"Hello?" he called. He could hear the water turning off behind him, and he was grateful Tony wasn't going to leave him alone for too long to face the beast. He headed for the stairs as slowly as possible, giving Tony time to catch up.

"Jethro?" Diane called from the bottom of the staircase.

Jethro heard the door to the bathroom open again, and waited for Tony to join him. "Diane? Be right down. Just… wait there a second." He turned around to find Tony about to smack right into him.

"You okay?" Tony whispered.

Jethro nodded, then shook his head no, then took Tony's hand, and nodded again. Tony smiled and nodded, trying not to chuckle.

"I'm soooo sorry! I swear I'll make it up to you," he whispered.

Jethro nodded emphatically, but he leaned forward, chuckling, and kissed Tony quickly. They walked hand-in-hand down the stairs, and both men felt incredibly sheepish under the slack-jawed stare they got from Diane, though Jethro covered it a lot better.

"What the hell, Diane?" Jethro asked, trying to act as close to normal as possible, even though his head was buzzing still from the liquor.

"What do you mean what the hell?! I should be asking you, what the hell?!" Diane's voice was clipped and shrill, and Tony winced.

"No, _you're_ the one in our house. Don't you have better things to do with your Friday night?"

" _Our_ house?" she asked, her mouth still hanging open, her eyes wide, and her arms crossed. " _Tony_ is who Tobias was talking about?"

"She looks a little surprised, Jethro. Why is she so surprised? Didn't she see the announcement we put out in the paper about our wedding? I thought everyone in D.C. had seen it by now."

"You're getting _married_?!" The level of disbelief kept growing and growing with every word that left their mouths, and Tony and Jethro both were having a hard time containing the laughter induced by Tony's fib.

"Yeah, Diane. We're getting married, we're living together, and it took way too long for it to happen." Jethro led Tony towards the kitchen, finally letting go of his hand as he went to take another beer from the fridge. He held it up, and Tony took it, then he reached back in the fridge for one for himself. They both leaned against the kitchen counter, pulling the lids off in unison, and turning to toss them on the counter behind them in unison, causing them to look at each other and snicker.

"Since when are either of you into men?" she asked.

"Don't really have to answer that," Tony said, cocking an eyebrow at her and shaking his head.

Diane rolled her eyes and looked at Jethro. He shrugged.

"He's right. No one needs to know the details. You can either be happy that I'm finally happy, or you can leave. Neither of us owe _anyone_ an explanation."

Diane looked taken aback, blinking rapidly as she looked from one man to the other.

"No, I guess you don't. But damn it, Jethro! You can't blame me for being confused here! The whole switching teams thing is a pretty big deal!"

"There's no switching of anything," he said, looking like any minute now his drunken joy was going to run out, and his barely held aggravation was going to break through

Tony held up his hand, motioning for them to all pause. He turned to the cabinet, pulled out three glasses, and then grabbed the bottle of scotch he kept in the cabinet above the sink. He poured two fingers for him and Jethro, and one finger for Diane, then handed it to her.

"Thank you!" she said, taking it and gulping back half of it. She looked beyond exasperated, and Tony raised an eyebrow at Jethro, who was drinking his rather quickly as well. Tony took a large swallow from his, and sighed.

"Okay," he said, not sure what else to do but lay it out there. "Long story short. Finally broke down and got together in March. Moved in together and got engaged in April. Getting married in September. Been in love with each other for years. That's it; that's all you need to know."

"Years?" she asked much more softly, genuinely confused. Despite Tony being the one talking, her question was aimed at Jethro, who merely nodded. Diane looked around the room, knocking back the rest of her scotch, and Tony could have sworn he saw her eyes glazing over. "I want to be happy for you. For you both, I do. I'm just… surprised and shocked."

"Would it be any different if it wasn't Tony, but some woman you had never known? Would that make it easier?" Jethro asked, a tone to his voice that Tony wasn't sure he liked.

"I don't know, honestly. You know I don't have any problems with two guys that love each other, it's just weird knowing… you."

"I guess you never really knew me then," Jethro said quietly.

Tony winced. _This isn't good…_

"Not for lack of trying," Diane said in response. Tony turned to refill his glass, this time much closer to the brim.

"Didn't say it was your fault," Jethro added. His voice wasn't sympathetic, but possibly apologetic, and Tony turned back with his glass to his lips to watch the scene.

"Well, that's a first," Diane shot back. She sat her glass on the counter, and Jethro and Tony watched as she turned around and left. They stood there for a long few minutes, and waited until they could hear her car pull away from the front of the house.

"You know," Tony finally said quietly. "As awkward as coming out at work may be, there will _never_ be a moment as awkward as that was."

Jethro turned to stare at him, then chuckled and shook his head, holding out his glass.

"You sure?" Tony asked with a smirk, already picking the bottle up.

"Definitely."

* * *

Saturday morning arrived, bringing hangovers with it.

Tim woke up to throw the pillow over his face, blocking the sun out. Abby was ready with a Bloody Mary and a couple aspirin. He took them both gladly.

"Hurry up and get over that hangover, Buster! We've got stuff to do today! You promised me we'd go clean the new place and get it ready for our things."

"Kill me," Tim said, flopping over sideways on the bed, regretting it immediately.

"Sure! After we clean the townhouse, if you still want me to kill you, I'm sure we can work something out," Abby said cheerfully.

"Okay," Tim groaned as he stood up. "But we're stopping for breakfast first. I need fast food."

"You mean one of Tony's hangover cures in a tortilla?" Abby said with a grin.

"Exactly."

"I tell you what. You get a shower, get dressed, and I'll go get you one. Maybe by time you get back, you'll be a little more alert and not so grouchy."

"Ahhh… I love you, Abs!" Tim wrapped his arms around Abby, and pulled her close. "I'd kiss you, but I can smell my own breath, and I can't do that to you."

"See? That's love, right there. No doubting it." She pulled back and kissed him on the cheek, then bounded towards the front door. Tim could hear her pick up her keys from the table, and he knew she was checking for her phone and her wallet, as was her ritual. A moment later, he was closing the bathroom door in sync to the front door shutting.

* * *

Elly woke up with a groan, rolling over and tucking his head under the blanket. He sniffed, taking in the tantalizing smell of coffee in the air, and hesitantly cracked an eye open. Then he smelled bacon frying, and he slowly sat up.

"There's breakfast, if you think you can keep it down that is," Ned said with a quiet chuckle.

"Nothing cures a hangover like coffee and a greasy breakfast," Elly said, sounding like death walking as he tried to stand up and stretch.

"I've got both."

"See? I knew we were friends for some reason!" Elly joked with a grin as he stepped into the kitchen. Ned punched him in the shoulder.

"I knew you only loved me for my couch and cooking skills!" Ned said with a fake, high pitched whine.

"Well, that and your ability to strategize. I love a man that can strategize! I mean, you _strategically_ had breakfast and coffee ready for me this morning. That's all I could ever ask for!"

"How are you single again?" Dorney asked with a laugh as they sat down at the small dining set with plates and mugs together.

"By choice, my friend. By choice! Now pass the salt."

* * *

"Uhhhhhhhhnnnn…" Tony groaned as he heard the chirp of his phone. It was a light chirp that indicated a text message, and he rolled over to ignore it. Jethro pulled him close, barely awake, and seconding his groan. They only had the sheet over them, the light blanket they had on them when they went to sleep had been kicked to the end of the bed and was hanging halfway over the side. It was sunny and warm in the room, and the breeze blowing in smelled like a summer morning. The phone chirped again, and Tony nuzzled into Jethro, determined to ignore it. When it chirped again, Jethro growled.

"Shut that damn thing up!" he said.

Tony pulled out of his embrace and reached for the phone. He only meant to turn the volume down, but he saw who the texts were from and sat up with a jolt.

"It's Shane," he said. Jethro sat up too, rubbing his eyes.

"Everything okay?" he asked.

Tony rolled his eyes. "Yeah. He just got back into signal range and I guess Parke was drunk texting him the other night, too." Tony started a reply text. "Sounds like he hasn't been able to get Greg to pick up the phone this morning, and he's flipping out. Scared the shit out of me, the little punk!"

"Yeah, me too. Tell him I said we're going back to bed, and to go climb a tree."

Tony chuckled. "I don't think I'm going to put it like that, but yeah, I'll let him know you were concerned." He turned the phone on vibrate, and rolled back over to wrap himself around Jethro, who gladly pulled him close. They were laying together in silence when Jethro's voice startled Tony.

"Is it really almost noon?" he asked.

Tony turned around to look at the clock, one arm coming dislodged from around Jethro to do so while the rest of his body stayed firmly entwined.

"How about that?" he asked. "Looks like in order to get you to actually sleep in I need to get you plastered two weekends in a row."

Jethro chuckled, but Tony simply rolled back over and wrapped himself around Jethro firmly.

"I should probably call Leyla and see if she's free this afternoon to take Kelly's things over," he said, pushing Tony's hair back from his forehead. He realized how easily he had said Kelly's name and smiled.

Tony was the only person who he'd felt comfortable talking about his girls to in years. Their names slipped over his tongue much easier when they were being said to Tony's ears. They felt more welcome in his presence somehow, and Jethro realized that was the missing piece to his grief all this time. Tony didn't begrudge him his memories of them, and he was supportive at the same time. He brought them back to life in the part of him that he had felt dying more and more each day.

He simply nodded now, and Jethro knew he was waiting for cues before he attempted to say anything else. It was something else he loved and appreciated about Tony. At work, he may constantly stick his foot in his mouth about case material, but when it came to Jethro's sensitive past, Tony suddenly became a master of discretion. Jethro smiled a little to himself as he looked down into Tony's green eyes, enjoying the idea that it was all for him.

Only it wasn't, he realized.

He saw Tony take the same sensitivity to the needs his team presented him, and he smiled even broader. He was proud of Tony. He wanted to say so, but he was concerned that as his partner, his lover, his fiancé, that would sound condescending. The "Boss" in him though could almost bubble out of himself at the thought of how Tony handled his team.

Tony, meanwhile, was watching Jethro's expressions closely, noticing that he had said Kelly's name so casually. It hadn't been lost on him that it had skated by without any fanfare, any stutter, any hesitation. The expressions that followed dripped with love and happiness, and Tony smiled back at those blue eyes that had enchanted him for years with a little more wonder than before. He was proud of Jethro for letting himself feel his girls' presence in his life again. He was proud of him for finding the courage to share them with him. He was grateful to have been the one to finally break through that barrier, and he promised Jethro silently that he would hold that place in his life as absolutely sacred.

"You aren't going to go back to sleep, are you?" Tony asked with a smirk.

"Nah. You ready to get this day started, or do you want to sleep some more?"

Tony nodded thoughtfully. "I'm ready to tackle this day with you."

"I'm ready to take on more than today," Jethro said, and then he leaned in and kissed Tony gently. "Or at least I will be once I've made some coffee. I drank way too much last night."

Tony laughed, immediately regretting the pounding it set off in his head. "That sounds more like it!"

They both rolled out of bed and stretched, looking at each other as they yawned in unison, thinking about the night before with the beer bottles in the kitchen. They both chuckled, shaking their heads, which only made them chuckle more. For two men that were so different, they were a hell of a lot alike.


	20. Chapter 20

Jethro was talking on the phone with Leyla in the laundry room when Tony came down into the kitchen showered and dressed. He could hear their conversation clearly, at least from Jethro's side, but he moved to the doorway to find out what he was doing hiding in the back room alone. He poked his head in to see Jethro with a box sitting on the side table, shuffling through it for something. He saw him pull out one pack of batteries and then another, and Tony grinned.

Jethro looked up at Tony in the doorway and smiled before checking him out.

"Tony'll be with me," he said. Tony was close enough now to hear Leyla's voice coming through the phone in the quiet of the small room. She sounded happy, and Tony felt a sudden jolt of apprehension as he realized that they were about to face yet another coming out. He hoped it wasn't as disastrous as his imagination was starting to give him daymares about. Jethro had told him that he figured she already knew about them, but he wasn't so sure.

The call ended, and Jethro looked up at Tony, slipping his phone in his pocket.

"They're going to a friend's house for the evening, so we're going to have to get over there soon," he said.

"Are you ready for that?" Tony asked as casually as if he were asking about leaving for work in the morning. Jethro smiled at the nonchalance.

"Yeah, I'm ready. Just want to make sure the batteries get put in the worm thing and the Lite Brite first."

Tony grinned brightly. "I might have to confiscate the Lite Brite if you put batteries in it," he joked.

"If you want one, I'll drop you off at Toys 'R' Us," Jethro joked back, moving past Tony, reaching down to give his hand a quick squeeze to say he knew that Tony was being lighthearted intentionally, and that he appreciated it.

"I note you said that you'd drop me off," Tony said, following Jethro from the room, staying behind him only a few inches in his eagerness. "But you didn't say anything about picking me up or taking me home with you. Would it be safer if I just drive myself?"

Jethro stopped abruptly and turned around, causing Tony to run right into him. Jethro's arms came around him, completely expecting it. He suddenly kissed Tony deeply, stunning him. When he pulled back, all Tony could do was blink. Tony watched the smirk on Jethro's face as he turned to go up the stairs.

"You can use kisses like that to shut me up any time!" He called before following him once his brain was able to send signals to his legs again.

He made it to the top of the stairs to watch as Jethro walked into Kelly's room without a second thought, and he paused to do a spinning happy dance in the hallway out of Jethro's view. He pumped his fist in the air, excited that Jethro had just crossed the threshold like it was nothing.

When he entered the room a few moments later, he was the calm model of decorum he needed to be, but when he saw Jethro sitting on the bed with the black teddy bear again, he froze. He didn't see the same kind of exhausting grief on Jethro's face as he had the other night, but he saw the pain and longing of a father remembering his daughter.

"You know," Tony said softly. "It wouldn't hurt to keep something so special, especially if it had particular memories attached to it."

A sad smile formed on Jethro's lips as he shook his head, wondering how Tony always knew what was going through his mind.

"I think, if there is anything in this room that needs a good home, it's Dirt." He didn't look up at Tony, but stared at the bear in his hands as his finger traced it's muzzle. "That's what she named him- Dirt. She got him when she was learning her colors, and she and Shannon had just planted tulips along the fence in the back yard. She associated black with the top soil they'd used. We tried to get her to pick a different name, but she was as stubborn as her mom-"

"And her dad," Tony said with a smirk.

"That too," Jethro said with a bright grin that showed his teeth as he looked at Tony. "I… I couldn't keep her favorite toy, or the best parts of her just for me. That wouldn't be fair to her. I've been doing that for too long. Her favorite toy should have a chance to be enjoyed. So many things are coming back to me… so many."

Tony sat gently on the bed next to Jethro, reaching out to gently rub the ear of the bear in his lap. He watched Jethro's expression out of the corner of his eye, and he was relieved when he saw it included a smile.

"I'd love to hear any of them you want to tell me," he offered. "If you ever want to share them."

Jethro shrugged. "Too many right now to pick one."

Tony nodded. "I get that. The door is always open."

"I know," Jethro said quietly, letting his right hand drop from the bear to take Tony's left sitting next to him. He looked up into Tony's searching green eyes. "I really do know."

"Good," Tony said just as quietly, with a soft smile.

"Let's get going."

Tony nodded, and got to his feet. He pulled the lid off of the bin, and pulled out the Glo Worm, and then reached his hand out to pick up the batteries on the desk. Jethro put the other set into the Lite Brite, and then they packed them back up.

"If you want to go get that in the truck, I'm going to go put the chicken in the crock pot. Should only take about ten minutes, and then we can go."

"Sounds good," Jethro said, picking up the bin, and heading for the stairs after Tony.

When they pulled up in front of Leyla's almost half an hour later, Tony glanced at Jethro casually, and then got out. He saw the slightest bit of apprehension on Jethro's face, and he tried not to read into it. He grinned when he saw Leyla open the front door, and then watched Amira run out of the house like a bolt of lightning, straight for Jethro. He watched as Jethro scooped her up, holding her tightly and hugging her as he closed his eyes with one of the biggest smiles he had ever seen his fiancé wear.

Tony went to the back of the truck and grabbed the bin. He was standing next to Jethro when Amira finally decided it was safe to let go of her death-grip hug.

"Hey, kiddo!" he said.

"Hi, Tony!" she greeted, reaching out for him to take over the hug. He was a little surprised by that, though she did hug him goodbye the last time he was over. He sat the bin down, and Jethro transferred her to his care. He smiled and hugged her. She hugged him back almost as tightly as she had hugged Jethro. Tony stared at Jethro from over Amira's shoulder, and he saw the older man wink at him as he picked up the bin and headed for the house. Tony's eyes closed as he held Amira, knowing that in a way, he was holding Kelly.

"How you doing?" he asked her.

"Good," she said, still clinging to him. He headed for the front door when he realized Amira wasn't going to let him go anytime soon.

"That's good," Tony said, not really sure how to continue the conversation with a four year old.

"What's in the box?" she asked as they followed Jethro into the house.

"It's a surprise!" Tony said, injecting whimsy into his voice without thinking, suddenly proud of himself when Amira pulled back just enough to look into his face with wide, sparkling eyes.

"Is it a surprise for me?" she asked.

"Yup!" he said. "It's a _very_ super special surprise though."

"Wow," she said softly. "It's a big box, so it's a big surprise," she whispered as if she was explaining it to Tony. He smiled and nodded, bending over to sit her down on her feet. She looked at Leyla, who was standing in the archway of the front hall to the living room. Jethro was standing by the couch with the bin in front of him, and Amira approached him tentatively, her eyes still wide and her mouth hanging open. Tony moved to stand next to Leyla, and they exchanged looks as Amira reached Jethro. Leyla moved to join them, but Tony stopped her, reaching a hand out to touch her arm.

"Just watch," Tony whispered. Leyla looked at him curiously, and then back at the two across the room. They looked on as Jethro knelt down in front of Amira, then sat on the ground with her, pulling her into his lap.

"I have some things for you," he said.

"Tony said it's a surprise."

"Kind of, yeah," Jethro said with a grin, all of his attention on the little girl in his lap that looked up at him as if there were nothing more important in the world at that moment. Jethro reached over and popped the lid off of the bin, and reached inside for the plush black bear on top, before letting the lid fall loosely back down to cover the rest of the items.

Amira's eyes lit up like she was reuniting with an old friend, and Tony felt a sudden knot tighten in his throat, and his eyes burned furiously. Jethro sat the bear on Amira's lap, and she immediately hugged it tightly to her. Tony chewed on his lip as he tried to get his traitorous emotions under control.

"His name is Dirt," Jethro said quietly. "He belonged to someone very special, and I want you to have him."

Leyla put her arm around Tony's waist, and laid her head on his shoulder as she watched, realizing what was going on. Tony rested his head on hers, putting his arm around her waist as well.

"Do you remember me telling you that I once had a little girl named Kelly?" he asked.

Amira nodded emphatically. "Mommy said she's an angel now."

Tony wiped his eyes furiously, trying to beat the tears to their brim and keep them from failing.

Jethro smiled at her, and Tony could see the moisture forming in his eyes as well. "Dirt belonged to Kelly before she… went to heaven," he explained. "He's been very lonely, and he needs a good friend to take care of him now that Kelly's not here to play with him anymore."

"He belonged to an _angel_?" she asked incredulously, looking at Dirt in awe.

"I think Kelly would believe you'd be a great person to take care of Dirt for her. I think she would like it a lot."

"Gibbsy? Why are you sad?" she asked, looking up to put her tiny hands on each side of Jethro's face. He smiled, reaching up to take one of her hands, bringing it to his lips to give it a quick kiss.

"Sometimes when you miss people, it makes you sad."

Amira nodded sagely. "Mommy says that about Daddy sometimes. She says that she misses him, but that he's an angel too, and that he's watching out for me. So Kelly is watching out for you, too! It's okay." She got quiet for a moment, looking at the bear in her arms, then up at Jethro." Is Kelly watching me, too?" she asked. "Is she going to watch Dirt, and make sure he's okay?"

Jethro wrapped Amira in his arms, hugging her close, his eyes closed tightly. "Yes. She would love you," he said softly. "But you know I'm always watching out for you, too, right?"

Amira hugged him securely, resting her head on his shoulder, and nodded. Jethro finally pulled back, looking into her face.

"You want the rest of your surprise?" he asked.

"There's more?!" she asked excitedly, looking at the bin. Jethro chuckled, and reached for the bin.

"You're good for him, Tony," Leyla said quietly.

"We're good for each other."

"I know," she said. "I can see it in your eyes. You have changed as well."

"Every day since I met him."

She smiled at him, finally letting him go. She tilted her head towards the kitchen, and Tony followed, leaving Jethro and Amira in the living room to go through the toys together.

Tony saw that there was a fresh pot of coffee waiting for them, and smiled. Leyla saw his grin, and giggled.

"It would be a great wrong-doing to not have coffee for Gibbs. He asks for nothing, but gives so much. The least I can do is have fresh coffee ready for him when he comes by."

"He's definitely going to need it today. We've had a hell of a week, and there was a _lot_ of alcohol consumed last night." He took the mug she offered him with a smile, and without adding anything to it, he started drinking without thinking again.

"I do not believe I have ever seen Gibbs drunk," she said, intrigued and amused. "It must have been a very rough week."

"Yeah." Tony considered where he was going to take the conversation, and whether or not it was a good idea. He figured it was probably best to beg for forgiveness than ask for permission. "Has he ever told you about his friends Malek, Talia and Dina?"

Leyla looked up from the mug of coffee she was pouring at the sound of their names. "No, I would have remembered those names."

Tony smiled sadly. "Their paths crossed Jethro's on an op years ago before I joined the team, and they crossed again this past spring as they helped with another op Jethro was in charge of, and that I got brought in on. They have a very sad situation that's going to require permanently relocating here in the States, but what's worse is that right now they are in hiding. They're very important to him, and we have invited them to stay with us. However, when they found out about our relationship this week, one of them, Talia, appeared to have a rather serious problem with it, though she didn't say anything. It really hurt him."

"Where did they meet?" she asked. "Are you allowed to say?"

"In Afghanistan." Leyla nodded her head in confirmation.

"She may simply need time to adjust to the idea. It goes against the grain of most of us who were raised in the culture. Many of my own thoughts have very dramatically changed since stepping away and seeing the world through new eyes. There is always the chance that she will not be okay with it, no matter how long you give her to consider it, but if she believes in ways that have brought her onto Gibbs' path, she will most likely have a harder time turning her back on Gibbs than on a blind way of thinking."

"She's going to have to decide if she can tolerate it enough to live with us soon. I hate to push her if she's not ready, but we're getting word that they're closer and closer to being unsafe where they're at."

"That could complicate things," Leyla said, sitting at the table and motioning for Tony to join her. He did, and wondered how much he could explain. He needed an impartial sounding board.

"The three of them are inseparable. I am afraid that if she can't find peace with this, they are going to do something stupid as a group. Dina and Malek are fine with it, and I know they'd come to stay with us without a problem, but I'm not sure what's going to happen if Talia won't join them. Dina's had a seriously traumatic experience recently, and she wants both of them near her. If they won't stay with us, I'm afraid they are going to be separated against their will, or go off on their own and get killed."

Leyla looked into the living room at Amira and Jethro playing with some toys, and she smiled.

"When Amira's father and I fell in love, there were a lot of people that did not accept us as a couple. In fact, most people did not. As you are aware, my mother was one of them. I have tried so very hard to teach Amira that love comes in many different forms; that true love is always right, no matter who it is between." She turned back to Tony, her eyes a little brighter than before. "It takes longer for some to understand that, but when this woman sees just how happy the two of you make each other, she will not only embrace your relationship, but she will learn a whole new way to look at love."

"I hope that you're right, Leyla. Not everyone is as wonderfully open-minded like you are."

"If she knows Gibbs at all, if she sees a tenth of the transformation I see in him when he is with you, she will believe what I believe- that your love for one another is a miracle."

Tony smiled at her. "Thank you."

"Let me know if for some reason they choose not to stay with you. I have friends that may be able to help."

Tony squinted at her, about to probe more into that statement, when Amira ran in, the large black bear in one arm, and the Glo Worm in the other. "Mommy! Look! It lights up!"

Leyla pulled Amira up into her lap with a chuckle. Jethro came in, a smile on his face that stretched from ear to ear. He looked at Amira as she showed Leyla the Glo Worm, and then he looked at Tony before heading for the coffee. Tony watched Amira tell Leyla about all of the different toys that they'd brought, and then Jethro's hand fell on his shoulder. He looked up, laying his hand over Jethro's, and smiled.

"Can I go play?" Amira finally asked after she told Leyla about each toy she could remember.

Leyla laughed and smiled, sitting Amira down. "Take a few toys to your room with you, and you can go play."

"Yay!" Amira yelled as she took off towards the toy pile.

They all watched through the doorway as Amira gathered a couple of toys in a pile, but she never once sat Dirt down. He was tucked safely under one arm as she picked up a couple of things with the other, and then very carefully walked the ten feet to her room. Jethro sat down in the chair next to Tony and across from Leyla, staring into his coffee with a smile as he got lost in thought. Leyla looked at Tony, and then back at Gibbs.

"That was very kind of you. Thank you," she said, making Jethro look up at her. He simply shrugged, stole a look at Tony, and then looked back down into his coffee before taking a drink.

"I was telling Leyla a little bit about Malek, Talia and Dina. She may have an alternative if for some reason they decide to turn down further protective custody." Tony watched Jethro's expression closely for any signs of what he was thinking.

"Oh?" he asked, looking at Leyla with his best poker face on.

"There are people I have been connected with that may be able to help them acclimate to society, if nothing else. Though, to be honest, we all know there is usually something else."

"Is this one of those things that it's better if we didn't ask unless absolutely necessary?" Tony asked.

Leyla inclined her head in one simple nod.

"Understood," Jethro said, drinking his coffee.

"I will tell you this though, if you can pass it on."

Tony nodded, ready to memorize whatever she was about to say.

"Tell them that kindness is shown by all those who have the epiphany."

"Wanna translate that?" Jethro asked, raising an eyebrow. Leyla smiled at him.

"Don't wanna know, Jethro," Tony said. "We'll just take what we have, and very calmly back away from the subject."

Leyla laughed. "Sometimes less information is better information."

"I fully believe that," Tony said, finishing his coffee.

"Thank you," she said.

"No, thank _you_! Any direction from a trusted source right now is more than what we have."

Tony looked past Leyla as he saw Amira return, Dirt still tucked under her arm. She was bent over, stacking more of the toys so that she could carry another armload. He usually felt so uncomfortable around kids, but Amira had always felt different to him. She wasn't just another kid. Somehow, she was family. Jethro and Leyla had turned to look as well, and they were watching her with rapt fascination as she stacked more and more on top of her pile. When she went to go pick it up, Tony was on his feet, ready to help her before it all toppled over.

"You want some help, kiddo?" he asked, taking a few of the things from the top of the stack.

"Uh huh!" she said eagerly, excited to have someone to help take her new treasures to her room.

"Okay, hold on. Why don't you sit all that down, and we'll take it together."

"K!"

Jethro watched as the two made a couple of trips back and forth to Amira's room, carrying a few toys at a time. He smiled as he watched Tony teach her how making a lot of smaller trips was safer than making a couple of big trips. He could have easily put all the toys back in the bin and carried them to Amira's room in one trip, but he naturally took on a role of teacher, making a lesson out of it. It reminded him of how he worked with his team, and he watched with a warm endearment.

He was surprised at how well Tony got on with Amira, considering he knew he usually didn't work well with kids at all. Amira adored him though, and he responded with as much amazement in her as she had in him. It made him swallow hard as the idea suddenly crossed his mind that Tony would have been like that with Kelly. Of course, if he had never lost Kelly and Shannon, he probably would have never met Tony anyway, but the thought of Tony helping Kelly with her homework, or ride a bike, kicked him in the gut.

"Gibbs?" Leyla's soft voice said, breaking through his thoughts.

"Hmm?"

"Are you okay?" she asked, a sad smile on her face that she wore whenever she caught him thinking about Kelly around Amira.

"Yeah," he said, smiling back. "It's surprising to see the two get along so well. Tony usually doesn't gel with kids."

Leyla looked at the two as they carried the last load towards Amira's room. Tony was excitedly explaining how the Lite Brite worked, and she raised an eyebrow at Jethro. "I cannot imagine him not getting along with kids. He is so much one himself at times."

Jethro chuckled at that.

"Have you discussed possibly having a child together?" Leyla asked. Jethro almost choked on his coffee.

"No, we uh… It was brought up once, but with our schedules, with what we do for a living, with my past, Tony's lack of affinity with kids… it wasn't a serious consideration, just a question to make sure we were both on the same page. And we are. There are no other kids in our future."

Leyla nodded. She reached across the table and took Jethro's left hand, her finger tracing his band. Jethro froze.

"I noticed these the last time you were both here," she said quietly.

"We're getting married in September," he replied. Leyla nodded, looking up into his eyes.

"I have already updated my will so that if something happens to me, Tony is listed as joint guardian with you. You are the sole person who can object."

Jethro wasn't sure what to say to that. He had known that he was Amira's godfather in every sense of the word, including the one to retain custody if something were to happen to Leyla. After Shannon and Kelly, he knew just how important that was. He figured if anything ever happened to Leyla, and he gained custody of Amira, he would go ahead and retire to raise her. To know that she had accepted his relationship with Tony so fully, and without even officially knowing about it, left him speechless. He turned his hand over, and wrapped his fingers around hers, unable to find any words to express what he was feeling.

"I told Tony that if this Talia sees the change in you that I have seen since you have been with him, she will come to believe in miracles. Take care of each other, Gibbs. It's precious and rare what you have."

All Jethro could do was nod. He decided that he had to make sure Tony added Leyla and Amira to the wedding list.

"Let's go check on them," she said with a smile, getting to her feet. "We're going to have to get ready to leave soon."

Jethro got to his feet, pushing in his chair, and setting his empty mug in the sink. He followed Leyla to Amira's room, and they found Tony sitting cross-legged on the bed with Amira in his lap, the Lite Brite in her hands, and Dirt wedged between them.

"If you put one there, it will look like a nose," he suggested quietly.

"Can he have a blue nose?" Amira asked.

"He can have whatever colored nose you want!" Tony said "If you make it red, he'll will look like a clown."

Amira giggled loudly. "He's not a clown! He's a doggy!"

"There's all sorts of dogs that can do tricks like clowns!" Tony objected. "But you're right, he's not dressed up for it. I don't think we have enough pieces to make him a rainbow wig."

Amira giggled again, looking up at Tony and held up a blue peg, looking at it with one eye as if she was trying it out on Tony. "You'd look stupid with a blue nose!" she declared.

"I think you're right," Tony said. "I prefer green noses. Blue eyes though."

"But you have green eyes," she said, looking at him closely, leaning in.

"Yeah, but Gibbsy has blue," he whispered.

"Yeah, I do," Jethro said from the doorway, making them both jump. Amira broke out in giggles, falling back against Tony.

"And you like his eyes because he's your _boyfriend_ ," Amira teased.

Tony froze in shock, his mouth open, and his eyes darting up to Leyla and Jethro. Leyla giggled.

"Uncle Gibbs and Uncle Tony are actually getting married, sweetheart," Leyla announced.

"Really?!" she said, squirming in Tony's arms while making sure she stayed safely in them at the same time.

"Yup," Jethro said with a smile.

"Yay!" she said, throwing her arms around Tony's neck and hugging him within an inch of his life. "I can keep you!" she whispered. Tony laughed loudly.

"What am I? A dog?" he asked.

"No, silly! You don't have a green nose." Amira looked at him like it was the most obvious thing in the world, then turned back around to sit heavily in his lap, making him grunt as she squished some very important parts of him. She went back to plugging pegs into the Lite Brite, and Tony looked at Jethro and Leyla, shaking his head.

"Amira, it's time to put it away for now. You can play with it some more tonight."

"Oooookay," she said, not sounding happy at all to have to stop playing with her new toy. "Can Tony come back and play with me tonight?" she asked suddenly, turning to look at Tony and then Leyla, who was shaking her head as she looked at Jethro. Jethro was chuckling quietly, and Tony joined him.

"I don't think I can come back over tonight, but I promise I'll come see you soon," he said.

"Pinky promise?" she asked. Tony held up his pinkie for her to grab.

"Pinky promise."

Amira hooked her pink around his, and they nodded at each other. She crawled down and put her Lite Brite on her toy box, then came back to the bed and grabbed Dirt before running over to Jethro, who picked her up in one big swoop and held her tightly.

"I'm happy you and Tony are gonna get married," she told Jethro. "That means I can play with Tony all the time!"

Tony leaned in to Leyla and quietly said, "Funny, I think that's why Jethro's glad we're getting married, too."

Leyla turned and smacked Tony in the chest, biting her lip as she chuckled silently. Tony tried to hold back his own laughter.

"Okay kiddo! I think we're leaving," Tony said, coming over to confiscate Amira and get a hug. She hugged him tightly and kissed his cheek.

"I see where I rank," Jethro playfully said. "Tony gets a kiss."

Amira giggled and reached out for Jethro, who stepped closer to her. She was still in Tony's arms as she reached over and kissed Jethro on the cheek. "Love you, Gibbsy," she said.

"Love you, too, Amira."

She turned back to Tony and hugged him again. "Love you, Tony. Thanks for playing with me!"

Tony swallowed hard. "You too, kiddo." He finally sat her down, looking up at Jethro with a shy smile. Both men gave Leyla a quick kiss on the cheek before they left the house and promised to return soon when they had more time.

As they were driving down the road, Jethro took Tony's hand.

"We need to add them to the list," he said.

"Oh, yeah, definitely."

"I have to tell you something," Jethro said softly. He wasn't quite sure how Tony was going to take the news that there was a chance he could one day be Amira's guardian.

"That doesn't sound good," Tony said, grimacing.

"It's not bad, just don't know if it's good," Jethro said. "You know that I'm Amira's godfather."

"Yeah, I know."

"Well, Leyla saw our rings last time we were here, and she made an adjustment to her will, so that now _we're_ Amira's godparents."

"Wait? Say that again."

"If something happens to Leyla, you're now on the will as possible guardian for Amira with me. She even has it listed that I'm the only one that can contest you being in Amira's life, and though she didn't say it, it's pretty much assumed that if I'm already gone, that leaves her solely in your care."

"Holy shit, Jethro."

"Yeah. The chances are astronomical, but I thought you should know."

"I don't know if I'd be able to do that! Of course, I'd give it everything I got, but… well, she's not a goldfish Jethro!" Tony could barely breathe at the thought.

"You'd do fine, Tony. You'd actually probably do a lot better than fine. You're great with her."

Tony looked at him in disbelief. "Because I can show her how to use a Lite Brite?" he asked, running his hand through his hair.

"No," Jethro said calmly, shaking his head. "Because you show her how to do things the right way, how not to take short cuts that aren't safe, and how important it is to hang on to a playful attitude, even as an adult."

Tony looked at him in confusion.

"When you saw that she was about to take on too much in the living room with the toys, you jumped up like the house was on fire. You knew that if she dropped all of those, she could get hurt, and you were on it. _That's_ what being a parent is about. Being a _good_ parent is what you did next. You showed her how to do it the right way, you helped her with it, and then you spent time with her."

Tony blinked, thinking about that, letting it sink in.

"You do the same thing with your guys," Jethro said quietly, glancing at Tony.

"Huh."

"You'd be a great dad, Tony." Jethro's voice held a hint of sadness, and Tony heard it.

"Well, she _did_ tell me she loved me," he said with a smile.

Jethro turned to him, a sad smile on his own face. "You said it back."

Tony grinned broadly. "Yeah, I did. It's hard not to love anyone who can get away with calling _you_ "Gibbsy"! She's got you wrapped around her little finger!"

"Me?!" Jethro asked incredulously. "Who _pinky promised_ her he'd be over to _play_ soon?"

"Oh, yeah, I'm definitely hooked, but I'm not the only one, and that's what matters!"

They both chuckled and grew quiet. A few long minutes went by, and Tony watched Jethro's face. He saw the thoughtful expression tinted with sadness, and he wondered if Jethro was thinking about the possibility of one day having to raise Amira. Then another thought crossed his mind.

"Are you sure you don't want to give it another try?" he asked, watching Jethro's face for any clues he might give. Jethro sighed, then shook his head.

"Leyla asked if we had talked about that. I explained that it wouldn't be fair to any of us. Not me, not you, not the kid."

"What makes you think that?" Tony asked, a sudden twinge in his gut he wasn't sure he liked.

"Because the likelihood that our wills will be fulfilled is much higher than Leyla's."

Tony considered that. His stomach flipped over on itself, and he felt more confused than he'd ever felt in his life.

"That doesn't sound like a good enough reason," he found himself saying.

Jethro looked at him with a sudden jerk of the head, confused at the tone in Tony's voice.

"Are you saying you want to have a kid?" he asked in disbelief.

"I don't _think_ so," Tony said, feeling a panic on top of the confusion. "You know that I've _never_ wanted kids. Just doesn't feel like that's a good enough reason from someone who did want kids, had the joy taken from him, and would be an excellent father."

Jethro could barely concentrate on the road in front of him. "There's more than that," he said. "If we had a kid now, by time he or she graduated high school, I'd be seventy. Who knows if I'd even be around to see her graduate from college?"

"Well, if you're anything like Jackson, you'll live forever, and we won't have to worry. Honestly, Jethro, you're healthier than me, and you'll probably outlive me despite the age gap."

"You're arguing this pretty hard for someone who doesn't want kids, Tony," Jethro said, looking at him as best he could as he drove down the road.

Tony shrugged. "Playing devil's advocate. Don't want you to miss out on something you may really want, and I just have a feeling…"

"What?" Jethro asked.

"I have a feeling it's something you might really want, but are too scared to do." Jethro didn't say anything. In fact, neither of them said another word all the way home. When they pulled up in the driveway, they sat there in silence, both knowing it was hanging over their heads.

"I am," Jethro finally said after a long time.

Tony turned to look at him, reaching over to take his hand.

"You know how long it has taken me to get to where I finally am with Kelly," he said quietly. "I can't do that again, Tony. I…"

Tony shook his head. "And that's okay, Jethro. I'm just saying that if you _want_ to try it again, don't let me be the thing holding you back. It's not something I'd ever want to try with anyone else, or on my own, but if it's something that you wanted, I'd gladly take that road with you."

Jethro was surprised by that. No, he was downright stunned by that.

"Since when?" he asked quietly.

Tony shrugged. "Maybe it's because I've been there this week as we've gone through Kelly's things and given them to Amira, and been amazed by what being a dad could be like. That's… that's a lot of love that I didn't know could exist. And now, thinking about the idea of one day raising Amira together… okay, that had me a little freaked out there at first, but when you reminded me of the likelihood of it, it felt like you were, I don't know, taking the idea away? And well…"

Jethro squeezed his hand.

"It kinda felt like my hopes were crushed, only I didn't realized there was any hope… at all."

Jethro swallowed hard, looking at Tony, his head swimming. "I don't think I can do it again, Tony."

"And that's fine! I'm probably just riding this whole idea over the waterfall. Plus, you know, Parke and Tiff are pregnant, so there's going to be another little one running around here that I'm sure we're going to see a lot of. It's probably just got me all… I dunno… It's fine. It'll pass. I'm probably just suffering from momentary insanity. The guy version of baby fever or something."

Jethro shrugged. "Maybe, or maybe you're learning that being a parent isn't at all like what you were taught it was, because your dad is an asshole, and that maybe you want to give it a shot after all."

"Yeah, that and my mom was blitzed half the time. I don't know, Jethro. I don't know if I'm just getting all emotional after hanging out with Amira, or if this is something I want. It'll probably pass. I would have laughed in your face at the idea a year ago. Hell, probably even a month ago."

"But now?"

Tony shrugged. "Now, if you wanted to do it, I'd do it with you."

Jethro thought about that. He wasn't sure which way was up suddenly. He didn't want to deny Tony anything he wanted out of life, but he considered whether or not he would be able to say the same thing.

_Would I be able to do that if Tony wanted to? If Tony suddenly decided that he wanted to be a father, could I step up and get past my fears to take on that challenge with him? Could I possibly ever love another child again like I loved Kelly?_

A voice even deeper inside of him whispered Amira's name, and he sighed. He already did love another child like that. He would die for Amira in a heartbeat. Another thought crossed his mind, and it depressed the hell out of him. Tony may be right, he may live well into his eighties like Jackson, but if he didn't, and Tony did, he'd be leaving him all alone.

Tony felt anxiety swelling inside of him. He didn't know what he was thinking, didn't understand what he was feeling, and he was afraid he was causing some kind of unrepairable rift between him and Jethro.

"I'm hitting the panic button!" he exclaimed. "I'm calling Tim."

Jethro took a sharp sigh. "Good idea. I'm going to go see Ducky."

"Meet back here in a few hours to compare notes?" Tony said which an anxious chuckle.

"Uh huh," Jethro said, nodding.

"Okay." Tony reached over and kissed Jethro's cheek, then, with one last squeeze of his hand, he got out of the truck and ran up towards the house, the phone already to his ear.

Tim answered on the third ring, and Tony was glad. He was barely breathing, and he went straight to the fridge for a beer.

"Tony? You okay?"

"Nope. Can you come over? I need someone to talk to."

"Uh? Right now? Yeah, sure. I'll be right there."

"Thanks," Tony said, hanging up the phone as he cracked open the beer.

Tim turned around and looked at Abby, trying to school the panicked confusion he felt from showing on his face and alarming his girlfriend. They were in the middle of scrubbing down the appliances, and she looked up at him, and he knew that he wasn't doing a very good job of it.

"That was Tony. I don't know what's going on, but he just… I need to go over there."

"Whoa! Is everything okay?" she asked, getting to her feet with eyes as wide as saucers.

"I don't know. I think he's sending out the Bat signal," Tim said, rinsing his hands in the sink to make sure all of the cleaners were off of them.

"Like, as in, the "I'm-having-a-fight-with-Gibbs" Bat signal?" she asked in disbelief.

"Sounds that way, I'm not sure. He didn't sound mad, he sounded… worried? Anxious? I don't know." He leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek. "I'll let you know whatever I can as soon as I can." He turned around and headed for the door.

"You'd better! This had better not be some kind of orchestrated plot to get out of cleaning, mister!"

"You know better, Abs!" Tim shouted over his shoulder as he closed the front door behind him.

Ten minutes later, Tim was walking in Tony and Jethro's front door, and Tony was sitting on the couch with his head in his hands. The beer bottle was empty on the table in front of him.

"Tony?" he said, obviously startling him. That worried Tim ten times more than Tony's appearance did, and that had him concerned to begin with.

"Oh, thank god. I don't know what's wrong with me, Tim."

"Slow down. Start from the beginning," he said, sitting down.

"Well, this week, I've been helping Jethro clean out Kelly's room."

"Oh."

"Yeah, big "oh". It's been excruciating, and at the same time, it has been one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. He loved her so much, Tim. I mean, I never knew parents _actually_ loved their kids that way, you know?"

Tim just nodded, knowing he could never really understand Tony's childhood, but knowing that some kind of a response was warranted.

"So, today, we took all of Kelly's old toys over to give them to Amira. I've gotten kinda attached to her, and she's gotten attached to me, and then on the way home, Gibbs tells me that Leyla has added me to willed guardianship of Amira in case she dies. That way both Gibbs and I have custody of her, together, if something happens."

"Whoa. That's huge."

"Yeah. And at first, you know, I was freaking out about it. I mean, completely freaking out! How in the hell am I supposed to raise a kid? And then Jethro explains that if he's passed on already, it means I'll have _sole_ guardianship. That means I could end up having to raise her alone."

"And Leyla didn't ask you before she did this?"

"No, but that's just it. See, Jethro played it off, talking about how well I already work with Amira, and how he thinks I'd be a great father, and how I shouldn't worry. Then he says the chances that I'll ever get the chance to do it are so slim that I shouldn't worry. And that's when I got this feeling, you know? This really bad feeling. It was like he told me I had this awesome magical superhero power, and then said, but you're probably never going to get to use it. In just those few minutes, I'd gotten attached to the idea. It suddenly hurt to think that I might never get the chance to raise her."

Tim just stared slack-jawed at Tony's rambling.

"I'm crazy, right?" Tony said, running his hand through his hair again and again.

"Tony, are you saying you want a kid?" Tim asked in disbelief.

"I don't know! But I told Jethro that if he wanted to try having a kid again, I'd be okay with that. And then he kept making excuses as to why he shouldn't, like our job, and his age, and I felt like he was _making excuses_ , not giving me reasons. And so I called him on what I figured the real problem was, which was that he was scared, and he admitted that yeah, he was, because he didn't want the pain of losing another child like he lost Kelly, and I told him I understood that, and not to worry, that I'd get over it, but he got all quiet, and I don't know what's going on! Make it stop!"

"TONY!" Tim shouted, making Tony look up at him. "Breathe!" Tony took a deep breath and held it, staring at Tim until Tim made the motion to let it go. "Take another one." Tony inhaled again, holding it until Tim motioned he could let it out. That sat in silence a minute while Tony concentrated on calming down.

"Tim, I may wake up tomorrow and decide I'm a ridiculous fool for it, completely changing my mind, but today, for the first time in my life, I think I may want to have a child of my own."

"This isn't a simple decision. It takes a lot of time, discussion, planning, discernment. Give it time. Talk to Gibbs about it. Maybe go a month or so grading it on a one to ten scale of "how badly today do I want a kid". If it fades over the month, then you know it was just brought on by the heightened emotions of this week. If it gets stronger, then maybe you'll do something about it."

"Gibbs went to go find Ducky."

"Oh," Tim said with a wince, knowing that wasn't a good sign. "How is he taking this idea?"

"Well, I never said I wanted kids. I just said that if _he_ wanted kids, I'd do it with him. But then, I kind of pressed the subject with him." Tony's grimace said enough for Tim.

"I still can't picture this. I'm pretty sure I'm in a coma from the alcohol consumption and cleaner fumes I've inhaled over the past twenty-four hours."

Tony nodded. "I wish I had that excuse. Though I did end up getting tanked after Diane left. She came by last night to find out who Jethro was seeing, since Fornell let the cat out of the bag that he's serious with someone. That wasn't fun."

"Ouch. Yeah. You're having a hell of a couple of days."

"You can say that again."

"So," Tim began.

"What?" Tony asked.

"Do you want a boy or a girl?"

"Oh, a girl, definitely." He froze, looking at Tim with wide eyes. "Oh, this isn't good."

* * *

Jethro called Ducky as he was heading over to his house. Thankfully, Candace had left already after spending the evening, and he was simply relaxing. When he opened the door, the frazzled and disheveled look on Jethro's face clued him in that something was more than a little wrong.

"Oh, my," he said quietly, ushering Jethro in and to his couch. "My friend, something has you greatly shaken. You're pale, you're sweating, and I don't remember the last time I saw you fidget this much. Let me get you something to drink. Wait right here."

When Ducky returned, he had a pitcher of iced tea and two glasses of ice with lemon wedges already in them.

"One of the sacrilegious customs I've come to enjoy since coming to the States is sweet tea. Only in the summer of course, and only at home or by myself. I only share this with you now because I think the sugar would do you some good, but I trust you won't betray my confidence. Here," he said, pouring a glass. "Drink this, and tell me what happened."

Jethro drank down half the glass, and took a few deep breaths. "Tony wants a kid."

Ducky almost knocked his glass over as he sat it down on the table in astonishment. "I beg your pardon?"

Jethro nodded, drinking more of his tea. "We cleaned out Kelly's room this week, and we've had a lot of reasons to talk about what it's like to be a parent. Then today, we were over at Leyla's, and Amira and him were playing. Leyla told me that she added Tony to her will so that if anything happens to Amira, the courts can't fight us on having joint custody of her. I told Tony this on the way home, and he went from completely bugging out about it, to being upset that I'm too afraid to try to do it again."

"This doesn't sound like Anthony at all, Jethro."

"I know! I mean, he kept saying he's probably just going through a phase, and he may be, but this is a pretty serious phase. And it's got me thinking, and now I don't know what I want to do."

"What exactly did he say?" Ducky asked carefully.

"He said, that if I wanted to have another kid, he'd happily raise them with me."

"That puts the ball in your court, so to speak. It's a lot of pressure."

"Yeah! Who does he think he is putting that kinda pressure on me!?" Jethro asked, taking another drink of his tea. "I don't want to deny him that opportunity, Duck. It's the best feeling in the entire world to look down, and see those eyes staring back at you like…" Jethro stopped, and got quiet, looking around the room blindly. "Like…"

"Jethro," Ducky said gently, resting his hand on his friend's arm. Jethro looked up at him, blinking back the moisture he couldn't believe was forming over his eyes. "Do you think you would want to have a child with Tony?"

"I don't know. First, he's solidifying just how much he doesn't think he's going to be a good father, killing that little kernel of excitement that was popping up at the idea of raising Amira together. The next, he's making me think about _choosing_ to be a dad again, asking me if I was sure I didn't want to do it, and then he's saying that he's probably just going through a phase. It was up and down, up and down, and so I asked him if he wanted to have a kid, and he said that if I did, he would." The room fell silent.

Jethro's voice finally started again, much calmer and much sadder than before.

"There are so many reasons not to. I'm getting up there, Tony's not some young kid anymore, our jobs are so dangerous, and our schedules are ridiculous. And honestly, if I lost another child, I don't know if I could take the pain. I don't know how I've survived this long grieving for Kelly and Shannon the way I have been. If it wasn't for Tony… well. If it wasn't for him, I'd probably die a miserable, bitter, lonely death. Now that I'm finally moving on, a whole lot of things seem possible that didn't seem possible before."

"There are always reasons not to, Jethro. For some people, the reasons you have given me would be plenty good enough, but knowing you, my friend, there is something missing from that logic. You were willing to have a child knowing you'd very likely be sent off to war, possibly never returning. What else are you thinking?"

Jethro sighed. "I'm thinking that I might want to try this."

"Then I suggest you are honest with your betrothed about it. Let him know you're not sure, that you need time to think about it, and more than anything, the two of you need to talk about it along the way. You can't be afraid of getting each other's hopes up, or of them crashing down. Agree from the beginning that you won't be angry with one another, whatever your final decision may be, and give this some serious consideration before you make any decision for or against the idea."

Jethro nodded, taking slow breaths.

"Good God, Duck. We're talking about having a kid, here."

Ducky laughed. "Why yes, you are! For what it is worth my friend, I believe that both of you would make excellent parents, especially together. If you decide however that it is not something you want to pursue, I will completely support you as well."

"Thanks, Duck."

"Anytime, my friend. Anytime."


	21. Chapter 21

Elly had changed his clothes, and joined Ned as he was cleaning up after their late breakfast. They'd spent the meal discussing various hangover remedies, and how they had come to learn them. By the time they had gotten up from their third cups of coffee, emptying the pot and clearing their plates, Elly's hangover was almost completely gone.

He watched as Ned washed down the counter a second time as if he were furious with it. He waited until he was almost done, and when it looked like he was going to start again, he rested a hand on his arm.

"Hey man, you got it. It's gone."

He'd watched this happen a few times now, and he knew that if he didn't intervene, Ned would have the entire apartment smelling Clorox fresh to the point his nose burned.

Ned shook his head, and closed his eyes. The frustration was written across his face.

"I'm not sure why it's so bad this week," he said quietly.

"What is?" Elly asked, figuring he already knew the answer.

"The OCD. It's usually not this bad unless I'm really upset and stressed out. I just don't understand what happened this week that makes me feel like I need to scour a hole in the counters."

"What helps?" Elly asked, moving between Ned and the counter he was glaring at.

"Distraction usually. It's… I start thinking about all the creepy crawlies that can be on something, and how easily they, you know, can jump. I was prescribed a few different things, but the side effects are not worth it for me. I can touch other people just fine, but it's _things_ that get to me, which is weird, because we carry more germs than that counter probably did covered in all of that bacon grease and egg shell pieces and… and…"

Elly noticed Ned's breathing was picking up, and he took the sponge from him. He sat it in the sink and then rinsed his hands, and pointed for Ned to do the same. Elly hung his hands over the sink, letting Ned pick up the fresh dishtowel hanging from the oven handle to have first use. Ned made sure to dry every inch of his hands, and then Elly snagged it from him. He dried a little faster, and then turned Ned by the shoulders so that he was facing the living room, and led him out of the kitchen.

"Breathe, man. Deep breaths." Ned nodded, and Elly led him to the couch. "It's been a stressful week, Ned. First time in MTAC, planning the op, thinking it through over and over again from every angle to make sure everything is covered and everyone stays safe. That's a lot on your shoulders. If you want to know why you're feeling stressed, it's because you are!"

"That's kind of good stress though, right? That's good stuff?" Ned looked at him with eyes that begged for clarity.

"Only you can answer that. What do you think?" Elly watched Ned carefully.

"Well, yeah! But it's important, so I need to make sure I'm getting it right. So that's kind of overwhelming."

Elly nodded in understanding. "Not to lay the pressure on you, but this is the single most important move of your career thus far. It's the launch pad for all other ops."

Ned's eyes grew wide. "You're not helping with the whole urge to scour thing."

"Would it help if I told you you're doing amazing?"

Ned stopped still and looked at Elly, seeing an honest expression on his face and in his eyes that said he was both awed and proud. It was the look he'd always hoped he'd see on his parents' faces when they'd come to a play he was in; the expression he had always imagined he would have seen them wear at his college graduation.

"Thanks," he croaked.

Elly felt a bewildering rush of warmth through him as he realized he and Ned were staring at each other. He suddenly felt a panic rising up in him, and his mouth opened before he thought.

"And though it's not the same for me, I definitely get where you're coming from with the germs."

Ned cracked a shy smile at him, and then looked down at his hands. "It's pretty poetic that I'm probably going to spend the majority of my life from here on out locked in a dark room that's probably rarely even vacuumed in order to fight germ warfare on a global front. Bioterrorists suck. Maybe we should build a Lysol bomb, and drop it on the next hut, or building, or whatever you want to call that thing they blew up in March."

Elly let out a bark of laughter. He was particularly fond of Ned's crazy sense of humor, and was glad he had someone he could act like a complete dork with. It reminded him of who he was in college and before, when the dork jokes ruled, and the time he spent in front of the computer was interrupted only by the need to go to a non-computer science class and sleeping.

"I may know a few engineers who you could pitch that project to. And McGee has the whole biomedical engineering thing. I'm sure he knows people who would love the chance to build a disinfectant bomb. Who do we know on the CDC?" He smirked at Ned, wondering if he might actually be able to give him a name.

"No one- yet. We'll talk to Ducky's girlfriend. I'm sure she'll be able to hook us up with all sorts of connections."

"Yeah, and she works in a school. She could probably score you a ton of latex gloves."

Ned reached over and pushed Elly back with a shove to the shoulder, a smile of disbelief at the diss. He found himself relieved to have someone he could joke about the OCD with despite himself.

Elly laughed gleefully and stayed leaning back against the arm of the couch for a minute, staring up at Ned's pink cheeks and dancing gray eyes. He felt comfortable there, he realized. Too comfortable. He shook the thought off, and sat up.

"I should probably get going. I have to call Christopher and get him to send me a tracklist from the club. I gotta have a serious jam session today so I'm ready for Friday. What are you going to do?"

"I need to get some groceries. I figured when I took you back to the car I would stop in at the street market and find some things, and then stop on the way home for anything else I need." He looked towards the kitchen and shook his head. "And I should probably get some more cleanser if this op is going to turn me into Mr. Clean."

Elly laughed again. "Oh, man!" he said between chuckles. "I totally just pictured you shaved bald with a gold earring." He shook the rest of the vision out of his head, and got to his feet to stretch while he laughed mirthfully.

Ned stood up and headed for his room. "Always knew he was gay!" he shouted over his shoulder, making Elly shake his head with a smile from ear to ear. "I'm going to change, and then we'll head out of here."

"Sounds good!" Elly said. As soon as Ned left the room, he ran his hand down his face.

 _What the hell is wrong with you, Elijah! Get it together!_ He scolded. _This is not what you need, it's not what he needs. You haven't hit your year yet, and you have no business pulling him into your mess, especially with the-_

His train of thought was halted when Ned came back from his room in summery khaki cargo shorts, a navy blue t-shirt and sandals.

 _Don't notice what he's wearing! Don't notice what he's wearing! Oh, that's not a good sign!_ He mentally sighed, and turned around to grab his bag. He was going to go home and have a long, stern talk with himself if it killed him.

* * *

Tony was waiting for Jethro at the kitchen table with coffee. He'd gotten a text asking if it was safe to come home, and Tony had texted back that Tim was gone, and that he was waiting whenever he was ready. He felt a little calmer about things, knowing his answer was to give it time to see if this is what he still thought he wanted tomorrow, and next week, and next month. They wouldn't dare start doing anything about it that summer anyway, so they had time to really think it over and decide.

There was no doubt at the moment that he was seriously hooked on the idea of having a little girl of his own to spoil to death, worry about, protect, and love. Maybe with blue eyes like Jethro's, and dark hair like his. He imagined sitting with her and a book the way he had been sitting with Amira earlier with the Lite Brite, and taking her to the movies as their special thing, like what he and his mom used to do. Maybe she'd be a graceful fashionista, or a tomboy that wanted Jethro to take her camping every weekend from May through September. Either way, the thought made him smile.

When the front door opened hesitantly, Tony almost chuckled to himself.

"I'm in here, Jethro," he called with as much of a lighthearted tone as he could muster.

Jethro came around the bend to the dining room, and looked at the table as if he was looking for a trap. Tony held his arms out like he wanted a hug, and Jethro smiled, shaking his head and coming over. Tony got to his feet and pulled him close, breathing in the comforting scent of the man in his arms. Jethro sighed in relief, and hugged him back.

"Are you mad at me?" Tony asked.

Jethro laughed. "Why would I be mad at you?"

"I sort of bombarded you there." Tony pulled back, but not out of the embrace, searching Jethro's face. "In my defense though, I was responding to a bomb that was dropped on me, and I had no idea what the hell was going on any more than you did."

Jethro nodded. "Yeah, I figured that out. Was McGee able to help you talk it through?"

"Yeah," Tony said with a nod. "I think so. He was at least able to get me to calm down so I could think it through with a clearer head."

"That's about what Ducky was able to do, too."

"You want to tell me what you figured out first, or do you want me to go?" They hadn't let go of one another, still clasped around each other for dear life at the end of the dining room table, and their grasps only got tighter at the idea of disclosing what was on their minds.

"You can go," Jethro said, his heart pounding harder than a moment before.

"Okay. Well, I'm still not sure if this is because of the emotional rush of the week, and finding out about being in Leyla's will, but the idea of maybe having a child of our own… Well, it has me really excited. I may wake up tomorrow feeling the complete opposite though. I want to think about it a while, _if_ you think you might want it."

Jethro let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. "Okay."

"Okay? That's it?" Tony asked with a nervous chuckle.

"I need some time to think about it, too. I'm glad we're on that same page. I hadn't thought it was even a possibility until a few hours ago, and had no interest in trying parenthood again for going on twenty years now. The whole thing surprised the hell out of me earlier, but when I was able to think about it… you're right. It's an exciting feeling to think about having another chance to experience…" Jethro took a deep breath, and let it out as Tony waited patiently. "Another chance to experience what I had with Kelly."

"Tim had a good idea, and I was wondering if you might want to try it with me."

"What's that?"

"He was just throwing it out there, but I think it had merit. What if, well, he said every night, but I'm thinking once a week, before bed, for the next couple of months, we give each other a number between one and ten, one being, "I don't feel like having a kid at all", and ten being "I wish I was in the next room tucking her in"."

"Her?" Jethro asked with a curious smile.

Tony's eyes did a brief scan of the ceiling as he blushed and smiled from ear to ear.

"Tim asked me if I wanted a boy or a girl." He shrugged.

Jethro's grin widened. "I've got a soft spot for girls."

"I know!" Tony said as he laughed, leaning in to kiss Jethro quickly, but not too quickly.

"I still can't believe we're discussing even _thinking_ about having a daughter," Jethro said.

"Wow," Tony said, suddenly stunned.

"What?"

"A daughter."

"A daughter," Jethro repeated, trying it out on his tongue intentionally.

"Five months ago, I was trying to explain to Wendy that I simply wasn't available, and you and I seemed like an impossible dream. Now, we're engaged, planning our wedding, living together, coming out at work, we have separate teams, I'm changing my name, and we're discussing having a daughter together."

They were silent for a long moment as it all sunk in.

"Daughter," Tony whispered again. "That's kind of intoxicating."

Jethro stared into Tony's green eyes, watching the way the amazement seemed to dance in them, devastating his worldview of everything he had ever believed about love, and laying out a new road in front of them both.

"I have no doubts in any of the darkest corners of my imagination that you'd make a wonderful dad, Tony. Where your folks let you down, you'll find the conviction to make sure our child never questions if she's loved."

Tony nodded. "I was thinking about that earlier. I learned everything _not_ to do from my parents. And for all those things I don't know how to do, that I don't have the answers to, you'll be right there. Some of it you'll know, some of it we'll learn together, but I really think we can do this. We just need to take some time to figure out if we really want to."

Jethro nodded. "What would we do about our work schedules?"

"We already alternate weekends. The chances that we're both going to be stuck on a really late case is slim, though we'll have to make sure we have a great babysitter. Maybe Leyla will watch her sometimes for us, Abby would love a few hours now and then with her. We've got a lot of people in our lives that I'm sure would be able to help us if we need it outside of normal working hours."

"We'd figure it out," Jethro agreed, still in shock that they were even considering it.

"Oh, man!" Tony said, suddenly laughing.

"What?" Jethro asked, startled.

"Can you imagine me telling Vance?"

Jethro's eyes closed, and his head fell backwards as he laughed.

"Hey Leon?" Tony said, barely able to catch his breath. "I know we're pretty much turning the agency upside down by starting a relationship, being stalked by a guy on an op, taking over a team, chasing some kid in Pennsylvania, confronting a drug lord that shot one of my new agents, bringing Dorney up from the basement, announcing we're getting married, taking on a dangerous weapons faction, hiding three contract killers in our home, deciding to change my name and thus announcing to the _entire_ agency that I'm marrying my former superior, but by the way, we've decided we're going to have a kid, too. So be ready for the time off required to do that. Oh, and we might wanna bring her in sometimes because we won't have nighttime care, but we figure our forensic scientist or ME or whatnot could watch her while we go chase bad guys."

"He'd kill us."

"I'm pretty sure he's already installing a trap door in front of his desk for the next time we're in there to give him news. He can't take much more."

"Well, we're not going to decide anytime soon. Let's agree that we'll do this "one to ten" thing, and then we'll decide when we get back from our honeymoon this fall, _if_ we're ready. And as Ducky emphasized, we have to promise to be completely honest about it, and not agree just because we think the other wants us to or the vice versa."

"I can do that. If you need to be brutally honest with me, or if I need to be brutally honest with you, even if it kills us, we will, because we don't need to do that to her." They stared at one another a long moment. "We're way too comfortable with the words already. Daughter, her, ours…"

"That may change. It may not. We'll wait and see," Jethro said with a shrug. "Do you think the chicken is done?" He was suddenly starving.

"Should be soon. It probably needs another half an hour. There's some of that pasta salad you like in the fridge though." Jethro's eyebrows rose.

"The one with the little pieces of onions and broccoli…"

"And cheese. Yeah. I made sure to get some more." Jethro leaned in to kiss Tony quickly, then let go to head for the fridge. Tony chuckled and took his mug towards the kitchen to add some more coffee to it. He suddenly imagined a little girl running past him towards the fridge, waiting for Jethro to take the pasta out so she could steal a couple of bites before dinner. He could almost see Jethro lifting her up to sit her on the counter while he looked again, this time finding it on the second shelf. He'd take the fork and pick out a couple of noodles, offering it to her before taking a few for himself.

" _Not the broccoli, Daddy! I don't like the broccoli!"_

" _You don't get to pick and choose. Besides, it's got so much cheese and dressing on it you can't taste it."_

" _I can, too!"_

Jethro turned around to lean on the counter with a forkful of pasta in one hand, and the container in the other, watching Tony's imagination run wild. "You okay?" he asked, his voice breaking the daydream. Tony shook off the thought.

"Yeah. I'm just… at a ten."

* * *

Tim came back to the townhouse and plopped down in a folding chair in what was supposed to be the dining room. Abby came down the stairs, pulling off a pair of yellow rubber gloves.

"You're back! Is everything okay? What can you tell me?" she asked, standing in the doorway and bouncing from foot to foot.

"Everything is fine. Great maybe. I can't say anything."

"Nothing?" she asked, wincing. Tim out-winced her, and shook his head.

"Nothing. Sorry."

Abby took a deep breath and nodded. "It's okay. I know you two have this whole… agreement… thingy. I respect that. It may drive me crazy, but I understand it, and I'm glad you're able to be there for him when he needs you."

"I hate to say it, but I think I need to go call Ducky."

Abby's eyes widened. "It was bad enough Gibbs went to Ducky?!" she asked. "Oh, man! This vow of silence thing _sucks_!"

"Abs! You just said you-"

"I know what I just said! And I stand by it. That doesn't mean it doesn't suck!"

Tim got up and went up to her, sliding his hands around her waist. "I can tell you that they are fine. Absolutely fine. I can also tell you that there won't be any signs of today that will carry over to work. I can tell you… I can tell you that a decision is being made, and that they need time and space to make it."

"Oh, you're evil. That's like giving me a puzzle, or like, a really great piece of evidence. I just want to dissect it, and test it, and research it, and figure out what the decision is about."

"As long as you don't do it by contacting either of them about it in any way. No phishing for clues when talking to either of them. Give them time. One decision will mean talking to everyone, and one decision will mean talking to no one. And," he added before Abby could say anything. "Neither of the decisions are _bad_ decisions. Just let them do their thing, and if they want to talk to us, they will."

"Ooooo! This sounds good!"

"I need to go call Ducky. No eavesdropping!" He said over his shoulder as he walked back out to his car for the privacy he knew he'd need. He reminded himself to look away from the house so that Abby couldn't read his lips.

Ducky answered almost immediately. "Oh, Timothy. I was rather hoping you'd call."

"That was one hell of a bomb just dropped on me, Ducky. Did you get the same one?"

"That they are considering having a child together?"

"Yeah, that's the one."

"For a completely unexpected bit of news, I think it's splendid. I am afraid though that this is indeed a fleeting thought on Anthony's part, and Jethro's going to open himself up to the idea, and get his hopes crushed."

Tim was shaking his head vehemently. "Actually, I'm afraid of it being the other way around. I've never seen Tony like this, Ducky. He's so excited, and he's nervous, and he already knows he'd want it to be a girl."

"Oh, my. He's got a preference in gender already? I wonder if he might have actually been thinking about this already then."

"No, he told me that he's spent the week cleaning out Kelly's room with Gibbs, and that- well his words were that it was excruciating and yet the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen."

"Did he tell you about Jethro's goddaughter?"

"That she's now also _Tony's_ goddaughter? Yeah. That has a lot to do with this. He's apparently gotten really attached to her. We talked for a while, and I didn't know this, but he spent Christmas with Gibbs, Leyla and Amira, and he's been making trips over there with Gibbs every now and then. He was telling me about taking Kelly's old toys to Amira today, and he was giving me this detailed play by play about how it happened, and about how great it was to spend time with her."

"I hope they take their time with this decision. It's not to be made lightly, and especially not to be made after a week like this one."

"That's what I've heard, too. While Tony seems to be enthralled by the idea, he's also really afraid he's going to wake up tomorrow and feel completely different. He plans on telling Gibbs that."

"He apparently already had in their initial conversation. He told Jethro that he was probably just going through a phase, and not to worry about it if he didn't want to pursue it."

"That's what Tony said to me too, but you didn't see him, Ducky. If he _doesn't_ change his mind quickly, he's not going to change it at all."

"Oh, dear. I know that the idea is still very new to Jethro. He's excited by the prospect of having another child, but he wants, and needs, to think on it some more. I hope he doesn't chase Tony's wants before his own needs."

"That makes two of us."

* * *

When Jethro woke up Sunday morning, he was on his back with Tony's head on his chest. He loved when that happened. He loved the feeling of Tony against him, and the way it felt so warm, intimate, perfect. He didn't want to get up for anything.

He thought about their latest developments, and he questioned if he would be okay with having to get up multiple times through the night to change and feed a baby. He wondered if they should skip that part and perhaps adopt older, should they choose to do it at all. He was sure that would have its own problems though, and waking up to feed and change a baby sounded a little bit better than waking up to console a child with nightmares. He was aware of the many reasons kids were put in foster care at ages that surpassed the diapers and feeding schedules, and he knew that they needed a lot of special attention to break past it. With their work schedules, he wasn't sure if that would be a good fit for them.

He remembered holding Kelly as a baby, walking up and down the halls with her pressed against his chest as she slept fitfully. For such a quiet and calm child, she was a hell of a fussy baby. He would rest her ear against his heart, and he would pace circles around the living room, to the kitchen and back while Shannon got a couple of hours of sleep. When he closed his eyes, he could almost feel her soft, wispy locks against his chin, and smell the baby shampoo they used. When he inhaled a second time, the scent was unmistakably Tony's shampoo, and he inhaled a third time with the intent to enjoy the scent anew.

As Tony started to awaken, Jethro buried his face in his hair, kissing the top of his head, and sighing happily. What they had now was perfect. As much as he loved kids, and as much as he knew he'd enjoy raising one with Tony, it was a toss-up still about whether or not he wanted to disturb what they already had. They were each other's worlds, and as much as he hated to admit it when up against the idea of adopting a child that needed love and care, he was pretty selfish with his Tony-time. He wasn't sure he was willing to share.

Tony woke up to the comforting sound of Jethro's breathing under his ear. He was a little warm under the blanket, and he wondered if a storm was coming in, because the air was thick and sticky. He wouldn't mind a rainy day in with Jethro. He could feel his lover kiss the top of his head, and he sighed in contentment. This was bliss, no doubt about it.

Thunder clapped loudly outside, and Tony smiled into Jethro's chest, feeling quite proud of himself for calling that one, even if just mentally.

An image rushed into his head of a little girl, no older than Amira, running into the room and trying to crawl under the blankets at the foot of the bed, and up between them. They would gladly pull apart to let her in, reassuring her, and making up stories about how it was just clouds ramming into each other, and telling her that everything was fine. She held tightly to a stuffed bunny, and she looked out the window fearfully at the dark skies as Jethro kissed her head and wrapped his arms around her.

He felt warm and giddy at the thought, and turned towards Jethro, smiling even wider at the quiet man under him.

"Good morning," Jethro whispered.

"Morning," Tony whispered back. "You're thinking pretty hard for this early in the morning."

Jethro shrugged. "You were, too."

"Daydreaming," he answered.

"Oh?"

Tony nodded.

"Wanna share?"

"You first," Tony said with a grin, making Jethro chuckle softly.

"I was thinking that this is really nice, and how as much as I think we'd enjoy raising a daughter, the idea of getting up three or four times a night to feed her could cut into my Tony-time."

"Your Tony-time?" Tony asked with an incredulous, yet gleeful tone.

"I'm a selfish bastard. What can I say?"

Tony had to admit that was kind of nice. To know that Jethro would want him all to himself made him feel loved and special.

"What about your daydream?" Jethro asked.

"Well, I was thinking it felt like it might rain, and then the thunder clapped, and I imagined our little girl running into the room and crawling into bed with us, afraid of the storm."

Jethro blinked at him, emotions running through him he didn't expect. He remembered many times that Kelly had come running into his and Shannon's room without knocking, desperate to find safety from the thunder and lightning that had woken her. It was definitely a "dad" moment. She would always want him to hold her, and he would do so willingly while Shannon smirked at him. He knew later he would hear about how she had him wrapped around his little finger, but Jethro knew that at the core of his personality was a protective nature, and to be able to keep Kelly safe from anything was all he wanted.

Tony's daydream made him think about how somewhere, out there, was a scared little girl this morning who didn't have anyone to tell her that it was all going to be okay.

"Hey," Tony's voice said, breaking through his thoughts. "You okay?"

Jethro nodded.

"You kinda went somewhere on me for a minute there," Tony prompted.

"Maybe we shouldn't do a newborn," he offered.

Tony looked surprised, but went with it. "Okay, what are you thinking?"

"Newborns take a lot of care and time, time that we don't really have with work. If we did this, maybe we should go with a toddler, someone who would be old enough to leave in a daycare setting without a problem. They'd still be a handful, but they'd hopefully sleep through the night."

Tony smiled. "I can see that."

"Just a thought. Still not at all sure yet of what I'm really wanting, but it's good that we can talk about options like that when they come up."

"I'm with Ducky on this one. Honesty, no matter how painful, is the only way to go. What makes you think that? About the toddler?"

"There's just a lot of kids out there that…" Jethro shrugged and looked around the room, then looked back into Tony's cool and calm green eyes. Everything felt okay again inside, and he remembered that no matter how hard the conversation may be, it was with Tony, and it was okay. "There's a lot of kids that don't have anyone to tell them that it's okay. That thunder is just thunder, and lightning is just lightning, and to make them feel safe, protected, and loved. Maybe we could give that to one of them."

Tony watched Jethro's face. He seemed pretty calm again, and he sighed inwardly in relief. "As much as a baby would be a once in a life time kind of experience, I'm not so good with the poopy diapers, screaming, puking… If it were our own child, it would probably be different, so I'm not saying to rule that out, but as of today, I'm definitely open to the idea of adopting someone older."

Jethro nodded with a smile.

Tony turned his head so that it was lying against Jethro's chest again, and he listened to the way his heart beat under one ear, and the sound of the rain that was starting to fall against the ground and roof out of the other.

* * *

Ziva knew she was going to have to go home soon. The restaurant would be open for another four hours, and she wanted to stay and help close it down with Dion, but she had to be up for work the next day, and there were still responsibilities at home that she had to attend to. She was gathering her things in the back office when Dion joined her, leaning against the door frame with a smile and arms crossed.

"I wish I could stay," she said quietly, meeting his eyes.

"Maybe one day, if you choose to. Until then, you have a different life to live, and that is okay. I am merely grateful you have chosen to spend as much of this wonderful weekend with me as you have. You make my dream a brighter reality than I ever imagined it."

Ziva wasn't sure if she was ever going to get used to beautiful things coming from him with such sincerity that it took her off guard. She smiled as she took the few steps towards him, and wrapped her arms around his neck as she reached up for a kiss that he tilted his head for as his hands went to her waist.

* * *

Monday morning was still gloomy. The day before had brought more than one torrential downpour, and everything was saturated. It had been a restful day indoors for most everyone on both teams, and coming back to work with the same atmosphere outside as their rest day, meant that no one wanted to be there now.

A couple of hours into their dreary day, Fornell stumbled in. He made sure to stop by to see Gibbs before moving over to Tony.

"Wanna show me what you have so far?" he asked.

Tony nodded to Elly who had been prepping since he got in. The team gathered around as they explained the entire Stafford case and the database.

"That's incredibly brilliant, especially because it's so simple. Even I could use this, so there's a pretty good shot that other dinosaurs could get it. Hey, Jethro!" Tobias shouted over the divider with a smirk. "What do you think about working this magical mystery machine these guys have created?"

Jethro shrugged. "Doesn't seem too complicated. I don't foresee any problems. Not looking forward to having to type in every cold case I'm looking through, but it's going to be well worth the time in the long run."

"I'm glad you feel that way, Gibbs," a voice said from back behind the group. Everyone turned to see Vance standing behind Dorney's currently vacant desk.

Elly was by far the most animated of the group for such a dingy morning. Being able to explain his pet project to a captive audience fueled it. His energy wasn't quite infectious, but it did make Tony proud to watch him take off running as they explained the database to Fornell, and he only got more excited about it after Vance had joined them.

"The simplicity of the design is probably my favorite part, as well. There's a time and place for complex engineering, but a tool like this needs to be just as user friendly to the most technophobic person using it as the most skilled. It also means that it can be applied to all of the different types of software used across the country, from the small town police department to the largest government agencies. Any files that were typed up to begin with will be able to transfer directly into the database, or be cut and paste in."

"You know that when you take this to court, the idea of this database project is going to probably be as much of a media highlight, if not more, than the closure of the cold cases." Fornell had his arms crossed as he leaned on Tony's desk next to where Tony himself was leaning back with his hands on the edge of the gray metal top.

"That could be a good thing," Tony said. "It would give the project exposure, and it would help us get the software, database, platform thingy out there. The more people that are putting the necessary information into the system, the better."

"There's still a few things we need to work out," Elly was quick to disclose. "We're going to need to develop a server capable of handling all of this information, and storing it. We're going to need backups of the backups of them, and we're going to need to secure it. Not to mention getting the files in to begin with is going to take serious time. We're talking years."

Vance nodded. "I have a few ideas already in the works about some of that. I'll let you know more when I get past a few kinks."

Tony watched Vance closely as he addressed Elly directly. As much as he was glad that Elly was getting some time in the spotlight, he knew that he joined a team for a reason, and he wanted to make sure that their director wasn't getting any wild ideas in his head about moving him elsewhere. He decided to voice his main concern with the project.

"I think the biggest issue is going to be proper training. If you have someone who gets mouse-happy with the highlight tool, and decides that _everything_ is important, that case is going to be a mis-ping on every search ran. Multiply that by all the Gibbses in the world, and-"

"You'll be one of those "Gibbses" soon enough smartass!" Jethro shouted over the divider without even looking up from his printout, making everyone on both teams and the Director laugh.

Fornell looked back and forth between them with a cocked eyebrow.

"I've decided to take Jethro's name," Tony said quietly.

"And that's not causing tension around here?" he asked, looking between Tony and Vance.

"They're not hiding it anymore," Dorney said excitedly, however quietly. He grinned at Tony, glancing at Jethro over the divider, and then at Fornell.

"That should be interesting," Fornell said.

"Not as interesting as having to explain to Diane the other night that I was the one Jethro was with," Tony whispered. He reached up and smacked Fornell in the back of the head with the Gibbs-technique, and then turned back to the group with a satisfied smile as Fornell rubbed his noggin.

"Yeah, you're definitely a Gibbs," Fornell mused.

"Anyway," Tony said, bringing the case back to the forefront. "Only the original case has military ties. The rest of this is simply where it's led us. Now, we can probably move forward on our own, technically, but if we prosecute with FBI support, we'll not have to proceed on thin ice."

"What are you proposing?" Fornell asked.

"We need someone to review the data and be read on the case, effectively making this a joint investigation."

"And what do we get in return?" he asked.

Vance's voice rang through the group again. "In return, you can throw us a couple of your curveball cases, and we'll run them through the database in its beta to see what kind of feedback we get. That way you might get some forward momentum on your hard-to-cracks, and we also have more data to extrapolate and give this a thorough test run. It will look good if we're developing this thing with people from both of our agencies, and will hopefully show the rest of the law enforcement community that this is important enough to put aside our usual issues to work on it together."

Tony watched Elly's eyes light up in excitement at the idea of being able to run the data on some of the FBI's cases like he had ran the Stafford case. He turned towards Fornell eagerly, his fists clenched in front of him with his bottom lip wedged between his teeth.

"Sounds fair enough. I've got an agent in mind though. She's one of our best cold case crackers, and she'd would love to be on the forefront of anything that might be able to help her connect the dots a little faster. She's no McGee or Critten here, but she knows her way around a computer. She'll be able to understand anything you give her."

"Yes!" Elly exclaimed, jumping and turning so that he could drum his fists lightly on Dorney's arm. Parke and Tony exchanged smiles at his enthusiasm as Elly turned back to Fornell. "What's her name?"

"Courtney Gleason. I'll send her your contact info. If she's not in the middle of a case, she may come right over." Elly gave him a happy nod, then turned and beamed at Tony.

"This is your baby, kid," Tony said with a smile. "Parke, you're with him. Dorney, with me. We need to check in before we're scheduled in MTAC." He moved behind his desk to gather his files. "Thanks, Tobias," he said as Fornell headed for the elevator with his phone already to his ear.

"You two owe me dinner, and the story about Diane's rea-" He was stopped abruptly when the person on the other end of the phone answered. He waved and kept going.

"Mind if I sit in on your MTAC pre-game?" Vance asked. "Would like to see where this thing is headed."

Tony glanced at Dorney, and nodded with a shrug. "You got your stack?" he asked with a goofy grin at Ned, trying to lighten the mood when he saw him pale.

"Uh, yeah. Just need a minute." Vance moved out of the way as Dorney frantically gathered folder upon folder, and printed another ten sheets off from that morning's work. He stuck a pen in the spiral binding of a notebook, and then put it on top of a stack of folders almost a foot high. "Ready," he announced.

Tony nodded with a smile. "Let's go!"

Elly stood next to Parke as he watched the three men get in the elevator. "I hope he got more sponges," he whispered to himself.

"Huh?" Parke asked.

"Or maybe I should go…" He snapped his fingers. "I'll be back in a few," he said, and then headed for Abby's lab.

* * *

Vance looked at the spread of folders around them, and the printouts that he had in front of him. He was in shock, and he couldn't seem to hide it. Dorneget and Tony had just laid out the entire operation in front of him like it was nothing. They had backup plans of their backup plan's backup. Every possible scenario had been planned out, they were light years ahead of the current official chatter, and they would probably have the whole thing in the bag before anyone knew what was happening.

Tony looked at Vance, thoroughly enjoying his reaction, and feeling the most incredible pride in his agents. First, Elly had wowed both Fornell and Vance downstairs, and now Dorneget was blowing Vance's mind in regards to an operation meant to bring down a bioterrorist regime.

"That's incredible work," Vance said. "I'm very impressed. The gumption to follow the leads that you have takes a lot of courage. I'm starting to think I should be worried that we're going to have a different type of hellfire on our hands. I've got Gibbs running out of burning buildings, but you're figuring out how to blow them up from down the road."

Dorney felt a sudden vein of terror in him, and he knew he had to keep it in check. He flashed back to his conversation with Tony the week before about being trained under Gibbs, and he knew that he needed to put a stop to that train of thought before it began.

"I'm not sure that's quite the model I'm going for," Dorney said, looking at Tony. "I think it just appears that way because I'm so new at this that I'm not sure where the boundaries are. Tony was able to help with that, and was able to steer me into safer waters that yielded the same results. I think once I've been able to spend enough time working regular cases, I'll know better how to funnel my energies where they'll be maximized while still knowing which chances are necessary to take. As is, I'm going to have to explain this to the agents we're working with, and I can only hope I'll be able to do so effectively."

"You've been able to explain it to me just fine," Vance said.

"Yes, but you're not the one I'm sending into the proverbial burning building." He made himself maintain eye contact with the Director, and he suddenly remembered Elly's proud eyes a couple of days before on his couch. He felt a calming cool feeling rush through him, and the same kind of confidence he felt in MTAC settled into him. "I'm so wet behind the ears that I'm dripping, sir. I have never had to do the things I'm going to be asking these agents and servicemen to do. I've only been on a team for a couple of months, and even then, the exposure I've had has been limited with our focus on the Stafford case and this operation. There are aspects to operations and maneuvers that I'll never be able to anticipate until I spend the time doing this job that is required to think the way our operatives will think, feel the way they feel, and react the way an agent reacts.

"That's where Tony comes in. He's got the experience I need to learn from, but he's willing to let go of the reins enough to let me wander a while in order to learn what I need to. I guess what I'm saying is that I don't want to blow up our proverbial building from a block away just to blow it up. I want to be able to plan its demolition so that it comes down safely without falling onto any of the standing structures around it, or onto any innocent bystanders."

Vance nodded, and Tony did too, but for a different reason. He had been lost in the way he saw that shift come over Dorney again. He was fascinated by the switch that he witnessed flip in Dorney's head from time to time, that turned a guy that was socially awkward and plagued with verbal diarrhea, into a walking encyclopedia with a spine. It was the difference between "Dorney" and "Agent Dorneget".

He had wondered how much of Dorney's research courage was courage, and how much was ignorance of what he was heading into at first, but now he was becoming convinced that he knew exactly what he was doing. As eloquent as Dorney's speech was, Tony knew that it was also perfectly stated to make Vance understand that he belonged in the field for years before moving into MTAC permanently, and he also made it a point to show that he wants to learn to run his ops differently than Gibbs does.

"I hear you loud and clear," Vance said, then got to his feet. He turned to Tony. "Keep me informed of any and all progress."

"Will do, sir," Tony said. He and Dorney held their breaths while Vance left the room. As soon as the door closed, Tony turned to Ned, whose head fell back as he slouched in the chair, suddenly pushing out and spinning it.

"That was awesome!" he whisper-shouted.

"I know!" Tony whisper-shouted back. He chuckled, and then in a normal voice said, "Congratulations. You not only just completely shocked the living hell out of him, but you were able to lay out what you want for your future with an extremely convincing and indisputable argument. I'm pretty excited for you, and really proud of you."

Dorney stopped spinning, and his eyes met Tony's. He saw the same thing in them that he saw in Elly's eyes two days prior, and he felt a lump forming in his throat. He was suddenly so angry that it confused him. Both Elly and Tony had shown obvious pride him, and the Director of the agency had just told him that he was impressed with him. How could his so-called family have left him in the dust like they did, looking down their noses at him and his work, when these incredible, highly respected, and very important people were so proud of him?

"You okay?" Tony asked, noticing the sudden change that came over him. Dorney shook his head to clear it.

"Yeah, just thinking about something I told Elly after dinner the other night, and I guess something you told me last week too. There are enough people in my life now to support me that the ones that never did can just go to hell."

Tony gave him a sad smile. "It's an empowering feeling when you finally decide that, but it's heartbreaking, too. If you need to talk, you know where I am."

Ned nodded. "Thanks."

Tony nodded back. "I have to go check in with Abby for a few minutes. We're doing cake tasting tonight, and we're on a mission to find the perfect photographer!"

Dorney lit up again in excitement at the thought of the wedding. "Sounds awesome! What kind of cake are you thinking?"

"A chocolate layer, a white layer, and a red velvet."

"I love red velvet!"

"That's pretty much the consensus. I'm thinking about making it the biggest layer at this point." Tony got to his feet and scooped up the few files that were his. "I'll see you in a few."

"Yup!" Dorney said, then got up to gather his stack. He finally got it all in his arms, and headed for the bullpen.

When he arrived at his desk, he plopped the files down, and saw a purple and white cylinder sitting next to his inbox. His eyes lit up, and he grabbed it. It was a tub of Lysol wipes. He looked over at where Elly and Parke were chatting excitedly about the database, and caught Elly's eye. He stopped and smiled at him sheepishly.

"Thought you might need them after that," Elly said with a shrug.

"Guess I'm not the only one who can strategize," he said, echoing Elly's statement about breakfast and coffee that weekend.

Elly shrugged. "What can I say? I learned from the best!" he laughed and winked at Dorney before he turned back to his conversation with Parke, who tuned him out as he tried to absorb and understand exactly what he had just witnessed.


	22. Chapter 22

Tony wandered into the lab, and was greeted with a tight hug from Abby, but with less exuberance than normal. He was worried immediately, and as he hugged her back, he asked her what was wrong.

"Nothing!" she said, pulling back. "I mean, nothing's wrong with me. Is there anything wrong with you?" She looked him over from head to toe as if she were looking for something to be missing or broken.

Tony suddenly realized what she was concerned about.

"What exactly did McGee tell you about the other night?" he asked wearily.

"Nothing! Which is the reason why I'm so concerned. He wouldn't tell me anything! He rushes off to go talk to you like it's an emergency, and then he comes back and goes and sits in his _car_ to have a conversation with the Duckman. There's trouble afoot, and no one is talking to Abby about it!"

Tony laughed, and hugged her again. This time she rested her head on his shoulder, and hugged him tighter. "Abs, there's nothing wrong. We had one of those conversations where we both needed to talk it through with someone else before we could talk it through with one another. No big deal. We figured it out, and it's okay."

"So it's all over?" she asked.

"Yes, crisis wasn't actually a crisis at all."

"Okay." She was somewhat disappointed. She had been thinking about it all weekend since Tim's return on Saturday, and she was kind of hoping that the big decision would be great news of some sort. She couldn't imagine what that would be at this point. They were already living together, getting married, telling everyone, and taking the same name. "Did it have to do with the wedding?" she asked.

"No, nothing like that. More of a personal nature, but like I said, it's okay now. Are we still going to do the cake tasting tonight?" he asked, hoping to distract her.

"Definitely!"

"I'm leaning towards doing red velvet for the largest layer. I know once we're actually doing the ceremony, the cake will suddenly mean nothing to me, but at the moment, it's pretty much everything. I want to see it, make sure it's perfect, and then I feel like I can move on with everything else. Oh, did you have any luck with photographers?" he asked.

"I have a long list for you, and we're going to have a hard time narrowing them down. There's no real method to how they were gathered, so we'll have to spend some time with that. Like, serious time, that we don't really have right now. Dinner before we meet the Magnificient Ms. Sullivan tonight?"

Tony winced. "I would, but I have to go do a check in with Malek, Dina and Talia. I do owe you dinner soon though. I'd say come over to our place, but we're about to be harboring terrorist-tracking contract killers. Might be fun though. They're a good group to sit around and have a meal with when they aren't being actively hunted like wild animals, so who knows!"

Abby smiled at him, and Tony knew an idea was blossoming in her brain. He was right.

"If you want to repay me, you'll organize a massive moving party for me and McGee. All the muscle power we can get to merge our two apartments into one home. And beer and pizza is probably a good idea too. That's kind of the traditional moving food."

"Yeah, that and Doritos. Consider it done."

"Awesome!" she said, hugging him within an inch of his life. "Thank you!"

"Thank you for helping me with the wedding stuff. It took us a minute to get it off the ground, but now it seems to be flowing much better."

"Yes! Cake decisions will be made tonight, you have a venue, and official date and time, and catering is all set up. I was wondering if you were going to do invitations, or if you were going to poke people and go, Hey, you coming?"

Tony chuckled. "Should we go through all that?"

"I think it would be nice to have a momento of some sorts for you. It doesn't have to be anything fancy. You said there's going to be like twenty of us there, right?"

"Who says you're invited?" Tony joked. Abby punched him hard in the arm. "Ow! Yeesh!"

"I'm definitely going to be there, mister! I don't care if I have to crash it with a ship, I'll be there!"

"That means everything to me, Abs," Tony said with a genuine smile. She smiled back.

"Shoo! I got work to do!" she said, waving Tony out. "Think about invitations!" He chuckled and kissed her temple, and then headed towards the door. He didn't know where he'd be without her. Not just for the wedding, but she had gotten him through some of his roughest days at NCIS. She was undoubtedly one of his best friends, and one of the most important people in his life. She was probably right under Jethro when he thought about it, and he suddenly thought of Leyla.

Jethro was one of her very important people. So much so, that she chose him to take care of her daughter if anything were to happen to her. Now she trusted Tony in that role with him, and he was touched by that. He decided he needed to get to know Leyla better.

He also had another thought that struck him as genius, and as he got off the elevator, he pulled out his phone and headed for the breakroom instead. Shifting through his contacts, he found a number he hadn't used in a long time. He hit the dial button, and pulled out his wallet to get something from the vending machine.

"Hagleman, Griffin, and Stone. This is Sheila. How may I assist you?"

"Good afternoon, Sheila. Tony DiNozzo Jr. for Thomas Griffin please."

"One moment please."

Tony listened as the phone rang, bending over to pull his Twizzlers from the vending machine's hatch.

"Thomas Griffin," a lighthearted male voice greeted.

"Hey, Tom. Tony DiNozzo Jr."

"Hey! Tony! Long time, no see. What's up?"

"A lot! I have to update some things, so I'm calling you."

"Oh?"

"Yeah," Tony said, taking a deep breath. "I'm getting married in September."

"Whoa! Well, hey! Congratulations!"

"Yeah, and I'm in need of a little help with it. I'm changing my name."

"Umm…"

Tony chuckled. "You know dad and I aren't on the best of terms, and I am kind of happy to be able to have my own name. Besides, my fiancé's a man, and it makes a little more sense for me to change my name than him to change his."

"Wow! Definitely wasn't expecting that, but you know, whatever works for you. So we need to file the paperwork to get your name changed, and we need to update your information here, and are we merging assets? Do you want to update your will?"

"Well, what made me think of calling you first was the will. I found out this week that a friend of Jethro's- that's my fiancé- a friend of his has him listed as the legal guardian of her daughter if anything happens to her, and she has updated her will to now include me in that guardianship."

"Okay, so you want to set the will to include a two-step-out provision or something? Meaning, that if by some horrible act of fate, you do end up as guardian of the child, and then something happens to you, you're leaving monetary support for her."

"Oh! I hadn't thought that far out, but yeah, that would be great! The thing is, that led to a whole other discussion, and we're actually considering having a child ourselves now."

"I can't say 'wow' anymore today, I've already met my quota. I feel like I'm being prank called right now."

Tony took a bite out of his Twizzler and shook his head. "I know, man. It's unreal. Life has just suddenly started happening in fast-forward, and it's awesome, but there's so much that needs to be done, and soon. We're not making any decisions on that until after the ceremony, but I do want to get the name change ready to take effect as soon as I say "I do", and I would like to get my will updated."

"I'll send you the necessary paperwork to your email, and then you can send me back the things you want added to the provision, and then we can meet, go over the documents, and have you do the official signing."

"Sounds good."

"Are we doing a pre-nup?"

"Not for me. He's been married a couple of times though, so he may want one, though I don't think he does. I should ask him. How to do that without sticking my foot in my mouth is going to be tricky though."

Tom made a sage-like noise on the other end of the phone. "Yes, indeed. My suggestion is to tell him what you just said to me, and pretty much like you said it. Tell him I asked about it, and that you said you didn't want one, but realized with his history you would understand if he did."

"Are you sure you're not a marriage counselor on the side? Then, you know, when the divorce happens, you swoop in…" Tony joked. Tom laughed.

"You know I only do divorces for your father, and he was grandfathered into that whole deal."

Tony winced. "Yeah, about that. He doesn't know about the wedding, and I don't want him to. He's not invited, and I would prefer he not know anything about this."

"My mouth is legally bound to stay shut, and I wouldn't tell him anyway. You know he's not my favorite person either."

Tony loved the way Tom's voice held just the right amount of distain while remaining professional.

"Thanks, Tom. My situation at work has changed a little, and I'll bring a copy of my new contract to you to have on file as well."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Considering I'm marrying my former boss, they had to either fire me or promote me, and during a temporary promotion, I found a major issue with some things the former supervisor was doing, and that temporary position became permanent. Wasn't exactly how I wanted things to go, but it's been the most amazing experience. This year has certainly exhausted my quota of wows too, and it's only June."

"Sounds like it."

"Okay, well I'll be looking for your email, shoot it back to you, and then we'll get together sometime soon."

"Sending it now. Hear from you shortly."

"Thanks!"

Tony looked out the window while taking a bite of his Twizzler, and shook his head. Tom was the second Griffin in practice at the law firm that the DiNozzos had trusted for Tony's entire life. Tom's father was Senior's financial lawyer, and a few years after Tom came on board at the firm, his dad had retired, leaving Senior and Tony in his care.

Tom had never really liked Senior, and that had endeared him to Tony immediately, and Tony thought it worked in reverse as well. Tom came on right around the time that Tony was dealing with the drama of finding out his father had wiped out his trust fund, and Tom had tried to offer Tony the best legal advice he could without throwing Senior under the bus. Eventually, he broke down and came out with it that Tony had every reason to press charges, and that he should.

Thinking about that started killing the buzz Tony was riding from telling yet another person about the wedding, and he switched tracks. He thought instead about what he was going to do to the will, and how great of an idea it was to make a clause in there so that if anything happened to him, Amira would be taken care of. He decided he wanted to make it so that even if he wasn't guardian at the time of his demise, Amira would receive something that could help with her education one day.

A hand on his shoulder made him jump, and then he smiled when he saw Jethro. The hand slipped up to squeeze the back of Tony's neck, and he closed his eyes at the way that felt just perfect at the moment.

"Thinking hard again," Jethro said quietly, retracting his hand slowly and wishing he didn't have to.

"I just called my lawyer," Tony said, looking up at Jethro, who froze. Tony chuckled. "For good reasons. Wanted to get the info on what I have to do to get my name changed, and I'm going to update my will."

"Oh." Jethro suddenly stared out the window a moment before staring back at Tony. "I should do that, too."

"I want to make sure that if anything happens to me, my father doesn't get a dime. I want you to have it all- well, most of it. See, I had an idea." Tony looked around to make sure they were alone. "I was thinking that until we decide about us and kids, I'd put a provision in there so that whether or not we're in custody of Amira, a certain percentage of my assets get put into an account for her school. Issue with that, is that when we get married, it becomes _our_ assets, and there's not really a pretty way to do that unless we want to do it together. What do you think?"

"That could all change if we decide to adopt though," Jethro whispered.

"Yeah, but we still have months before we'd even start that process, none the less finalize anything. There would be a clause in my will until the wedding, and then we'll need to create a will together anyway, so we can change things then, and perhaps by that point we'll know what we want to do about…" Tony stopped when he saw Evelyn join them in the breakroom. She saw them standing together by the window and froze.

Jethro turned to see what Tony was staring at, and saw Evelyn. He nodded at her. "Evelyn."

"Hello, Agent Gibbs, Agent DiNozzo," she said, a shy and excited smile on her face as she suddenly moved towards the nasty breakroom coffee while turning red.

"Hey, Evelyn," Tony greeted back. "Fueling up before the rendezvous at 2?" He wore a bright smile, while trying to figure out what was going on with the expression on her face.

"Yes, and the one before that at 1315. It has been a slow day, and the dark room is putting me to sleep."

Tony nodded. "I personally don't know how you stay awake in there when there's nothing to do. I'd probably be asleep in minutes."

"You'd fall asleep at your desk in broad daylight if you didn't have something to do," Jethro joked with good humor. He was starting to think Evelyn was endeared by the two of them, though he wasn't quite sure why. When she chuckled, chancing a glance at them and then turning to walk out with her coffee, they were both relieved. She stopped before she was through the entry though, and turned around, brighter pink in the cheeks than ever.

"I, um, wanted to wish you both congratulations. That's some pretty exciting news you dropped in there the other day," she said nervously, looking up at Tony while playing with her necklace.

Jethro looked at Tony, and Tony looked back, then at Evelyn. "Thanks! We're pretty excited."

"I'm excited for you," she said. "Well, I'll see you and Agent Dorneget at two."

They waited until she was out of view, and then looked back at each other. "I don't know whether or not to be ecstatic right now, or completely weirded out," Tony admitted quietly.

"I'm going for concerned optimism, myself," Jethro said, looking back over at the entryway to make sure Evelyn didn't come back in for any reason.

"I think I'll join you. So, like we were saying. By time we do the joint will we might have our decision on other things, and be able to change it in full. Until then, mine will be updated to reflect that you are my primary beneficiary, and Amira is my secondary."

"If we weren't standing in the breakroom at work right now, I'd kiss you," Jethro whispered softly. "That's really thoughtful of you to think of Amira that way. And if we decide not to pursue having our own child, I am all for making that a plan in our joint will as well. Something else we need to decide on," he said cautiously, "is who we're going to make guardian of our daughter if we have one."

"That's true. I trust Leyla completely, but she's already got her hands full as a single mom. That wouldn't be fair to her."

"I agree. I'm actually thinking Abby and Tim."

"Yes! That's perfect. As long as they're still together, that won't be a problem."

"You think there's any reason to doubt that?" Jethro asked, squinting at Tony as he tried to read him.

"No, just the opposite." Tony said with a smirk, then started to leave Jethro standing there, but he grabbed his arm, making Tony chuckle.

"Wait! You can't drop a line like that on me and not explain," Jethro said. "What do you know?"

"I don't really know anything, because the half of the couple I talked to doesn't really know anything, but there are some considerations being made. That's all I'm allowed to say."

"Tim said something?"

"I'm not saying that. I wouldn't break either of their trust about that kind of thing. Nothing is about to happen, but I'm starting to see permanence."

Jethro nodded, checking Tony's body language by instinct.

"I gotta get back," Tony said with a small, regretful smile.

"Yeah, me too. We're meeting this guy Keith about our vic in half an hour at the VA. Tim already left to go pick up Lively to take him to an appointment he has there, and we're going to all sit down and see if we can't figure this thing out."

"Good luck!" Tony said. "I hope he's able to clear things up for you." They started walking back towards the bullpen. "I have to go update Malek and the ladies tonight after work if you want to come with me."

"Yeah. I want to. Hopefully our case doesn't heat up too much by then."

"Abby and I are meeting the cake decorator at 1900, so I'm going over right after work, and might even leave a few minutes early."

"I'll see what I can do," Jethro said meeting his eyes as they split to go down their separate rows in the bullpen.

Tony nodded back.

"Let's head out," Jethro said to Ziva, passing her desk to go get his things from his. She locked down her computer, and they headed towards the elevator together.

"I checked with Brickerson, and he's going to pull his personal notes on the file and see if he can bring anything up on it. He said the details were fuzzy, and that he would get back to me. I believe he is going to check to see if it is secure enough to release any details he may have hidden from the report back then."

Ziva briefed him while waiting nervously to be let out of the metal box. Jethro picked up on it, and realized they were about to be locked in the car together for the next twenty minutes, and that it would probably be the best time to talk through what was happening with her. He hated talking in the car with anyone but Tony, and that was usually because Tony talked and didn't expect him to do much talking back.

They pulled out of the parking garage, and Jethro decided the best thing to do would be to keep it simple, honest, and forthcoming. He started the familiar drive to the VA, and turned to her before looking back at the road.

"Tony told me that you were thinking about going back to school so you can help run the restaurant."

"I had figured that he had," she said, looking nervously from him to the buildings around them.

"I wasn't sure how I felt about that at first. It was kind of a shock to find out you were thinking about leaving, and that you hadn't said anything to me."

"I was not anywhere near a decision yet when I told him, so I did not want to stir the pan before I had any real answers about whether or not I would be able to go to school and continue working."

Jethro chuckled. "Stir the _pot,_ kid."

"Pots, pans, bowls… whatever the euphemism, I have been informed it will be out of date anyway, so it does not really matter," she said with a chuckle of her own.

"Who told you that?" Jethro asked with a smirk.

"Dion broke the news to me the other night that my word choices are antiquated."

"Nothing wrong with that. You two seem pretty serious, and pretty happy together. You must be considering a long future with him if you want to go back to school to help run his business."

That hit Ziva hard, and she thought about it. "I think it is more than that. I actually really enjoy this kind of work, and it is a lot safer. I have grown up in a culture of lies, deceit, violence, and espionage. I have been living a different life since I've come to NCIS. However, I will always know what is going on behind the scenes. I cannot unsee what I've seen, and I cannot unlearn what I have learned. I am having a hard time deciding if I want to leave it behind. I simply do not know if I can. I feel like what we do helps. I feel like it works against the tides of violence, and at times, corruption, not only in the world out there, but the world inside of me. I do not know what I want, Gibbs."

Jethro was somewhat taken aback by that honest revelation. "If you could work as a contracted operative like what we do with people like Malek, Talia, and Dina, would you want to do that? You'd still be able to do school, help at the restaurant, but for a block of the year, you'd be on assignment somewhere."

"No. If I stay, I want to stay here, where I am, with you and McGee, and with Tony right across the aisle. With Abby, Ducky, Jimmy. I would want to stay an agent, and I know that is not possible as a part timer."

Jethro suddenly had an idea. "What if…"

Ziva saw that expression on Jethro's face that told her he was working out the answer to all of their problems, and she waited patiently.

"This morning, Vance told Tony's team that he was trying to figure out what to do about the cold case thing they are doing. Tony's told me that Vance is trying to work on getting funding to have the cold case team reinstated. With what they are going to be doing, entering all of these files into the computer system, I'm sure that they could use all of the help they could get, especially from an experienced agent who would be able to review the cases thoroughly while entering them. You'd still be an agent, but they would have a better chance to work with your hours. You may be able to do a second or third shift kind of thing during classes, and when your classes are not in session, you can piggy back with my team still."

"Then you would be one _more_ person down," she said. "I cannot do that to you."

"Don't stay because of me, damn it! This is _your_ life, kid! You need to be able to do what makes _you_ happy, Ziver. You deserve that. If running the restaurant with Prisco is going to bring you happiness, then do it. If it's going to leave a hole in you that you need filled, this could be a way to keep your foot in the door in case you realize it isn't what you thought it would be."

Ziva blinked, but other than that she couldn't move. She was frozen, staring at him. They pulled into a spot at the VA, and Jethro turned the key over in the ignition and looked at her. His voice was quiet as he tried to explain what he needed to.

"Look, if there's one thing that these past few months has taught me, it's that sometimes, moving on, making changes, following your heart, no matter how uncomfortable and downright terrifying it can be, can lead to the best case scenario. Hell, it can lead to a happiness you may have never imagined. Only _you_ know what's right for you though, Ziva. Only _your_ gut is going to give you the answers you need. If you want for me to try to find a way for you to stay part time, you know I'll do whatever I can for you. If you want to stay and keep on going on like we are, that's great. If you want to stop all together and find a safer, happier life, then that's what you need to do. Do what you need to do for _you_ , and for no one else, but keep me in the loop."

Ziva felt her eyes burning, and nodded emphatically. "Okay. I will."

"Good. I'm going to hold you to that. Now let's go find out what this guy knows."

They found their way to the room McGee had told them to meet him at, and found him sitting with a man in his early to mid thirties, with neatly cut light brown hair, wearing a white and blue striped shirt with jeans. He was a little jittery, but no more than any other witness may be. Jethro was quick to notice the hopeful expression when he looked up to meet their faces as they came in. The younger man smiled faintly, and Jethro felt a sense of innocence in it.

McGee introduced them, as Lively had obviously introduced the two of them before he went in for his appointment, and they all sat down together around a folding table in a small break room. McGee had already grabbed a couple of cups of coffee and had them waiting on the table. Jethro wrapped his hands around one, leaning forward on the table the slightest. He felt the need to pull out the kid gloves with this guy, and he couldn't figure out why.

"Wally said that you guys were looking into Austin's death again," Keith started, swallowing hard, his own hands wrapped around a cup of coffee, only he sat ramrod straight, tapping his foot energetically. He looked around the table, but his eyes rested on Jethro's.

That's when it hit Jethro why he felt a soft spot for him- he reminded him of Critten. Same cornflower blue eyes, similar haircut, and that odd ability to seem completely focused despite bouncing off the walls. There was something else though, and he couldn't put his finger on it.

"We're looking into reopening the case now that the members of the gang that was suspected have all been incarcerated. We're hoping that since the potential threat to those who may have withheld information for their own safety is eliminated, people might come forward, and we can find justice for Austin."

Jethro watched Keith closely as he grit his teeth and nodded, looking down into his coffee. He saw that Ziva had a small notebook out, and McGee was listening intently, but nothing about their expressions gave away that they were realizing the connection he was feeling.

"How did you meet Austin?" Jethro asked.

Keith looked at him before meeting Tim and Ziva's eyes, and then looked back at Jethro.

"He started coming to the AA meetings here. We used to have a transit system set up for the homeless vets in the city, and we'd drive around and pick those of them up that wanted to come in for the meeting on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. He wasn't homeless, but he was getting pretty close when I met him."

Keith's sad smile returned, and she shook his head before continuing. "He was led in with an attitude, Wally's arm around his shoulder talking in his ear. Wally brought him right up to me, and introduced us. When he told Austin that I was the one who organized the group with the VA, he seemed surprised. I looked a bit younger back then. The past few years have aged me, I'm afraid. He later told me that he'd expected me to be closer to Wally's age by the things Wally had told him.

"We got to be friends pretty quickly. He became my best friend, actually. I hadn't felt like I'd deserved one of those for a long time. My recovery since his loss has been pretty hard. Still not as hard as the first go 'round, but rough. I miss him. He told me about how he'd left the service to try to take care of his mom when he found out she had cirrhosis, and he was only home six months before she died. Then he'd started drinking, and he didn't want to end up like her.

"He'd already gotten into trouble, getting wrapped up in making a run one night for a friend of his who was in that crew, but when they found out he had gotten away with it so easily, they killed his friend and tried to make him a mule. That's when he realized he was screwing everything up, and poured his heart out to Wally, and then Wally brought him with him to the meeting the next day. He didn't know what to do, so we put our heads together, talked to a cop that had been coming to meetings pretty regularly and seemed to have a good head on his shoulders, and soon, they had things worked out.

"Austin kept making runs for the gang, but he reported everything he did to his handler. They were waiting to make a move, and it had to be strong enough to bring down the entire crew, or they were going to leave stragglers out here that would just go after anyone they thought would be a snitch.

"A few months into the operation, Austin's body was found dumped in the middle of the road. Wally was the only one with the guts to approach him and see if he was alive. At that point, he was, but only barely. He screamed for help, someone called an ambulance, but by time they got there, Austin was gone. Wally used one of their phones to call me, and I came straight down."

Keith's voice cracked, and she shook his head. He stared at a blank space on the table, lost in the memory. When he started talking again, his voice was different. All three agents sat in silence as they watched Keith's tears sliding down his cheeks as his foot stopped tapping. Jethro noticed he was going paler by the minute.

"Wally still sits on a bench every day near the scene, wondering if he wouldn't have been off the wagon that night, if he would have been awake, if he might have heard, if he could have done something, gotten there sooner. He's managed to stay cleaner than me since it happened, because he sits on that bench, staring at that spot where he found him whenever he's tempted. He sits there to remind himself of what he might have been able to do if he wasn't so out of it that he didn't see it happen. Some days, I go and sit on the bench with him, borrowing his strength."

"I ask myself all the time if I shouldn't have talked him into getting out of town, if I should have done more to get him out of this area. I was selfish I guess, for not suggesting it, but life just seemed easier with him around. He wanted to help me with the program after the sting. We were trying to write a grant together to keep the transit system going, but once he was gone, I…" The pain in Keith's voice choked more than himself.

"Loss leaves a hole that needs to be filled," Ziva offered, her own voice raw with emotion.

Keith didn't look up from the table, and he sat so still that he wasn't even wiping at his eyes. "And I did. For a while there, with everything I could. Wally though, Wally of all people, talked some sense into me one day. He told me that Austin had counted on me to stay sober with him, had looked up to that in me, and that I was letting him down. He'd dried up and did the right thing by helping the police with the undercover work, and he would want me to stay dry and do the right thing by keeping the program going. It was too late for the grant, but I still look every day for a way to get that part of this program back on its feet. There are so many other things going on here, but if people can't get to them, what's the use?"

"Why didn't you tell anyone this when we investigated last time?" Tim asked gently.

"I wasn't allowed. The Organized Crime Division had me under a contract stating that unless I was called to the stand under oath, I couldn't talk about it. I cleared it with them this morning that I could finally talk to you. I haven't been able to even tell my own psychiatrist." Jethro fought back a wince when he saw Keith start shaking. Something clicked in him, and he was suddenly on guard.

"McGee, why don't you go check on Lively. Ziva go see if you can't get Brickerson to talk now. If they lifted the restrictions on Keith, they probably lifted them for him, too."

They both looked at each other as they got up, knowing that for some reason, Jethro wanted to be alone with Keith. The closed the door behind them, and Jethro waited a moment to see if they could hear anything. When he knew they were alone, he began softly.

"Keith, what branch were you in?" he asked.

"Army. I was stationed in Germany for a couple of years at the transfer hospital, and then I was attached to a company in Iraq in 2002."

"As a medic?"

"Yeah."

Keith finally raised his eyes to look at Jethro. Jethro watched as the shaking continued, though only out of his peripheral vision as he made sure to keep eye contact.

"How have you been able to manage your PTSD without talking to your psychologist about the nightmares you're having about Austin?" Keith's shaking doubled, and Jethro switched to the chair Ziva had been sitting in next to where Keith was sitting at the head of the table.

"I haven't," Keith said, his voice as shaky as the rest of him. "I keep seeing him there until I can't take it anymore, and drink him away. Sometimes, that doesn't even work." The shaking started to wrack his entire body, and Jethro started considering how long he had until he had to get help. It wasn't long enough to keep talking.

"Hey!" he shouted, intentionally loud in order to startle him back to attention. It worked, but only somewhat. Keith's eyes and face looked up to him with a pleading look that made Jethro swallow hard. "Take a deep breath, Keith. Come on, kid. Listen to me. Breathe in."

Jethro channeled Mike the best he could, trying to remember just the right blend of snap and soft he'd used so many times to bring him around. He saw Keith finally take a deep breath in, and it was caught in his chest. Jethro waited to the count of five before coaching him back out of it. After a few more of those, he saw that Keith was picking up the rhythm on his own.

"Tell me what you're seeing right now."

Keith was used to the exercise apparently, because he knew exactly what to do. He looked around the room, and then nodded. "Tables, chairs, the break room. We're in the break room."

"Good," Jethro said, nodding. "Tell me what you're smelling right now."

Keith nodded again, breathing deeply, trying to smell the air. "Coffee. I smell coffee. And a hint of soap, and someone needs to take the trash out."

"Good. What are you hearing?"

"Your voice, my voice, the hum of the refrigerator, the ticking of the clock on the wall. God I hate that clock. The ticking will drive you crazy. You can't get the ticking out of you-"

"Stay with me. Stay here; be here."

Keith nodded.

"What do you feel?" Jethro asked. It was the last question, and it was the most important.

"Table, chair, cup, my clothes…" The words were starting to come out as if they were causing pain, being pulled from the depths of his gut. He started shaking his head, and the keening sound that came from him made Jethro's stomach turn.

"Keith!" he demanded with his sternest tone he could muster without yelling. "Keith! Look at me!"

"The ground isn't soft! The ground isn't soft! There's no sand in this room! I'm in the room, in the break room, with the tables, and the chairs, and you, and the coffee! There's no sand in here, Agent Gibbs! Tell me there's no sand!"

"There's no sand, Keith. It's tile. Touch it, Keith. Stomp on it. It's hard. It cold. It's smooth. It's white. It's tile."

Keith started tapping his foot against it, bending over to reach down and run his fingers over it, shaking his head.

"Nope, come on kid," Jethro said. "Like this." He reached over and pulled Keith's arm down so that his hand was flat against the hard cool flooring. "See? Feel that. If it was sand, your hand wouldn't bend back like that, would it?"

"No, it wouldn't. It's not sand. It's not sand. It's not sand."

"What do you hear Keith?"

"Your voice, tapping, ticking, my voice… shit! The ticking! It's ticking!" Jethro realized something about that ticking noise wasn't helping. He let go of Austin's hand.

"No! Don't leave me! Please don't leave me alone with it!"

"I'm right here, Keith. I'm not going anywhere. I just need to stop the ticking." He got to his feet, went over to the wall, and grabbed the cheap plastic clock off of it. He turned it over, and pulled out its battery. He kept talking as he went to the sink and grabbed a handful of paper towels, wetting them down with cool water, and put them on Keith's forehead. "I'm right here. Just breathe. You're in the break room, Keith. The break room at the VA." Keith shook his head, and Jethro started talking him through breathing for another couple of minutes until Keith quieted down.

"Can you hear the ticking?" he asked. Keith froze and listened. "What do you hear, Keith?" he asked softly.

"The refrigerator is running. Your voice, my voice." Keith suddenly stopped shaking and his foot stopped tapping.

Jethro sighed, knowing the worst was over, and sat down in relief. He picked up his small Styrofoam cup of coffee and downed it.

"What the hell?" Keith asked. They sat in silence for a couple of minutes while Keith wiped his face and neck down with the paper towels.

"When was the last time you had an episode?" Jethro asked quietly.

"Two months ago." Keith's eyes landed on Jethro again, and he seemed much more aware despite looking exhausted.

"Did you tell your psychologist about it?"

"I couldn't. There was too much of a blend between Iraq and Austin, and I knew if I went through it with her, she'd know I was holding back, and I couldn't tell her. She's worried about me. I guess I can talk to her now, if I can talk to you guys."

"You need to go do that today," Jethro said softly. Keith nodded. After another long minute, Keith looked at Jethro like he had just realized something.

"How did you know?" Keith asked, confused.

"Been there," he said simply with a shrug. Keith nodded. "The ticking. What was ticking? Iraq or Austin?"

Keith froze, looking even more confused. "Ticking?" he asked.

"When I asked what you were hearing, you kept saying the clock ticking was driving you crazy. I took the clock down, and you finally came out of it. There's something about the ticking that's triggering you."

"I don't know what was ticking." Keith shook his head with a look of frightened amazement on his face. "Ticking. I'm sorry, I don't know if it's Austin related or from Iraq. I can't think of what was ticking in either case."

"You need to go tell your counselor about Austin, and about the ticking. Anything ticking can set you off until you work through it."

"Do you get, or did you get, this tired afterwards?" he asked cautiously.

Jethro nodded, not liking to think about it. "Felt like I could sleep for days." He watched Keith another moment. "How long have you been dealing with this?"

"I came home in 2006 for good."

"Do you have people you talk to about it with other than your counselor?" Jethro asked, getting the sense that Keith had been handling this alone for far too long.

"I'm afraid of being a part of the groups here since I work here. I don't want to seem unstable. It means a lot to me to be here."

Jethro nodded his understanding. He hadn't been willing to either, and he was lucky he had Mike to coach him through the worst of it and to listen when he thought he was losing his mind. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out his creds, and slid one of his cards out of the slot in the back.

"It's not that it's hard to do this alone, it's that it's impossible." He slid the card across the table. "Go talk to your counselor. Then tonight, call me. We'll talk more then. For now, I'm going to go find out who killed Austin."

Keith nodded, picking up the card. He looked up at Jethro as he stood. "Thanks," he said quietly.

"Come on. I'm walking you to the principal's office."

Keith got to his feet with a smirk, and quickly realized he felt like the ground was going to come up to meet him. Jethro was already by his side, holding him up.

"You should know better by now," he said with a chuckle.

"Yeah, I should!" Keith agreed, feeling elated to have someone who he could laugh about it with.

"I'm getting too damned old to carry you," Jethro joked again, taking a page from Tony's book and keeping the atmosphere light.

"You can say that again," Keith joked, taking a few tentative steps.

"Smartass. I should let you try to do this yourself for that," Jethro said, letting go for just a second.

"You're a bastard, you know that?" Keith said, flailing. Jethro grabbed a hold of him again, and then guided him through the door with a smirk.

"So I've been told. Where are we heading?"

"Upstairs," he said. "Elevator is halfway down the hall, and then when we get upstairs, it's right off it to the left."

They were halfway to the elevator when Keith sighed. "This is so embarrassing."

"Suck it up."

"You were a Marine, weren't you?" Keith suddenly said with a laugh.

"Yep. How'dja guess?"

"Hmm. I don't know. Besides never giving up the haircut, you apparently never gave up the attitude. Got plenty of it when I worked in the hospital. Had a guy throw an IV pole across the room at me like a gauntlet once."

"That's because _we're_ taught to be resourceful. We use what we have available."

"Yeah, well, I'm glad he was experiencing double vision from his concussion. It kind of surprised me. Always thought you guys had such thick skulls that nothing would get through 'em. Apparently not." Keith shrugged.

"Oh? What finally did it? I'm sure the entire agency would like to know." Jethro smirked, deciding that he liked Keith.

"Part of a building, I believe."

They stepped off the elevator, and into the waiting room. The receptionist immediately came out from behind the desk and took over for Jethro, asking for information from Keith in a very familiar way. She obviously knew him well, and Jethro hoped this didn't affect Keith's job.

"I'll be waiting for your call, Keith," Jethro said quietly.

Keith nodded. "Probably about 1900?"

Jethro nodded back, and then turned to leave. He wasn't sure what he was getting himself into, but he felt a distinct need to pay it forward, and Keith needed him. How was he supposed to walk away from this one? He couldn't.

* * *

Dorney turned to Tony, his eyes wide as saucers.

"Are you certain? As in, one-hundred percent, no doubt about it certain?" Tony asked.

"Affirmative, sir. As of this evening, there are three people in a race to see who earns the contract. The first one to provide proof that they've completed the job will never have to work again." Garnier's voice was more serious than Tony had ever heard it.

"What are we up against?" Dorneget asked.

"The first is Jaamal Dwahalini. He is the underdog of the group, but he is not to be taken lightly. He has never crossed further than the western coast of Africa for a kill. This is his first time trans-Atlantic. However, he is very common looking with no real distinguishable features. Most people who say they've encountered him would never have expected he's a contract killer. He's pleasant, personable, polite and respectful, and he just happens to be lethal without any weapons. He's trained in various forms of martial arts, and he had studied military training from around the world." Stephens read off the information from wrote, and it reminded Tony of when Dorneget started talking shop.

"The second is Kiel Ryzintine. A Russian national with hits in Russia, Pakistan, Iraq, and Afghanistan, and rumored to have even had a little fun in Iran," Garnier said. "He's a gun for hire. No mess, no frills kinda guy. He's also a master of disguise. He has an uncanny ability to pass for a woman, and like Dwahalini, he's known for being nothing like what you'd expect from a contract killer. He's friendly."

"Has he ever been to the States?" Dorneget asked, taking notes furiously on his tiny notepad.

"Once, as a teen with his family. Never for work though," Stephens assured.

"What kinds of resources do they have?" Dorneget demanded. "If they prefers guns, they're going to have to get them once they get to the States. They're going to have to make it through a hell of a lot of security if they takes traditional channels. Or do they have alternate means to get here?"

Stephens nodded. "Both of these creeps have deep pockets, and lots of friends in low places. Dwahalini has friends who smuggle diamonds and people for the slave trade, so they could easily smuggle him into anywhere they normally would smuggle people. Ryzintine's parents have homes all over the world. No one knows for sure if they are still in contact with their son, but if they are, he's got their finances behind him as well as their hideaways to run to afterwards."

"Our third problem is Matthew Richards. He's British. He thinks he's got the best chance of getting into the States, and he's right. The problem is, no one knows who he is, where he's come from, or what to expect from him. He's a ghost. We don't have a real name, or a photo, or anything but an IP address and an acceptance of the contract on a message board."

"Wait," Dorneget said, looking at Tony. "Richards. There's a Richard Michaels on Claudia's team from the CIA. I wonder if that's an alias for him."

"You mean jerkwad number three is an undercover?" Garnier said excitedly. He turned to Stephens who high-fived him. "That sure would make our lives a lot easier."

Dorneget moved over to the control panels, and shooed Scott away from his keyboard. Scott scowled at him, getting up in a huff while Evelyn shot Dorneget a smile, and then gave Scott an evil look that Tony had to do a double take on. He had never seen her look at anyone like that, and she'd had all sorts of slimeballs on the screen behind her.

"I'm going to try to get in contact with Claudia for confirmation. This is going to take a second."

"While he's looking her up, DiNozzo, you wanna tell us who's going to be joining our tea party?"

"Well, you know Meisner is working a similar angle, obviously, but as of right now, we don't have any other operatives planned. However, there are four Marines that we have allocated in the area to be dispatched to assist you if you need them."

Stephens' eyes lit up. "Who?"

Tony grinned from ear to ear. "Booker, Davidson, Carmento, and Diaz."

"Hell, yeah!" Stephens shouted, reaching out to double high-five Garnier. "Booker's my boy!"

"And Carmento owes me money," Garnier said. "Been waiting to settle that for a while. Slippery bastard. Of course, hope is that we don't end up needing them."

"By the end of this, you probably will," Dorney shouted over his shoulder. "Unless you want to hijack another tank."

"I'm up for it," Garnier said, shrugging as he looked at Stephens.

"Yeah, I can go for a ride. You got a plan for that?"

Dorneget clapped his hands once in excitement. "Richards is ours! Yes! Claudia confirms that Matthew Richards is Rick Michaels."

"Alright! Best damned news we have had all day. Now we just need to keep his name filtering through the group, and push it so that it sounds like he's getting close." Tony grinned at Dorney as he joined him again in the middle of the room.

Dorneget nodded, and then looked back at the screen. "What were you able to find us about the key players in the faction's sudden change in resources?"

Garnier was all business suddenly, and it was obvious he was the one with the most sources to tag for that discussion. "There were problems in the chain of command that Turhan Ubaydah had managed to keep under control for years. With his demise, the organization started to crumble. That was why there is such a push to bring your three down. It's merely a distraction to keep certain players busy in the organization while others are busy building connections with a secondary rebel group. The funding for the group, known as what would translate as The Yellow Triangle, is obscured in what appears to be legitimate businesses throughout the Middle East and Russia. Everything from mom and pop restaurants to beauty parlors. Real businesses with back door money slots.

"The group's specialty is bioterrorism, hence the Yellow Triangle, which, by the way, sounds much cooler in Arabic."

The words rolled out of Dorneget's mouth, and Tony looked at him, impressed. It definitely sounded better in Arabic.

"Both groups like to play with germs. Great," Dorney said, shaking his head.

"More than that," Garnier continued. "We have reason to believe that The Yellow Triangle has connections to biohazardous waste removal companies. All of the syringes that go into those pretty little boxes on the wall at the hospital have to go somewhere. The communicable diseases that come through them would be more like Hepatitis, HIV, MRSA, or more common infections like the flu, Avion flu, Swine flu, pneumonia and the like. It would be much harder to weaponize those into some kind of airborne virus, if it is even possible. This means that there is a good chance we're looking at contaminant distribution. They most likely want to attack a particular region through a water system, or through a food source.

"I believe that they wouldn't work with the group before because of the widespread, careless form of distribution. The remaining members are willing to go after a certain population. Their targets are still unknown, but if this group is working with the Qreshis, then you can assume that there is a good chance we're talking about American targets. There is a possibility of testing their product on military base water supplies, contaminating the gardens that they share with the locals through their irrigation and insecticides, or depending on the type of contaminate, through the laundry system. That is more of a fear if MRSA or a similar kind of infection is chosen as the weapon."

Dorneget looked at Tony, and Tony looked back. Tony could see the gears turning in his head, and he knew he had new plans forming. He turned back to the screen.

"Who are the biohazard companies that they have a connection with?" Tony asked.

"We don't know for sure yet, but we believe there are a couple of stronger possibilities. We need more time to narrow them down. There's a couple of companies in China, one in Russia, and one in South Africa."

"I'm going to bet it's the one in South Africa," Dorneget said, jumping on it. "The diseases that are tested for there are far more exotic than the diseases you'd find in China and Russia. The US gets a lot of produce and food products from China, and therefore, we have all shared the same strains of sickness for a long time. We'd be able to fight them. Russia's healthcare distribution system is lacking, but there are still pretty open communications about diseases and research.

"If you become sick in Africa with a serious disease, there is a testing and treatment network in South Africa that can help. If the patient can get there, they won't get turned away. They don't go out into the tribes and pull people in, but if the patient can hitch a ride or a series of rides, walk, whatever the case may be to the clinics, they'll treat them the best they can. With the AIDS epidemic in Sub-Saharan Africa, anyone who feels like leaving their family and making the journey can go receive the proper testing and some basic medication until they are offered chances by pharmaceutical companies to be test subjects for their newest cure to end all cures."

Stephens and Garnier looked at each other and nodded, and Tony looked over at Dorneget.

"There's also a lot of illnesses that get spread in the waters that Americans haven't seen in a long time. We would have a hell of a time fighting something like dysentery now when we haven't had it in so long. Being in such a dry climate would make it even harder to stay hydrated. That would be a much more subtle way of crippling the systems that are established over there. No one would suspect a stomach bug like that as bioterrorism, and the signs at first are really easy to mistake for bad meals."

Tony wondered when Dorneget had become a font of knowledge on diseases.

"Have you heard any chatter about how far along they could be with the Qreshis to an exposure?" he asked, bringing the focus to the future.

"Not soon. There is still a merging of the factions going on, and they are not making any specific plans yet."

Stephens' voice was thoughtful as he joined in. "Working with the Qreshis makes me think that there's almost a second part of the plan. The Qreshis were organized. They know how to get weapons, and they are still stockpiling from wherever they can. I'm wondering if they are going to do something like cripple a base that's protecting a particular village and then raid it, or go after a number of bases and try to claim a larger region. With the Qreshis, it's all about getting the US out of the Middle East, and teaching us a lesson for interfering in the first place. We don't really know what's motivating The Yellow Triangle yet."

"They're going to get them all sick and then kick them while they're down?" Tony asked, rolling the idea around in his head.

"It's a possibility. Though their methods line up, their goals seem different. Qreshis have always looked to bio-contaminates that would finish the job. Anthrax would send the entire US in a panic, and it would punish us. That wouldn't touch the soldiers over here. We've all had the vaccine and so much Cipro I taste it in my sweat. I think working with this group is going to give them the chance to use a disease that those of us stationed over here aren't going to be able to fight off. They're switching priorities." Stephens sat back, looking at Garnier and then back at the screen as they all thought.

"Before we were worried about the threat being brought home, and now we need to focus on the threat being used over there," Tony said, reiterating.

"And when they find something that works over there, you can be sure they'll start sending it home," Garnier said.

"We're not going to let that happen," Dorney said, and by the tone in his voice, Tony believed him.


	23. Chapter 23

Tony waited impatiently in the bullpen for Jethro to come back. He had debriefed Vance on the situation unfolding in MTAC, and then checked in with Elly on how things were going working with FBI Agent Courtney Gleason, who had apparently stopped by for a very enthusiastic chat. Elly's excitement when he talked about her made Tony wonder if he might be into her. When Elly kept talking about her, a can of Lysol wipes suddenly came flying at him from across the bullpen. Elly ducked so that it barely missed him, and looked at Ned who was wiping down his desk with the last wipe from the can.

"We get it! She's awesome. I need your help with something though, so change tracks." Dorney's voice was demanding and borderline angry. Tony raised an eyebrow at him that he didn't catch at all while busy scrubbing his desk down furiously.

"No pelting hard objects at each other in the bullpen!" Tony scolded. "If you must, paper balls or airplanes, squishy hand exercise balls, or as a last resort, one of those paper clippy things."

"Bah, it was empty," Dorney said with a smirk as he rolled his chair over to Elly's desk.

"Already?" Elly asked. It had only been a couple of hours since it had been delivered full to his desk.

"Yeah. After I tell you what we're looking at, you'll get it," Dorney whispered. His voice was lost under the deluge of sound caused by the returning MCRT, and Tony and Parke didn't hear.

Elly saw the list of possible diseases that Dorney had been making on his notepad while they were in MTAC, and looked Dorney over from head to toe. He noticed now that he was a little paler than before, and he had an urge that he barely resisted to take Dorney's hand to find out if it was as clammy as he suspected it was.

"What are we looking for?" he asked, minimizing the database project, pulling up his search parameters, and initiating new safety protocols.

"Biowaste companies that may be working with a group that's merging with the Qreshis called _[The Yellow Triangle],_ or The Yellow Triangle." Elly raised an eyebrow as he worked, his foot beginning to tap to the rhythm of a new jam he had fallen in love with from the track list that Christopher had sent him. He'd never heard Ned speak any Arabic, and the way he managed to make it flow was intriguing. He remembered his stern talk with himself on Saturday, and tried not to think about Ned's voice. He made himself focus instead on the work that had to be done. Ned was counting on him to help him fight the germs after all. He couldn't let him down

* * *

Jethro noticed the anxious look on Tony's face when he got back to the bullpen. He sat his stuff down, and turned to look at him over the divider.

"What's wrong?" he asked immediately, noticing that Tony's face held more than an eagerness to see him, but something much more urgent.

"We need to talk. Are you free?" he asked. Jethro nodded, then turned to his team.

"Ziva, as soon as Brickerson's report comes through, I want it. Come find me." He turned back to Tony who nodded his head towards the elevator.

Once the doors closed on them, Tony flipped the switch.

"There are two contract killers on their way to the States, racing to see who can get to them first," he started immediately without bothering to explain who "them" was. "To make matters more complicated, we also have a CIA operative posing as a British gun for hire. They haven't communicated that to us willingly; we had to ask. If the CIA can get their operative here, stage their murders, and make them disappear, it would be a good shot for them to be able to melt into the background and start a new life somewhere. I don't know if they are going to be willing to go along with that, and it means that we'd lose contact with them, probably for good."

Jethro's face looked crestfallen, and Tony shook his head. "We haven't been read in on that though, so officially we don't know anything about it. We can proceed as normal, but I wanted to let you know that I need to give them this option, and they might take it. You know I don't trust the CIA as far as I can reach. I don't know what their motives are. If they were the same as ours, they would have communicated with us. One way or another, they need to be moved tonight."

"How much movement?" Jethro asked quietly.

"They either need to come home with us."

"And if Talia isn't willing?" Jethro asked, cutting himself off before his voice could get any rougher.

"Then it's up to them if they go into Witness Protection, being split up and losing contact with each other for good, or if they stay together, go off grid alone, and lose all protection. Well, our _official_ protection."

"You know the odds of this."

"I do, and I'm sorry, Jethro. Hopefully Talia will get over it enough to come stay with us."

Jethro sighed, and leaned back against the wall, his eyes closing. Tony realized that this wasn't the only thing on his mind, and he leaned against the wall next to him, reaching to take his hand.

"What's going on?" Tony asked. Jethro turned his head, opening his eyes to look at Tony, and Tony saw just how exhausted he looked. His stomach dropped, and he turned to rest his hand on the side of Jethro's face. "What happened?"

Jethro swallowed. "Our informant, Keith, was good friends with our vic, and had gotten him to go to the police when he started getting pulled into running for a gang. Kid was killed in the process. Keith tells us today that he's been under a silence contract by the Division of Organized Crime, saying that he can't even talk to his own shrink about what he knows, nonetheless us, until today. When he told us that, I realized that his shaking wasn't withdrawal. Sent McGee and Ziva out, and started talking to the guy, and he's got PTSD from his time as a medic in Iraq. Seeing his best friend's body laid out in the middle of the road after being dumped by the gang undid all the work he's done to get over it, and talking to us about it started causing a flashback. Talked him out of it like Mike used to talk me out, and it…" He trailed off, unsure of how to word what he was feeling.

"Oh," Tony said, realizing the depth of what he was being told. They were silent for a long minute while Tony squeezed his hand as firmly as he could without losing feeling. "You never told me."

Jethro shook his head. "It was so long ago, and there haven't been any issues with it since before you came on board. There wasn't any reason to tell you until the past few months, and I honestly haven't thought about it. It's something I'd rather leave far behind me. Keith though… he hasn't had anyone to talk to. He won't go to groups at the VA because he _works_ at the VA, and he's struggling to maintain his credibility as is since he's having issues with his sobriety again in the face of all of this. I can't believe those bastards told him he couldn't even tell his doc. What the hell is his shrink going to do? Run out and _tattle_ on him?"

Tony saw the anger coming out behind the exhaustion, and he decided coffee was in order. "Hold that thought," he said. "Let's take a walk." He regretfully let go of Jethro's hand to step forward and flip the switch.

They headed outside silently into the gloomy weather, and when Tony moved towards the coffee cart, Jethro took his hand and pulled him up the walk instead. Tony was surprised, but went with it, holding on to Jethro's hand until they found a bench dry enough to sit on, and then Jethro still didn't let go. Tony waited patiently for Jethro to gather his thoughts, ignoring the world around them and focusing on his love. When Jethro finally spoke, his voice was quiet and uncertain.

"Nothing was an issue until I got home. Doc said that the stress of losing Shannon and Kelly compounded it. Sometimes, I wouldn't know where I was. It was like being in two places at the same time. Mike was great with it though. He knew how to remind me of where I was at, and he had this method of grounding me in reality. It was just a series of questions put the right way, but it brought me back to the present time and place. Today, I was able to do that for Keith. We went through the same list of questions Mike would put me through, and I was able to pull him out of it before it got too bad."

"You never stop amazing me, Jethro," Tony said in awe that Jethro was being so open with him, and that he had been able to be there for Keith. Jethro shook his head though, obviously uneasy with the situation.

"He doesn't have anyone he feels he can talk to. He asked me afterwards if I used to get as tired as he was, and I thought, has no one told this kid that it's okay? That this can pass? That he's… not alone?" He shook his head again. "I wasn't ever _comfortable_ with it, but I knew that Mike didn't judge me for it. He didn't think any less of me for it. I got the distinct feeling that Keith doesn't have that. I asked him about if he was going to any of the groups, and he was afraid they'd look down on him at work for it, and that his job would be in danger. It's not right, Tony."

"No, it isn't."

"I told him to call me tonight," Jethro said hesitantly, glancing at Tony and then back across the quad.

"If you feel like you're supposed to be that person for him, Jethro, then you are."

"I do, but I really don't want to go back to that time. It's behind me for a reason."

"It was a long time ago."

"I don't want it to come back!" He finally spit out. He took a deep breath, and then started again a little quieter. "I don't want to start thinking about it again, because I don't want to do something that might trigger it again."

Tony nodded slowly, trying to take it in. "I don't know much about it, but I don't know if it works that way."

Jethro turned and met Tony's eyes, swallowing. "It can."

Tony started softly, knowing better than to ignore it away by the look in Jethro's eyes. "Then tonight, you'll teach me how Mike talked you down. You'll teach me what the signs are I should be looking for, and you'll be honest with me, _and Ducky_ , about what you're going through as you help Keith. If you think for a single minute that things are coming up that shouldn't, you _tell me immediately._ Got it?"

Jethro nodded.

"You're not alone either."

"I know," Jethro said, a sad smile forming across his face. "That's why I'm telling you."

Tony smiled a little brighter. "Thank you," he said.

"We should probably get in," Jethro said with a small shrug. "I'm about to go tear Brickerson a new one, and then if you don't have anything else that you need to do, we should head over as early as possible so we can get them moved in tonight if they decide to. I'm expecting Keith to call about 1900."

"And I have the cake tasting," Tony said with a nod. "Okay. Let's go."

They got up to go inside, and Jethro looked towards the coffee cart. Tony smirked, thinking a fix was on the menu after all, until he saw that a man he barely recognized from finance was staring at them with a disgusted sneer. Tony rolled his eyes, feeling the tension growing around him like fire, and grabbed Jethro's hand to pull him towards the building. They didn't have time for people's drama, and in rebellion at the stare, Jethro held Tony's hand tightly until they were through security, daring anyone to say a word to them or even look at them the wrong way.

"Do we know his name?" Tony asked quietly while they waited for the elevator.

"No, but we're going to," Jethro said with a growl.

"Don't waste your time," Tony said. "There's plenty more like him, and I'm not planning on using my energy creating a list of who to be pissed at. There are too many other places it has to go."

Jethro sighed as they got into the elevator. "I'd like to know who our enemies are."

"Then go ahead, but you're going to have a hell of a list." Tony stopped the elevator, and turned and pinned Jethro against the wall suddenly, kissing him hard. Jethro reached back for Tony frantically, his hands on both sides of his face, his leg slipping between Tony's as he spun them around so Tony was the one pinned against the wall. Tony groaned. "House before the motel?" he asked between breaths.

"It's nowhere near the motel," Jethro said, kissing up Tony's neck.

"Okay, then the supply closet before we leave, but not in here." Tony pulled out of Jethro's grasp, checking his reflection in the elevator door to make sure he wasn't too disheveled. Jethro did the same, and then Tony flipped the switch. The elevator opened to Ziva standing there with a file.

"I have it. Was coming to find you," she said. Jethro walked with her, taking the folder and pulling out his glasses to read through the forms Brickerson had sent over. Tony watched him over the divider as he walked towards his desk, his head buried in the folder as he flipped through the pages.

"Okay, he got his orders from Simmons. We'll have to go to Vance about what to do with that since she's no longer here. For now, contact Organized Crime and sit on them until they are willing to relinquish what they know. They may already know who did this, and had to hide it for their case. If they give you any flack, tell them we'll be there first thing tomorrow morning with a court order to have it turned over."

"Where you going, Boss?" Elly asked, watching both Tony and Jethro pick up their things in a hurry.

"We're going to move Malek, Talia and Dina, hopefully to our house," he said.

"Boss?" Tim said from his side of the bullpen for confirmation.

"We're moving them. If Keith calls here for any reason, you get him to my cell, you understand?" Jethro said to Tim.

"Uh, yeah. Not a problem. Let me know if you need me," he replied, concern obvious in his voice.

Tony and Jethro both hurried toward the doorway to the steps, making their way down them and into the garage. They crossed the lot and went into the other stairwell door that had the supply closet at the bottom of it. The salt buckets and shovels were joined by Tony's backpack, and then he was pushed against the door.

Impulsive hands made their way to their favorite parts of each other, feeling the muscles and ridges that they enjoyed as they kissed each other deeply. Their hands didn't waste too much time reaching for one another's belts, opening them and freeing erections that were begging for attention.

Jethro bit Tony's lip hard as Tony began stroking him with that perfect amount of pressure and speed he had come to learn would bring a quick release. In retaliation, Jethro slipped his hand down, pressing two fingers against Tony's perineum hard, which made Tony whine. Satisfied, Jethro's fist closed around Tony's cock, making Tony thrust up into the hold.

Their kiss became sloppier and sloppier, their focus on what their hands were doing. Jethro fumbled in his pocket for his handkerchief as they began moving faster, working over each other's hard cocks in a frenzy. Their breathing came faster and harder as well, and soon, Jethro was positioning his hanky to catch as much of their mess as possible. Stuttering juts and gasps left them weak as the explosion of their quick releases hit them a stroke away from each other.

Jethro's left hand supported him against the door next to Tony's head. He was panting for breath, his forehead against Tony's shoulder.

"If," Tony started between his own gasps. "If you're going to keep misbehaving like this, we're going to need to start carrying condoms at work for easier cleanup."

Jethro chuckled. "Hey! Who was the one that started this in the elevator? I'm pretty sure you were the one that attacked me."

"Yeah, but misbehaving is my specialty. I meant if you're going to start misbehaving _with_ me, we're going to have to find an easier cleanup system. I'm counting on you to rein it in, because God knows I have no restraint around you," Tony said, reaching up to start chewing on Jethro's lip, running his hand back up Jethro's torso.

"We're going to have to be really quiet tonight if they come home with us," Jethro said, kissing Tony back.

"We both know how much you love almost getting caught. I'm sure I can push the limits tonight," Tony said with a smirk.

Jethro groaned and stepped back, trying to clean himself as much as possible with the saturated hanky. Tony looked around and spotted a roll of paper towels and tore off a few sheets to work on himself, then got an evidence bag out of his backpack to stuff it in. Jethro added the hanky, and Tony squirted hand sanitizer in each of their palms.

"Smart," Jethro said, raising an eyebrow at him. Tony declined his head in a simple bow, a bright smile on his face. They made themselves presentable, and Tony fixed Jethro's shirt as Jethro smoothed out Tony's hair.

Tony saw how much more relaxed Jethro looked, and was happy that their quickie had helped. He knew he would be in for it tonight, and he was looking forward to it. This was merely a small pressure release so that they could make it to that point. They still had some serious things to talk about tonight, and they were going to have to clean the house for three guests. When all was said and done though, he knew they had some unfinished business to attend to.

They headed for their cars casually, making it a point to talk about the case on the way out the door.

Jethro worried the whole way to the motel about whether or not this was going to go well. He had a feeling in his gut that it wasn't, and he wasn't happy about it. When they pulled up, that feeling only got worse. He met Tony in the parking lot, and they headed up to the agent in charge.

"Agent DiNozzo," he greeted.

"Hey, Holbrook. We have to move them."

"Yes, sir. I was told my orders were to come directly from you."

"We need to go discuss their options with them, and take it from there. Stand by."

"Will do, sir."

Tony headed in with Jethro on his heels. Malek stormed into the main room on the defense, and relaxed partially when he saw who it was.

"Hey, Malek," Tony said.

"Tony, Gibbs. To what do we owe the honor?" he asked, concern coloring his voice that was thrown so that the girls would know who was there.

"We found out that people are coming to kill you, so we thought you might wanna take a vacation to our house," Tony said. Malek's expression was pained, and Tony felt his heart drop to his stomach. All hope that this was going to end peacefully flew out the door.

Dina came out of the same bedroom that Malek had just come from, much to Jethro and Tony's surprise, and Talia waited at the doorway of the second room. Dina approached them, and Malek put his arm around her shoulder, whispering in her ear. He looked up at her, and she shook her head.

"Hello, Gibbs, Tony. It is good to see you," she said softly. Her voice sounding regretful already.

Tony turned to address Talia as well. "I hate to say it, but things are about to get dangerous around here. You have to move."

"How dangerous?" Malek asked.

"There are two contract killers racing to the States to see who can take you out first and collect one hell of a bounty. You should know, there is also a CIA agent posing as a British hitman that is planning on doing his best to intercept them. We don't know what their plans are yet, but they may be trying to stage your deaths so you can go under."

"Or," Jethro threw out there, "They could be trying to trying to acquire you."

"Acquire?" Dina asked, looking at Malek, thinking she was misunderstanding the word.

"What do you mean by that, Gibbs?" he asked.

"It means that they take you under their protection without our permission on the grounds that your information may be helpful evidence for their causes."

Tony shook his head. "We don't trust the CIA as far as we can throw them. They've tried to kill me _and_ frame me in the past, and most of them have their own agenda. There's one exception, and that's Agent Meisner. He's pretty trustworthy. We think."

"They tried to kill you?" Malek asked in disbelief.

"They blew up my car."

"Oh, my," Dina said, looking up at Malek.

"Yeah, it was my classic Mustang, dark green-" Jethro rested his hand on Tony's shoulder, and Tony got the point. Now was not the time for a trip down memory lane to mourn his baby.

"Please come home with us," Jethro asked, making eye contact with each of them.

Tony picked up the pressuring when he saw the sad faces of the two in front of them, and then the defiant look on Talia's face. "You'd be safe, you wouldn't have to worry about agents being outside the door all the time, and you'd be alone most of the day. And we'd feel so much better knowing you were some place no one would think to look for you. You're sitting targets here."

"What are our other options right now?" Talia asked quietly from the doorframe.

Tony met her eyes. "You can be split up in protective custody and sent various places, you can turn yourselves over the CIA who apparently have some kind of interest in you, or you can forgo all protection and leave on your own."

Talia turned around and went into the bedroom. Malek and Dina looked over her, and Dina sniffled.

Malek motioned for them to follow him into the other bedroom, and they did. Dina joined them, and sat on the bed with her head in her hands.

"She is not comfortable staying with you. I have tried to talk sense into her, Gibbs. I have done everything I can, but she will not come. We would come with you in a breath," he said, reaching for Dina's hand and getting it before turning to look back at them. "But we cannot leave her. She is our family."

"I'm going to go talk to her," Jethro said, turning around to leave the room. Tony followed him, putting a hand on his shoulder in the main room.

"Do you want me with you, or would you rather go alone?" he whispered.

"I think alone might be our best shot," Jethro whispered back.

Tony nodded and squeezed before he let him go. "Good luck," he said softly. Jethro nodded, and then went into the open doorway of the bedroom, stopping right inside and looking at Talia as she sat at the small desk in the room.

"Can we talk?" he asked.

Talia got to her feet and sat on the edge of the bed, patting for him to sit next to her. It was reminiscent of their time in Kabul. He felt that night coming back to him as clear as day, sitting on the wall next to her as she stared up at the night sky. He took the seat next to her, and gathered his thoughts, trying to find the words.

"Will you tell me why you won't come stay with us?" he asked, looking at her. She looked back, then looked around the room.

"There are many things in this world that I do not understand, Gibbs. Most of the time, those things can be put on the bad side," she said carefully, trying to find the correct words. "They are full of hatred, full of darkness, full of anger. I do not understand them, but I do know what to do about them. I can make it my belief to not go with them, to not do them, to be against them. I have made a very strong belief… uh… system?" She looked to him to make sure that was the right word, and he nodded. "System. I believe in it strongly. I am a person of faith. I do not believe people should use that faith to hurt other people, and I do not believe that people have the right to be cruel to those who do not believe it. There are things in that faith that tell me that you are wrong, that you are going against the right way. It has me very confused, and very upset. I am not sure yet what I will believe when I am done asking the great questions I have come to ask when trying to decide if something is for good or bad, but I feel very strong that this is bad, Gibbs. I am hurt, and I am mad, and I am confused."

"Talia, do you remember the day we met?" he asked, feeling his heart breaking.

"Of course," she said with a sad smile, looking at him. He smiled sadly back.

"I was locked in that dark room, thinking that any minute now, someone would come in, start breaking my body apart, and do everything they could to find the answers they wanted. And they wouldn't have gotten them. I was already more broken inside than out."

"I remember," she said softly, her hand resting on his shoulder. He smiled that sad smile at her again.

"Do you remember what you said to me that night when you found me?

Talia nodded, and Jethro continued.

"I asked you if you were a friend or an enemy. You told me that all those who fight the anger, the judgment, and the hatred that you were fighting against were your friends."

Jethro swallowed, not liking how much time he'd spent in the past today. It hurt.

"Life was rough for me then. My second wife had just left me, and I felt completely friendless. I'd taken that mission knowing that there was a good chance I wouldn't come back. The three of you had been through so much, witnessed and experienced so much pain, but were still able to laugh, and smile, and sing, while still moving on to make a difference… it was nothing short of a miracle to me. And you were my friends when I had no friends. When everything around me was falling apart, when I was suffering and whining to myself about not wanting to keep moving on, wanting to give up, you proved to me that life is definitely worth fighting for. More than pulling my ass out of that room, that is what saved me. You don't have to agree with Tony and my relationship. Even if I don't agree with them, I understand your reasons, but I hope that you won't stop being my friend. As Tony once pointed out to me, I don't trust too many people with that title."

"He means a lot to you," she said.

"He means _everything_ to me."

She nodded. "Maybe if I loved someone that much, I would understand."

"Do you have to understand to stay in our home with us? To keep Dina and Malek safe? You know they won't go without you."

"They make their own decisions," she said. "I have told them many times they can go. They will not leave."

"You have been together for years. You are a family. You know that they won't leave you behind. You are going to make them choose between a belief they don't share with you, or their safety, and they are going to have to choose to go with you. They will be in danger because you can't put this aside to stay with us. You don't need to do anything else but be at the house and be safe. You don't need to accept us, or change your belief, you simply need to stay in our home."

"It is a building where an evil joke of love is being made! Do you not see that? How can I stay in a place where evil is all around me, disguised in the wool of good? How can I stay in some place where confusion is being brought on my soul?"

Jethro tried to restrain the anger building up inside of him. "You have said yourself that you do not know what that kind of love feels like. You wouldn't know it if it hit you. If you loved Malek and Dina, if you really wanted them safe, you would come with us." Jethro got to his feet, and headed for the door. "When they come for you, and they will, I hope you call us in time to get to you."

When Jethro left the room, he passed Tony and left the suite to go outside to get some air. Tony shook his head, and then turned back to Malek and Dina who were waiting in the doorway. "You have our address. You have our numbers. If you change your mind, if you need us, you call us immediately. Don't hesitate, and don't try to tell yourselves it's nothing. If you have that feeling that someone is following you, they probably are.

"A friend of ours told me to give you a message. She said to tell you that, and I quote, "Kindness is shown by all those who have the epiphany." I don't know what it means, but I can tell you that she has ties to various underground Muslim networks in the city. Her name is Leyla. If you come across her, try to get us information about how you are."

Malek nodded. "I will remember that. This must be a very good friend to trust with something like this."

"She is. Jethro and I are the godfathers to her daughter." Tony smiled with pride at that, and then shrugged. "Do you have any ideas where you'll go?"

"There is an account we have set up here that can help us for a little while until we find a more permanent solution. Your Director has already cleared the way for our citizenship, and we have our documents for temporary work and housing. I hope that one day, we may be able to make a life where we do not have to run anymore. I do believe I would like that very much."

"If you find a permanent residence, and you decide to take a stand there, let me know the address. I'd like to know you are safe. I know Jethro would, too."

"I will be in touch as often as is safe. Be well, my friend, and thank you."

"Come say goodbye to Jethro for me?" he asked them both.

"Of course," Malek said, and Dina nodded. They followed him out of the suite to find Jethro waiting against a railing next to where Tony's car was parked. They went to Jethro while Tony talked to Agent Holbrook.

"They have chosen at this point to decline further custody. They're not willing to be split up for Witness Protection, and if they stay in NCIS custody there is a chance they may have to be turned over to a CIA plot, and they won't accept the backup plan. If you could stay with them while they get their belongings together, and then drop them off anywhere they ask to go in the city, I would appreciate it."

"Of course, sir," the younger agent said. He nodded, and then turned to see Dina giving Jethro a tight hug. He felt his heart breaking for him. Malek took his hand in both of his, silently conveying his own regret for how the situation was turning out.

Tony waited until they headed back into the suite, and then moved over to stand with Jethro. "I can reschedule the cake testing," he offered quietly. "It's not like I'm going to be able to enjoy it if you're at home seething anyway."

Jethro shook his head. "No, don't do that. Do we have time for a coffee run?"

"We'll make time. Starbucks down the road?"

"Yeah," Jethro said, moving past Tony to get to his car.

A few minutes later, they were walking into the busy café, and waiting in line silently. They placed their orders, picked them up from the barista, and moved to the quietest spot they could find.

"I'm sorry," Tony said. "We're doing everything we can to intercept the pricks when they come, but we don't have any decent intel yet on how that will be. Our people are working on it, and as soon as they get anything, they are going to send a message to us. And Malek and the girls may not be on our radar officially, but you know Vance isn't going to want us to let them out of our sight unofficially. And they know how to get in touch with us-"

"Tony, it's okay. Really. You and I both know that in order for them to stay in protective custody at this point, now that we know the threat that's being faced, protocol would require splitting them up and sending them away. They shouldn't be split up. This is the next best case scenario to them coming to stay with us in a way. At least we'll be allowed to freely communicate."

"True. And you know, I was thinking, if the CIA is trying to get their hands on them, then the CIA will probably leave a more prominent trail than we will. They are the likely suspects to have the location of their whereabouts, not us, so if anyone's lines will be tapped, if anyone is sniffed out, it will be CIA Agent Michaels."

Jethro nodded in agreement.

They sat in silence for a few minutes. "She said... well, I guess it doesn't matter. She doesn't understand, and she admits that. Maybe one day she will be lucky enough to meet someone who makes her understand that when you have what we have, nothing else matters."

Tony gave him a sad smile. "I never thought I'd be this lucky, to have something like this. I couldn't have imagined ever being lucky enough for the pieces to fall into place like they have for us so far. I guess something had to go at least a little wrong, ya know?"

Jethro smiled, and shook his head.

"I have to go, otherwise I'm going to be late to the cake thing, and Abby will kill me if I piss off our best shot at getting the perfect cake."

"You don't seem that excited about it anymore."

Tony shrugged. "There are more important things than the cake, and I'd rather be doing them."

"Like what?" Jethro asked. "You've been looking forward to the cake more than anything."

Tony shook his head. "You're the most important thing about his wedding, Jethro. The cake, the catering, the photos, it's going to mean nothing if you're not there, and if you're not happy. Your happiness means more than some cake. I'd rather stay here talking to you, or better yet, go home and distract you in some way."

Jethro chuckled, and looked around the room before looking back at Tony. "Keith should be calling me soon, anyway. Go. Have fun. Enjoy. Then when you come home, we'll talk a little more about that distraction."

Tony smiled and cocked an eyebrow at him. "Okay," he said getting to his feet. "I'll be home by nine. Prepare to be distracted." He leaned over the table and kissed Jethro quickly, and then headed out into the larger portion of the store, and out the front door.

Jethro sat at the table, his mind on the chaos of the day. He started working it out into categories of what he could and couldn't do anything about. He knew that he couldn't control what Talia feels, so he tucked that away. He could be there for Malek and Dina if they reached out to him. He would have to wait for that though, so it got tucked away as well, only not as far back. He considered what was happening with Keith's situation. He could do something about that. He could be there for him, tell him his experience, and offer him some suggestions on how to handle it. He decided that was his priority for now, and he refilled his coffee on the way out.

* * *

Abby and Tony arrived at almost the exact same time to the tiny, hole-in-the-wall cake shop called Sully's. They both glanced at the cakes in the front windows, and Tony squinted at a round design with an emphasis on the middle layer, only it was floral. Abby led the way in to find a middle aged woman with a pixie cut and youthful eyes sitting at a round counter lined with albums and magazines. She was sketching in a book, but looked up as soon as she heard the bell ring on the door.

"Good evening!" she said, getting to her feet. She joined Abby and Tony in the middle of the room, and smiled at them both. "You must be Tony and Abby!" she said, reaching to shake their hands.

"Yes," Tony said, feeling immensely lighter immediately at the cheerful tone in her energetic greeting.

"I'm Sully. It's nice to meet you! Let me just go ahead and lock the door so no one thinks we're open. You can have a seat around the designing area, there." She stepped past them to flip the door lock, and then turned back to Tony and Abby who were pulling out stools around the counter she had been sketching at.

"Marcella said you're set for a September wedding. Is that right?" she asked.

"Yes. September second," Tony said, looking at Abby with an anxious grin.

"Getting close!" Sully said with that cheerful smile. "Are you getting nervous?"

"It has been a rather quick engagement comparatively. Jethro and I are both bombarded at work right now, too, so the planning has been a little… stressful," Tony said with a chuckle.

"Marcella said something about that, too. Working together must make it hard, especially with what you do, to find time to make decisions together. Is he working tonight, or is the cake just not one of his things?" she asked.

"A little of both actually," Tony said, feeling oddly comfortable with Sully. "The cake is _definitely_ one of my things though. He's given me a couple of requests, but other than that, he's leaving it up to me." A sense of excitement was beginning to build in him again that he was completely void of just fifteen minutes prior. This was it. He was about to design his wedding cake. His one and only wedding cake, to be used at the reception to his wedding to the one and only Leroy Jethro Gibbs, love of his life. It all suddenly hit home for him, and he was feeling more bubbly than champagne.

"And Abby? You work with them?" she asked with an extra bright smile for Abby.

"About thirteen years with Tony, sixteen with Gibbs."

"That's a long time," Sully said, flattery oozing from her voice. "I wouldn't have thought you'd be old enough to have worked in one place for so long."

"Thank you," Abby said with a matching bright smile. Tony tried not to roll his eyes, but he'd seen this before. Abby ate up the attention, but he knew it wouldn't lead anywhere. "Spent a few years bouncing around after I got my masters, but NCIS is home, and it's where I want to stay."

"It takes a lot of dedication to work somewhere so long, not to mention keep friends so long. I imagine Tony's dragging you to all of the different planning sessions, so far?"

"Actually," Abby said, looking at Tony, then back at Sully. "It's going to be such a beautifully simple wedding that they're not too bad. So far, a lot of it has been done over the phone or online. I think this is the first official meeting."

"True," Tony said. "When I asked Marcella to cater, I happened to have time to stop in, pick up dinner, and run it by her. Jethro has managed to get the venue scheduled over the phone, and with only twenty people attending, we're not worrying too much about invitations, guest book, favors…"

"That brings me to one of my first cake questions! Do we have a headcount?"

"Between twenty and twenty-five," Tony said. "There's a couple of people we don't know for sure on, but we'll just say twenty-five to be sure."

"Wonderful! Why don't we start with what you're envisioning, and I'll sketch out what I'm picturing as you talk. We'll go from there."

"Sounds great. I was thinking doing three tiered squares, but all turned at different angles, and the middle square, being kind of the focal. Our colors are blue and green, dark royal blue, and a darkish green. Not quite forest green, but like grass green. Not a bright kelly, but actual grass."

"Got it," she said with a peaceful tone as she sketched. "Keep going."

"There's a blue edging around the top layer, and a green edging around the bottom layer. A wide stripe that goes all the way around-"

"Like a ribbon," Abby said, smiling at Tony as she thought about their discussion of the design.

"Exactly! Like a ribbon, only no bows. Just a simple, flat, stripe. And the same type on both the top and bottom, only the different colors. And then the middle section, we were thinking something a little bolder with the green and blue colors, like vertical stripes of alternating widths."

"I can definitely make something happen there with that." Sully's hands worked on her sketchbook, reaching for colored pencils that she began making a ribbon around the cake with. "Would you want the ribbon along the base of the tier, or around the top edge of the tiers, or maybe one of each?" Tony leaned over her book as she moved her pencil across it without drawing on it.

"I guess that depends on how it will look with the middle layer," he said. Abby leaned in as well, trying to see the booklet.

Sully saw, and smiled up at her. "You can come sit on this side if you'd like so you can see better."

Abby bounded over to sit next to her immediately, leaning in to see much closer than need be while Sully sketched out a series of lines in blue and green pencil. She did some minor shading of them for effect, and then looked up at Tony.

"If we put the blue stripe at the base of the top tier, and then the green stripe at the top of the bottom tier, it brings the focus even more so on the middle of the cake. If we put it at the top of each tier, or the bottom of each tear, one stripe will look out of place. We could do it so that one is at the top of the top tier, and the other on bottom of the bottom tier. That pulls the entire cake together. I think going with the stripes, I wouldn't do the bottom or top for each tier. I'd either put both of the ribbon stripes close to the vertical stripes, or both of them far away from the vertical striping in the center."

"Maybe put the blue around the top edge of the top tier, and the green along the bottom edge of the bottom tier then. I like the sky and ground effect it has." Tony looked at Abby. "It's kind of appropriate because he grounds me, and I have a very fond memory of him telling me that his head was in the clouds one day shortly after we started dating."

"Wow," Abby said, looking at him. "We all _saw_ his head was elsewhere at the beginning, but the idea of him _admitting_ it is pretty unreal."

"Yeah, I thought so too. He was so frustrated that I was able to focus so much better than he was! It was really cute actually. Though don't ever tell him I used the word cute with him. I'll get headslapped into oblivion!" Abby chuckled, and Sully's attention turned back to her for a minute.

"So Jethro's usually a pretty serious kind of guy?" she asked.

"Yeah. He has his playful side, but very few people get to see that. Tony, me, his goddaughter. We're the special ones."

Sully nodded and went back to her stripes, changing their widths, and somehow it made the cake look calmer, and not quite so comical. She then drew the stripes along the top and bottom of the cake to meet the sky and ground idea, and nodded.

"And you said you want the layers turned. Do you want them _all_ turned at different angles so that you're looking at a star from above, or do you want the top and bottom layers turned the same angle, or we could even offset them if you'd like, stacking like a zigzag pattern."

"Just classically tiered, but each turned different to give that star effect from above with each layer growing as you look down."

"Pretty much how it's drawn out now, then?" she asked Tony with a peaceful smile.

"Yeah, that's pretty much it."

"Now, are you going to have a topper?" she asked. "You said you don't want a bow. Do you have little groom figurines or anything?"

"I don't really know what to do about the top," Tony admitted, shaking his head as he stared at her drawing. "Please, guide me, oh, wise one!" he joked, making Sully laugh.

"Well, first, do you want a pure white icing for the non-colored parts?"

"I was thinking buttercream, so I don't know how pure that can get."

"Mmmm! Good choice! It's hard to get buttercream _very_ white, though it will look great with the blue and green."

"We're considering a red velvet layer. Would a cream cheese icing match the buttercream?"

"Well cream cheese icing has a different consistency and texture. It shines a little more. I could put it under the fondant used for the middle layer though, or even dye the icing for the striping."

"That's exactly what I was saying!" Abby said with a smirk at Tony.

"She did," Tony said to Sully, who smiled.

"Well, if we're doing blue, green, and just the slightest warm white tones to the cake, your topper would need to compliment it, as well as your tastes. Tell me some of the other things you've decided so far."

"They're doing the wedding at Yards Park," Abby said when Tony shrugged.

"Lovely! Why there?" Sully asked, coloring in the stripes a little more definitively.

"Jethro likes the water, we both wanted it to be outdoors, the gardens are beautiful," Tony's mind wandered to the vision he had of them standing surrounded by his friends as he and Jethro held hands and exchanged vows. "We both work at the Navy Yard. Jethro was a Marine before joining NCIS, and I was a cop he ran into on a case that he recruited for his team. The Yard means a lot to us, and it seems appropriate to have it at the park next door."

"Tony's taking his last name," Abby suggested when they grew silent again.

"Oh?" Sully said, looking up at Tony. "And that's Gibbs?" she asked, turning to Abby, who nodded.

"We could do a large letter accent for the topper. I have molds of different styles," she said, suddenly looking around the table. "Oh! There it is. Abby darling, can you hand me that green binder?" Abby smiled smugly as she reached for the book and handed it over to Sully. Tony snickered silently, looking at Abby soak up the attention Sully was lavishing on her. Sully flipped open the green binder to a section where a page showed four different styles of the letter G on top of various cakes.

"Now, each one of these can be colored in any way you'd like. If you want it to be a color that matches one of the ones on the cake, or if you want it to be white, silver, gold, whatever. I can do a gilded icing paint over a candied version of one of these."

Tony looked it over. He was particularly drawn to a design that looked somewhere between a G and a fancy six. "I kind of like this one here," he said. "Would a silver design look okay with buttercream icing though?"

"Oh, certainly! With your color choices, I'm still going to want to make this a fairly white batch of frosting. It won't be bleach white, but it's only going to be a shade or two under a bright vanilla. The silver will be great with it."

"I'm kind of torn between doing a silver, or between maybe looking to see if I can find something like this in glass. That might be cool."

"Oh! I like that!" Abby said.

"You know what," Tony said, suddenly realizing what he wanted. "No, not glass. I have an idea that would mean a little something more." He looked at Sully. "Jethro does woodworking. He's been trying to decide on a new project recently. I should give him this challenge, and see what he can do with it. He's good with all the little intricate kinds of thingies. He does small children's toys and stuff, and I'm sure he could figure something out for the top of our cake."

" _Very_ cool!" Sully said. "I don't think I've ever had anyone come close to that. I've seen all sorts of toppers made for cakes, but most of them have to do with beads or flowers or something. I'll be interested to see what he comes up with."

Tony smiled at Abby, and Abby smiled back. Jethro would have a say in the cake after all.

* * *

Jethro was sitting in the basement at the work table with a beer, staring at the stack of wood on the table. He'd been trying to decide on a project for weeks. Things had been overwhelmingly busy, moving at lightning speed for months now, and he hadn't had a project jump out at him that he could work into the chaos for a while. The last thing he had done was make some book ends for one of the shelves upstairs, and he had kept them fairly simple per Tony's tastes.

He looked at his phone for the tenth time, and realized he was anxious. It was only 1904, but Keith had said he would be calling around 1900, and he was itching to get this conversation over with.

Taking another pull from his beer, he picked up a block of wood about six inches by eight, and turned it over in his hands. He wasn't sure why that block had been calling to him for weeks, but he ran his hand over it now for the hundredth time, and felt its weight in his grasp. There was something in that block that was trying to escape, and for some reason, Jethro couldn't figure it out.

It wasn't a toy for Amira, or a trinket for Leyla, and it wasn't something functional from around the house, but whatever it was called to him in a way he hadn't felt in a long time. He knew it would come to him eventually, but for now, it just wanted to be held and reassured that when it was ready, he would be willing.

He examined the light oak, running his fingers along the grain. It was darker than the color of the cabinets Tony had picked out for the kitchen remodel that they had planned to do that fall. Whatever it was wouldn't be used in the kitchen. Tony's choices were a light, pale, fresh change for the outdated room, and Jethro felt at ease with them. This block reminded him more of the color palette they had inadvertently created in the living room. It was warm, but not dark and stagnant.

His thoughts were interrupted when his phone finally rang next to him. He reached for it, seeing a local number he didn't recognize, and flipped it open. "Gibbs."

"Hey, Agent Gibbs," Keith greeted, his voice drained.

"Keith. How you doing?" Jethro felt his stomach knot at the sad sound of the younger man's voice, and sighed.

"Been better," he admitted.

"I bet. Was the doc able to see you?"

"Yeah. She was actually out of the office for the day, but she came in for me. I thought she was going to track down every person in the Organized Crime team and castrate 'em," he said with a broken chuckle. "She was pissed. Said I should sue them, but I told her not to be mad at them. They did get rid of the gang in Wally's neighborhood after all."

"I'll try to remember you feel that way when we deliver our court order to them in the morning for their files. I can't make any promises."

"Don't press 'em too hard, Agent Gibbs. Austin would have wanted them to get those punks no matter the cost. That was his justice more than anything."

Jethro shook his head. "You can just call me Gibbs, and he deserves his own justice. He worked for it."

"That he did, Gibbs. That he did."

"Was the doc able to help you trace the source of the ticking?" Jethro was afraid he was going to push too hard with that one, but it was a question worth asking.

"Not yet. We're going to do something that worked for me years ago on Thursday in our regular session. It's not quite hypnosis, but more of a meditation exercise. If I relax deep enough, I can generally unravel it when I'm guided the right way. I had a few different things that would trip me off when I came home. Tried to deal with them myself, but that doesn't work when you're running down the halls at work trying to help someone who isn't there."

Jethro nodded, starting to put together Keith's story. "That's when they referred you to the doc?" he asked.

"The doctor I have now, yeah. Wasn't pretty. I'd always been a trauma nurse or medic, but knew that I couldn't work with patients like that while I dealt with this. I came on as a program coordinator, developing programs to help the homeless vets in the area, and fell in love with the work. They were doing construction on the administrative end of the hospital, and the parking lot on that end was closed, so we all parked in the normal lot. On nice days, we usually just walked along the outside of the hospital to get in. It was snowing pretty hard one day though, and I was walking through the hospital when they brought a guy in past me on a gurney from an ambulance. Bad accident. There was so much blood, and the smell set me off really bad. Suddenly, I wasn't in the hospital anymore."

"You were back on the sands," Jethro said, thinking about how for him, when he would be triggered, the heat was the first thing he felt.

"Yeah. How'd you…?" Keith asked, confused.

"When I asked you earlier what you were feeling, you responded normally until you got to the ground, and then suddenly you were feeling sand."

There was a long moment of silence. Jethro was afraid he was crossing some kind of line, never being on this side of the conversation.

"For me," he decided to offer, "I'd feel the heat. I was in Desert Storm. Don't feel heat like that around here. I could be outside in the snow here in D.C., and then I'd suddenly be in the desert. When I looked in front of me, it was like the two worlds overlapping, like I was in some kind of a movie. It's more terrifying than it actually was being there."

"Exactly!" Keith said. "I'd rather be back there than here _thinking_ I'm there. At least there I knew I wasn't crazy."

"You're not crazy now, Keith," Jethro said quickly. "The things we saw, the things we had to do, they take a toll on our brain, on our body. We're in a constant state of awareness, always watching our backs, always waiting for the next person that needs us to do our duties, duties that we have no place doing over here. You're not going to run out into the middle of heavy fire to patch up a friend that's bleeding over here, or at least you shouldn't. Just like it's not very often that I'm going to have hold up somewhere with a rifle waiting to take out a target here. Our minds get used to that once we're in that place for such a long time, and then we're suddenly pulled back into this completely different environment, shocking our systems. It can take a while to come down from that, and then when those situations come along that do remind us so strongly, it brings those feelings back."

"You were a sniper?" Keith asked.

"Yeah. For me, things were different though." He couldn't believe he was about to talk about this with a virtual stranger, but Keith was hanging on to every word, and it seemed like the right thing to do. "For me, I didn't have any trouble until I was recalled home when my wife and daughter were killed."

"Oh, shit. I'm sorry." Keith's genuine reaction made Jethro smile sadly. He appreciated the validation.

"My life changing so drastically, the trauma of that on top of coming back to the States unexpectedly without debriefing, did a number on me. I thought I was going nuts. I'd heard stories about the people who had come back with serious issues, and I'd believed them, but I'd never really understood them until I was walking towards this building one day with my new boss at NCIS. We were going to interview someone for a case, and we were in this warehouse district. He told me later that he kept noticing me checking all the windows and rooftops on the way in.

"The person we were coming to see wasn't there, and it was probably a good thing. I'd felt this heat rush, like a hot flash I guess, and it was January. Took my coat off, and was confused as to why I had been wearing it. I looked at Mike and at the coat, and he started asking me questions. What was I hearing, what was I seeing, like I was doing with you earlier if you remember."

"I do! Now that you say that, I remember you asking me what I was seeing, what I could smell. I could smell the coffee-"

"Don't!" Jethro said, hurrying to cut him off. "Don't remember it right now. Don't think about it. I don't expect you to remember. The doc will go through that with you on Thursday, and if you think about it too much, you might remember what triggered it, and it's not something to delve into alone."

"Oh, I know. When I came back, the smell of blood was a trigger, but it wasn't the only one. Screaming was another. Was on a rollercoaster when that happened. I don't like those anymore. And then, I woke up in the middle of the night when my weather radio went off. The stations weren't set right, and it was very staticy like a shortwave one guy had when the squadron I was attached to was captured for a short time by Taliban rebels.

"That's the last thing I remember before I was suddenly screaming to be let out of a room I was trapped in- a room with a wide open door, and open windows, that the police had no trouble getting into when the neighbor called them. When they busted in, they thought I was on drugs. I had to explain to them, and the ultra-sympathetic looks made me feel like an invalid. I promised to medicate, they left, and I drank down a whole bottle of rum."

"I prefer bourbon," Jethro said, not sure what else to say.

"I had a different doctor then, and he put me on Seroquil. Turned me into a zombie. I hated it. I stopped taking it, and stopped going to him because he just wanted to medicate it away. I figured everyone would be like that. Then I had the episode at work, and I was referred to Dr. Shelley. She's great, and she doesn't want to medicate me. She helped me get through each of my triggers, and she encouraged me to sober up. It was easier when I learned alternate techniques to deal with the triggers, but it still wasn't pretty. By then, I was in pretty deep, and even once the triggers were under control, I had a new demon to deal with.

"I learned though that working with the AA group at work was the _best_ way to coordinate with the homeless vets. Alcohol and drug abuse goes hand in hand with the hopeless feeling many feel when they come home from deployment, and find there's no support network in their lives. It's not only a cause, but a result of the struggles returning vets face like homelessness and unemployment. It's a vicious cycle.

"I've seen with my own eyes that those that succeed the most are in contact with other vets that have been going through similar struggles, and they can talk about it. I can't tell you how many times I've thought that I just need to walk into one of the PTSD meetings, but I can't bring myself to do it.

"I know, in my brain, in my stats, in my records, I _know_ that you don't even really have to put it all out there to feel supported and _be_ supported by people in a group like that. Just being in the presence of other people who are going through the same thing, people who know what to look for because they have experienced it themselves, makes you feel safer, more stable, and more in control.

"Having you in there yesterday when I started feeling that way, and being there when I came out the other end of it, has made it by far one of the easiest runs ever. I mean, as soon as you started asking the questions, I felt more in control than I ever have during an episode. I still spaced out finally, but for a while there, I was able to fight it, and I haven't been able to do that since the night Austin died."

Jethro wasn't sure what to say to that. It was a great feeling to know he was able to give Keith what Mike was once able to give him.

"Do you think you'd feel better going to one of the group meetings if you didn't go by yourself?" he asked. He wasn't sure if he would be the best source of support for Keith, knowing that they had different situations, and if he could find him some place to be comfortable to unload regularly like he'd be able to do with a group right there in the building he worked, they both might fare better.

"Wally's offered to go with me before, but he's never been there, you know?" Keith said, sounding uncertain.

"I'm sure if you went to the meeting, you'd find at least one person in there you know, and probably more than one person that works at the hospital with you."

"Maybe," Keith said, sounding even more uncertain.

"Find out when they are, and let me know," Jethro said, not sure what he was doing, but following his gut.

"You'll go with me?" Keith said, sounding surprised.

"Yeah," Jethro said, trying not to sound impatient. "You're not alone in this, kid. You never have been. Find out when the meetings are, and you'll see."

"Okay, I'll check and let you know tomorrow."

"I'll hear from you then," he said.

"Hey, Gibbs?" Keith said.

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

"Hell, kid. No one deserves to go through this, but especially not alone. I'll hear from you tomorrow."

"Tomorrow. Good night."

They hung up, and Jethro picked up the block of wood in his hands. Woodworking had helped him find that calm, patient place inside he'd have when he was lying in wait on a mission, only without the adrenaline. He'd always enjoyed it, but it had become therapy for him at one point. As he considered walking into that group the next day, or the next, he itched more than ever to release the project from the wood under his palm, but it wasn't time yet, and he knew it. He suddenly couldn't wait until Tony got home, and headed upstairs to wait for him.


	24. Chapter 24

Malek entered his PIN number at the ATM, and a couple of minutes later, retrieved a stack of money. It wasn't very much, but it was enough to get them through the week if they spent it wisely. There was a priority they needed to take care of first and foremost, and he turned to look up and down the road to decide where the best place to take care of it would be.

"There was a store two blocks back that looked like we could buy some there," Dina offered, and he nodded.

Talia did not speak. She could feel the tension rolling off of her friends whenever they made eye contact, and she suddenly felt like she had made a dreadfully horrible decision. Something felt wrong, and the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end.

"I will feel better once we have phones, and can contact Gibbs with the numbers," Dina said quietly to Malek as they hurried through the streets with their bags.

"Me, too. First things first though. We will be harder to find in more appropriate clothes for this city. The less we have people staring at us, the better we will blend into the background." Malek ran a reassuring hand across Dina's shoulder, still unsure about the exact nature of their relationship despite the changes they'd gone through that week. He smiled when she leaned into it gladly.

They rounded a corner, and saw the thrift shop near where they had Agent Holbrook drop them off. The lights were still on, and Malek smiled. He had expected to find them closed. He looked at his watch and saw that it was a quarter until nine. They hurried inside and split up to find clothes they would feel safer in. Malek had a few things in his arms, and hurried into a dressing room to slip pants on to make sure they fit. He picked a couple of pairs he could run easily in if he must, and then hung the rest up. Some shirts and a hooded sweatshirt were added to the pile before he went to check on the ladies.

When he found them, Dina had an armful, and Talia was struggling to pick things out. Malek knew she was going to have a hard time with this part. He searched a rack quickly, knowing that they only had a couple of minutes left before the store would be closing. People were already waiting in a long line to check out with the one attendant on duty. He checked the size of Dina's clothing and went up one, picking a few modest shirts, two pairs of pants, and one skirt. He found a sweater that seemed light enough she could wear over them, and then a jacket he figured would fit Dina if it didn't fit Talia.

He turned to find Talia holding a hat, and chuckled. He couldn't imagine her wearing it, but she seemed to like it. He nodded towards Dina, who smiled as well. She went over to Talia and said a couple of things, and Talia rolled her eyes and put the hat down. Dina picked it back up, and squeezed Talia's shoulder.

Malek showed her the things he had picked for her as they stood in line, and she added the couple of things she had found as well. They checked out, trying to ignore the over polite smile of the older lady who worked the register. When they left the store, Dina led the way to a small run down restaurant nearby.

They ordered, and then Malek waited at the counter for the food while the others went to the bathroom to change. When they came out, Malek was struck by how different they looked in American street clothes. Talia blushed and wrapped her sweater around her tightly, the canvas hat on her head and flowing colorful skirt making her seem like she belonged in an art studio of sorts.

Dina took his breath away. She had on blue jeans that fit her perfectly, and a button down blouse that she wasn't sure how far to button. It would have been one button too far by professional U.S. standards, but she had a camisole on underneath he realized which somehow seemed to make it okay. Her turquoise pendant hung around her neck, drawing attention to the low neckline.

He felt heat rise to his face as he realized he was staring at her. He had seen her without anything on at all very recently, but somehow, this was different. Beautiful women walked by in the streets, scantily clad around him, but he had never noticed a single one of them like he was noticing the woman who took a table a few feet from where he was standing.

"Did you need anything else, sir?" the young lady behind the counter asked him. He looked down at the two trays of food sitting next to him, and then smiled up at her.

"No, thank you," he said, picking it up and taking it over to the table. He picked up his bag from where Dina had sat it, and took it back to the bathroom without saying a word.

Depending on the region they had been working, his clothes changed over the years, and he had spent plenty of time in slacks. Where they were coming from most recently meant wide legged cloth pants with thin tunics and robes. However, he had never worked in an area that meant wearing the clothes he was slipping on.

He pulled off the stapled price tags gently, throwing them away, and tucked the rest of his clothes in his duffel bag. He washed his face in the sink, still not used to being as clean-shaven as he had made himself before leaving the hotel. The mirror reflected a different man than he was used to seeing. He had on a striped polo layered over a black tshirt, untucked with jeans.

He looked down at his feet and grimaced, unsure if his shoes would look out of place. He had never really paid much attention to American fashion, and he had called on the few more casual images he could remember best when he picked out his clothes. Shoes were not on his mind at the time, but he knew he could run easily in these, and again, that was a priority.

When he joined the ladies at the table, they were talking too quietly to hear. They stopped as he approached, and he noticed that neither looked too happy. It seemed to have been because of their conversation, and he felt he shouldn't ask what was happening. That was another odd sensation for him, because they had always talked freely with one another. He picked up the containers on his plate and pulled his food out. When he looked back up, Dina was offering him a shy smile. She looked down at her clothes, and then shrugged. He smiled back, then looked down at his food, and back up into her eyes which were locked on his.

Talia's voice broke their connection, and Malek turned to her.

"Will we be able to find phones before we get a hotel tonight?" she asked him.

"Possibly."

"Good," she said. She pulled her sweater tightly around her, and picked her fork back up. She was starting to wonder if maybe she should have gone with Gibbs after all. She felt hyperaware and on edge, and if she was there, at least then she would be able to stay in her own clothes. She sighed as she realized that she wasn't going to be leaving the country anytime soon, if ever again. She might as well get used to the new wardrobe, or get used to being stared at.

* * *

Tony came home, excited to ask Jethro about the project of creating a cake topper, but he was also worried. He had checked his phone every time he stopped for a light or a stop sign along the drive, wondering if he was going to have a message there from Malek or Dina. He pretty much assumed that he wouldn't hear anything from Talia. Agent Holbrook had called as he was leaving the cake shop to tell him he had just dropped the three off in the middle of the city per their request, and ever since then, he was waiting for Malek to do something to provide Tony with the number of the burn phone he was undoubtedly going to pick up.

As he came through the front door, he found Jethro sitting on the couch with the plastic tub of pasta salad. He had added shredded chicken from their crock pot meal the night before, and Tony's stomach growled. They had tasted nine different cake samples while at Sully's, but the idea of real food was suddenly making him ravenous.

"Hey!" Tony greeted.

"Hey," Jethro said, looking up at Tony with a soft smile. "How'd it go?"

"Wonderful. I have a request for you. Let me grab something to eat, and I'll come back and explain it."

Jethro raised an eyebrow at him as he bent down to kiss him quickly, then turned to go towards the kitchen. A few minute later, Tony returned with a bowl of carrots, corn, potatoes and chicken. He sat cross-legged on the couch, turned towards Jethro, and took a bite out of his bowl.

"We were trying to decide on a cake topper, and we were tossing around ideas, but we couldn't decide on one. We were thinking maybe a fancy letter G for the top, and she showed me a couple that she could make out of candy, and they were okay, but then the idea of having one made out of glass came up, and then I had another idea. I thought maybe you could make one. A topper that is. You know, since you're the crafty, creative one between us."

Jethro chuckled, putting a bite of pasta in his mouth. "I'm the creative one?" he asked.

"Well, yeah!" Tony said, reaching his fork into the container to steal a bite. "You're the one that always comes up with these awesome little projects, designing them, carving them, building them. It would be perfect! You'd have some input on the cake, and I trust you with the design, and besides, you'd get to play with wood." Tony smirked, and Jethro chuckled. "We all know how much you like playing with your wood."

"More interested in your wood these days," Jethro said, his smile reaching from ear to ear, trying hard to not give Tony the courtesy of blushing. He raked his stare over Tony's body, and took his time retrieving the fork from his mouth, sucking it clean slowly. Tony watched, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, we'll get there," Tony promised. "But for now, the cake topper. You in?"

Jethro stopped, suddenly thinking of his block of wood downstairs, and the image of the design that had been trying to escape from the wood suddenly came to him. He suddenly knew that's what it was meant for, and that's what it had been waiting for. He nodded.

"Yep. Know just the piece of timber for the project."

"Awesome!" Tony said, leaning in to kiss him. "Now, your turn. How did things go?"

Jethro sighed, and sat the pasta on the table. "Went well. Told him I'd go with him to a support group meeting."

"Wow, that's nice of you."

Jethro nodded. "Feels like what I'm supposed to be doing, helping him that is. Not so sure how I feel about going into that meeting."

"Have you ever been to one?" Tony asked, watching Jethro closely.

"No. They weren't as common when I was going through it, and my issues were a little different with Shannon and Kelly's deaths. I had the same kinds of concerns that he has, only back then, they were very real. People didn't understand PTSD like they do these days, and even now, people aren't as informed as they should be. There was a big push for education in the agency around the time I came on because a lot of the servicemen we were working with had just come home like I had. Mike had a particular interest in it. I don't believe in fate or coincidences, but working for him at the time made me consider changing my mind."

"You said he was able to talk you through a flashback. Do you still want to show me how?" Tony asked.

Jethro nodded. "I don't think I'll need it, but in case I do, in case this drags a lot of stuff to the surface that's been locked away for years, I think it would be best if someone knows how. I also think your voice would help pull me out."

Tony nodded and sat his bowl down next to Jethro's pasta salad. He gave Jethro his undivided attention, and Jethro explained how it was done. Tony listened, trying to imagine the scenario he would need these skills in, and it unnerved him. The things Jethro was telling him to ask him, and the kinds of responses that were good, bad, and warning signs made him feel like he was going to be leading Jethro through the Twilight Zone.

"Like I was explaining to Keith, the way I always knew I was about to go into an episode was that I would feel really hot suddenly. Desert heat. Dry heat. Cool, wet rags always made me feel better afterwards. I don't know if that was because of the heat issue, or just the fact that the episodes themselves take a lot out of you and it's refreshing. They seemed to be helpful to Keith today, so it could be something not limited to me."

"Okay. You're saying to ask the feeling question last though," Tony said, trying to make sure he was doing this right.

"Yeah, you'll know if I'm suddenly feeling that kind of heat. It's disorienting enough I start taking off my clothes."

"Whoa!" Tony said, trying to decide if the topic was too sensitive to make a joke.

"I'm talking about my jacket, my coat, that kind of thing. I've only gotten so far as my shirt on one occasion, and I was home alone."

"Oh," Tony said. "Well, good. I've never been a possessive bastard until you, but the idea of you standing naked in the middle of the bullpen loses its magic when I have to share the view with others."

Jethro chuckled, taking Tony's hand in his and staring at Tony's band. As he ran his finger over it, he got really quiet, and then shrugged.

"I'm kinda scared, Tony." He looked up and met Tony's eyes. They had softened in concern, and he knew that if anyone else would have looked at him with worry like that, he would have been aggravated by their sympathy, but seeing it Tony's eyes was relieving. It meant he took the possibility seriously, and he wasn't just humoring him by listening to everything he had been telling him.

"Do you think that going to this group session is going to cause a flashback or an episode?" Tony asked, his tone direct.

"Honestly? No. I've never really talked about this with anyone like I'm feeling compelled to talk to Keith about it though. I'm on the other side this time, and this overwhelming need to let him know that it's all okay, that's he's not alone and that he's not the only one that has ever felt like this, is making me remember how it all felt.

"I've never been so terrified in my entire life as I did when the world around me started dissolving that first time, and blending with a memory of a different place, a different time. To have your own brain turn on you like that is…" Jethro swallowed, and Tony squeezed his hand in that way that always told him he could continue if he wanted, but that he didn't have to. It gave him the courage to keep going. "It's the second-worst feeling in the world. If anything happens to cause a flashback, I just want you to know, to understand, and I hope more than anything, you'll be there."

"Jethro, you know I'll be _right_ there, no matter what. We're starting to get so caught up in the whole wedding planning, that I think we're forgetting the most important part of the ceremony."

"You mean when I get to kiss you in front of everyone, and let the entire world know that you're mine?" Jethro joked, much to Tony's delight.

"No, the part before that. The vows. You know, the promise to be there for each other through sickness and health, good and bad, 'til death do us part? That whole bit."

"Oh! The vows. Yeah, those are important too."

Tony chuckled, shaking his head. "Are we writing our own, or having whoever we figure out is performing this thing give us the traditional vows?"

Jethro froze. He thought about it. He imagined how many times he'd said those traditional vows at this point. He had made them once with all the conviction in the world, and he had assumed the next three times that they were as strong as they could be considering he'd already fulfilled the "'til death do us part" piece once.

"I don't know. The traditional ones have been done a couple of times now, but I don't know how I'd ever manage to write anything that could say what I feel like I want to say to you."

Tony smiled at him, touched by that.

"Which is what the kiss is for, damn it!" Jethro said, pulling Tony towards him until they collapsed backwards on the couch, Jethro pressing Tony's head down against him as they kissed.

Jethro was always surprised how he could start talking to Tony about something, and the words would just start pouring out of him. He wasn't usually that much of a talker, and anyone who knew him five minutes knew that. When it was important like tonight's talk was, he felt like there wasn't anything he couldn't say to Tony, and somehow Tony made him _want_ to tell him what was going on inside of him. He wasn't alone now that he had Tony. He didn't have to go up against the world by himself, and he didn't take on any of his personal demons alone anymore. Tony took them on with him, holding his hand firmly, daring the world to say anything about it.

As they kissed, he thought about their exit and then entrance into the building that day with their hands very firmly clasped. He figured word would be spreading around the Yard like wildfire for the rest of the day, but he didn't care. Tony was what was important to him, not the stares, the sneers, the judging looks from people whose name he didn't even know. Tony was his joy, his peace, his happiness.

He could taste the sweetness still on Tony's tongue from the cake earlier, and he suckled on it. His hand let go of Tony's hair as his arms went around his neck. Tony started exploring his body, his hands roaming across his chest. He enjoyed the way Tony's thumbs grazed his nipples as his fingertips outlined his collarbone. He loved the heat that he shared with Tony as his body was covered with the younger man's firm muscular form pressing him back into the couch. It was the kind of heat he savored. Even with the history and relationship he had with it and his flashbacks, he still preferred the heat to the cold. He'd rather be naked and sweaty against Tony's body any moment of any day.

At that thought, he started pulling on Tony's shirt, trying to pull it up from where it was tucked into his pants, signaling at what he wanted. Tony smiled into the kiss, sitting up and only unbuttoning two buttons before he pulled the shirt over his head. Jethro reached for Tony's belt while he had the chance, and as he partially sat up, Tony reached forward to pull his shirt over his head. He felt the cool rush of air against his skin from the fan across the room, and then Tony's body was against him, returning the tantalizing warmth.

Tony's mouth connected with his again, moaning into the kiss in the way that always made Jethro's toes curl as the blood rushed from them. He could smell Tony's sweat and deodorant as his hands slid down Tony's back, feeling ripples of muscles from the movements he was making. It was a firm strength, and he felt for the first time in his life like he was with someone who he not only had to protect, but who had to protect _him_ , and could actually do it. His inner demons didn't stand a chance against Tony's love for him, and he was awed by that.

The hot, moist mouth that had just been kissing his lips moved to his neck, suckling and scraping teeth across his flesh. He groaned, enjoying Tony's fervor. His hand ran back up into Tony's hair, and he felt the distinct need to lay back and let Tony take care of him. Tony's body was slick with sweat by time he started letting their torsos slide against one another, lowering the attack with his tongue and teeth across Jethro's nipples. It caused a jolt in Jethro that earned his nails in Tony's upper back.

His cock was aching between them, and he wished Tony would push their pants down, but he was working intently on licking every inch of his chest, and it was such an erotic thing to watch, he didn't have the heart to tell him to stop. Tony had always turned him on with his willingness to lick the cum off of… well anything that had cum on it. Hands, cock, leg, stomach- it was all fair game. To watch him licking the sweat off of him, even if it wasn't the intention of his slurping, was almost just as erotic.

Jethro's hands slipped down Tony's back, into his pants, under the silk boxers he had on, and grabbed a handful of ass with each hand. Tony's moan against his pecs made him squeeze again. He let go and ran his hands back up Tony's back, unable to do much more from his positioned pinned to the couch.

"I don't know what I want to do to you."

Tony's voice sent a shiver through him when he started talking. It was rough and sensual in a way that made Jethro arch up against him.

"Mmmm. That might be nice," he said, working his way down Jethro's stomach with his mouth. "Might have to have you sit up for that though, and I kinda like you like this."

The sound that escaped Jethro's throat surprised even him. It was a pouty whine, and it made Tony look up at him.

"Are you being impatient?" he asked with a smirk. Jethro groaned, rolling his eyes, and then looked back at Tony who knelt up, then laid his palms, fingers splayed against Jethro's stomach, sliding up his body slowly until they were face to face again. Jethro reached in for a kiss, and Tony pulled back with a shake of his head. "I asked you a question."

Jethro's head spun. He wasn't sure yet if Tony was just teasing him, or if he was actually going to become as demanding as it sounded, and he didn't know which he wanted more of.

"Yes," he answered.

"Do you even know what you're being so impatient for?" Tony asked. "Do you even have a preference?"

Jethro shook his head, the tone of Tony's voice doing something to him he didn't quite understand. He felt himself becoming mush underneath him, sinking back down into the couch, and holding deathly still.

Tony ran a finger across Jethro's collarbone, his shoulder, and then down his arm, riding the muscles there to his hand, and then to his finger where the band shone. Jethro felt an ache run through him along the line Tony had traced, and he watched his hand as if though any minute it was going to explain to him what Tony was trying to tell him.

"You'd really let me do whatever I wanted to you right now, wouldn't you?" Tony asked, somewhat amused.

Jethro closed his eyes, swallowed and nodded. He would gladly bow to any of Tony's curiosities right now, doing whatever he wanted to do. He almost hoped Tony would push a boundary, try something he normally wouldn't have initiated himself. He felt the need to bend to someone else's whims for once, to Tony's.

"Come upstairs with me," Tony said, dismounting Jethro and reaching out his hand to help him up. Jethro took the grasp offered, and followed Tony up the stairs.

When they got to the bedroom, Tony led Jethro to the bed, then pushed him back onto it with a smile. He reached for Jethro's pants, and pulled them down to his ankles, and Jethro groaned, glad to finally be rid of them. Tony kicked his off as well, and Jethro's hands instinctively reached for Tony, but Tony grabbed them both. Jethro was mesmerized as Tony straddled him again, pushing him back on the bed, and pinned his arms above his head.

"Mmmm…" Tony moaned. "Don't move."

Jethro nodded his head, and then Tony was off of him again. He chewed his bottom lip, unsure of what Tony was doing, not willing to lift his head and find out what would be the repercussions if he disobeyed the order and moved. He heard Tony shifting stuff around in the box under the bed and his eyes closed.

It was the rope box. He groaned low and deep in his chest, and imagined what was about to happen. Tony had lashed his hands together before with a belt, and at one point, a tie, but he had never used the ropes that were traditionally used on himself. He wondered if this is what Tony felt like when he was about to tie him up; apprehensive but excited, anxious but nervous, craving it but unsure of it.

Tony told him during their first time using the ropes that he'd been tied up before, only he couldn't turn himself over completely to anyone. He'd said that he wanted to be able to do that with Jethro, and Jethro suddenly wanted to be able to do that with Tony.

When Tony opened the drawer to the nightstand on his side of the bed, Jethro became intrigued. He heard him opening something plastic, and then something hard fell onto the wooden table. There were two distinct noises, and Jethro could make out something metal, and something plastic.

One of his hands was suddenly in Tony's, and the rope was being wrapped around it. Tony's voice was reassuring as he directed Jethro to turn so his head was on the pillows. "Come on. I can tell you from experience, this way is more comfortable. Not that comfort is what I'm usually going for when you tie me up, but I have a feeling you'd prefer it this time."

As Jethro's head hit the pillows, Tony bent down to kiss him, feeding a long length of rope through a knot that was being made at Jethro's wrist. He wasn't sure what Tony's particular roping was indicating, but he was sure he would find out soon enough why there was six feet on one side, and eight feet on the other.

Tony climbed onto the bed, then straddled Jethro's torso, giving him a direct view of his cock only inches away. He was too distracted to notice how Tony had tied the longer end of the rope to multiple rungs in the headboard until his other hand was being tied as well. Once that hand was secure, Tony lifted Jethro's left leg in the air, bending it at the knee, tying the rope around it twice, and forming a slipknot. Jethro saw that he couldn't reach it to undo it because of how his hands were practically pinned to the headboard, but it would allow Tony an easy release later.

Tony repeated the action to the right leg, and Jethro felt that sinking feeling again. He was helplessly bound now. Could he break through the way the ropes were holding him to the headboard? Possibly, if he had to, but he was so relaxed suddenly that he had no concept of that. All he could think about was how Tony had him restrained, and there was nothing he could do about it. His heavy cock was hard above his stomach, arching towards him, a pearl of precum hanging precariously over him.

"Damn that's… wow." Tony was standing back admiring his handiwork, and Jethro looked at him, feeling hazy. "I hope you're enjoying this, because I think I'm going to have to do it again sometime."

Jethro watched as Tony picked up two round objects from the nightstand, and it dawned on him what Tony had been unwrapping earlier. They had talked for a while one night, months ago, about any toys they might enjoy, and Tony had been eager to order some cock rings for them when Jethro had mentioned using them before. It looks like he'd received them, and had waited for the right moment to break them out.

Tony crawled back onto the bed, kneeling upright until he was between Jethro's legs, and then he dropped the rings next to them on the bed, running his hands up Jethro's torso and chest, kissing him. Jethro felt every touch like he was being burned, and the kiss made him shiver as Tony took complete control. Backing out of the kiss, Tony picked up a stainless steel ring, and pushed a button to open it.

"I figured I should get the hinged style since by time we make it to this point, you're already ridiculously hard. Getting a solid ring over you would be impossible. Hell, I look at you the right way in the elevator, and I'm worried your jacket isn't going to cover you."

Tony smirked as Jethro's eyes took in the thick ring. It was near a centimeter wide with lines etched into it. Tony knelt back, and then looked down at Jethro's cock. He ran his finger over the head, swiping the precum there, and then raised it to his lips while meeting Jethro's eyes.

Jethro watched with his mouth hanging open, his breaths coming in pants. He loved when Tony did that, and the little bit of contact with the head of his cock took his breath away. He hoped Tony would latch the cockring on soon, because he was afraid he wasn't going to last much longer if he didn't. Tony rolled Jethro's balls in his palm, and Jethro cried out, feeling the restraints reminding him that he wasn't supposed to be moving, nonetheless arching into Tony's nimble fingers.

"You're doing much better than I expected you to," Tony said, hooking one end of the ring around the underside of Jethro's balls, and very carefully closing the top half over his shaft as it squeezed down. Jethro whimpered as he heard the click, the ring ultra snug around him. His eyes rolled into the back of his head, and he wondered if Tony had merely put it on to torture him, or if he was eventually going to make use of his aching erection.

He stared past his own cock at Tony's, and saw that he had a black, plastic version of the same kind of locking ring. Tony had told him that he would prefer solid rings that kept him from coming as more of a tool of submission, so he was intrigued to find he was wearing a hinged one as well. Jethro couldn't take his eyes off of it as Tony stroked himself over and over, making his cock swell under the restraint.

Tony reached for the lube on the nightstand, and held it up to the light before looking down at Jethro. "We're going to need more soon."

Jethro nodded emphatically, and Tony smiled.

"I never said you couldn't talk," he said.

Jethro shook his head slightly. "Done enough talking today."

Tony nodded and bent his mouth to Jethro's ear. "You don't have to talk, but eventually, I do want you to yell." Jethro groaned loudly, his cock twitching and trying to break free of its bond as Tony's voice sent tingles through him. "You know I love when Nancy can't bring herself to look at us when she's watering her plants in the morning as we're getting into our cars. I know you love it too, thinking about how she heard me screaming out your name in the night."

Jethro ached so badly for Tony to touch him that he felt like he could weep. He wanted him to do something, anything, to make the need stop. "Please?" he found himself saying.

Tony's smile was almost malicious. "Please what?"

"I don't know," Jethro said, shaking his head, gasping when Tony pinched a nipple.

"You gotta tell me what you want, or I'm not doing anything," Tony said, giving the nipple a twist.

"Fuck!" Jethro whisper-gasped. "Fuck…"

"Fuck what? Fuck your tight ass, or fuck myself on this thick cock?" Tony asked, giving Jethro one pained stroke.

"Me! God, fuck me!"

Tony shifted to the end of the bed without another word, and squirted lube down Jethro's crack. He slid the head of his engorged cock up and down the crack, smearing the lube. He then started poking Jethro's hole slowly. What Jethro had said a few nights prior was true- it took him days to be as tight as Tony got in just hours. Tony was able to enter him much easier than he'd been able to the day before as they were romping around the house during their rainy day. He was still deliciously tight though as he wrapped around a ringed erection.

"Yes," Jethro hissed, feeling the swollen head breach his sphincter. "Yes…" he whispered into the haze that enveloped him in a sensation of thick cock sliding in and out of him, and hard metal ring restricting him. He felt Tony's hands using his thighs as support as he thrust in and out of him, slow and easy turning to frantic and hard. The angle was perfect, sending every couple of thrusts sliding over his prostate and back, making him so hard it started to hurt. Then suddenly, it stopped.

He knew Tony hadn't come yet, and he opened his eyes to watch as Tony pulled the rope, freeing his legs. He let them down, one by one, rubbing them some as he did to make sure the blood was flowing correctly. Then blessedly cool lube was drizzled over his aching member, and Tony straddled him, bending over to kiss him as he lowered himself extremely slowly onto it.

Jethro wasn't sure what was happening. He was lost in the sensations of his cock, already swollen, hot and hard, entering a slick hot chamber that aroused him even more, while his tongue was being suckled. Tony finally relinquished his mouth, and then began riding him hard. Jethro felt it as the most amazing torture. It was like being frozen in that moment right before an orgasm hits, unable to get past it with the restraint the cock ring was putting on him.

Tony rode him furiously for almost ten minutes, keeping him in an unbelievable state of ecstasy, and then finally had to stop. Jethro saw that Tony's chest, shoulders and neck were more than flushed, and he felt the same. He was almost unable to respond when Tony kissed him. He instinctively reached for his face to hold him there, but couldn't because of the ropes. That jolted him back to reality, and his mind cleared just enough to feel how incredibly, frustratingly horny he was. He bucked his hips up against Tony, the slick mess of precum and lube smearing as he thrust again and again.

"Whoa there," Tony said with a smile. "You need to use your words, and tell me what you want."

"Words?" Jethro groaned, his eyes wild as Tony held him down to keep him from thrashing. "Words?" he asked again, his mind confused.

"Tell me what you want, Jethro," Tony said, his eyes locked on his.

"You. Always you."

"I know you want me," Tony said with a smirk. "Tell me how you want me. Tell me what you want me to do to you."

"Can't come. Need to… want to… please?" he managed, trying to think of the words as his body betrayed him and kept trying to thrust against Tony's grasp.

Tony let go and crawled back down between Jethro's legs. He bent and ran his tongue against Jethro's balls, and Jethro let out a loud whimper. Tony's hand wrapped around the swollen shaft in front of him, and began stroking. Jethro cried out. His dick was so hard for release, that it was going pins and needles.

"Please! Let me come! Please, Tony?" His begging was companied by tearless sobs, and he arched into the touch. Tony suddenly pushed the button on the ring to unlock it, and removed it carefully. A couple of strokes, and Jethro was screaming wordlessly at the top of his lungs, his cum shooting out of him and arching into the air, landing all over him, his face, the pillows, the headboard and the wall behind him. Tony smiled.

"Impressive," he said, still giving long, slow tugs. He lifted his hand to his mouth and began licking off the cum that had overflowed there. Then he started licking his way up Jethro's body, sucking and licking up the globs of sticky white liquid wherever he could find it. He licked it off of Jethro's stomach, his arm, his neck, his chin, his eye, and then he worked on the knots as he licked it off the headboard. Jethro couldn't watch, nonetheless react. He was barely conscious, going in and out of a foggy darkness, and he thought he might black out.

Tony started massaging his arms, and he realized his hands were free. He stretched his fingers, and then tried to wrap his arms around Tony, but he wasn't quite able to see where he was. Tony kissed him gently. "You're so fucking amazing, Jethro."

Jethro nuzzled him, kissing him back. He felt incredibly calm, peaceful and connected to Tony, whose gentle touches were gradually bringing him back to the real world. He couldn't think to ask if Tony had come, so he reached down and grabbed Tony's erection, finding it still trapped behind the cockring. He tugged on it again and again with weak, gentle strokes, until he could see the world around him clearly again, and actively kiss Tony back.

As soon as he found the strength, he turned, rolling Tony on his back, and straddled him. Tony was somewhat surprised, but not as much as he was a moment later when Jethro impaled himself on his erection. Tony groaned, and his hands went to Jethro's thighs, trying to steady him as he started bouncing on him. Jethro felt his body loosening up. He bent forward to rest his hands on Tony's chest, and then started really slamming down on Tony. It felt weird to get to the base of Tony's cock and have a hard cockring waiting there, but those deepest dips felt incredible, and when Tony started thrusting up into them, he felt like he could gladly choke on Tony's cock if it went any deeper.

Tony's fingers fumbled with the ring as Jethro continued riding him mercilessly, and then suddenly, a shot of cum coated Jethro's insides with such a force that he had never felt. He kept fucking himself down wildly as Tony screamed out his name and a list of expletives, causing a squishy mess to gush out everywhere until Tony was soft. He finally pulled off, and felt a river running out of his ass. Then he felt Tony's hand reach down and plunge three fingers into him easily, coating themselves with his own juices. He waited until he had a palm full after multiple thrusts, and then held it up with a dreamy look to watch it run down his wrist.

Jethro reached over them for the tissues, and began wiping up the mess pouring from him, and then used another wad to clean Tony's hand and arm that he was still staring at. He then curled up against Tony, needing to be close to him, feeling incredibly clingy. He lifted Tony's arm and put it around him, and Tony started coming back around from his orgasm.

"You have no idea how fucking incredible that was," Tony said. "There's no way you can ever know just how hot and how sexy it is to see you tied down at my mercy."

"It's probably a lot like when I have you tied down," Jethro said, nuzzling Tony's chest.

Tony shook his head no. "No, because even though we both bottom and top, you're definitely the more dominant between us, just by personality. To have you turn yourself over like that was beyond amazing, and completely humbling. Thank you for trusting me that much."

"Trust you more than anything. Love you more than anything."

"I know. I hope you know the same goes for me. You mean more to me than anything in this entire world, Jethro."

"I feel funny," Jethro said. "Really funny. Like I just can't get close enough to you." He tossed his leg over Tony, wrapping himself with him. Tony clung to Jethro, pulling him close to his chest, and kissing him on his temple, his head, his shoulder, his neck, his mouth. His hands roamed over Jethro's body.

Tony knew that feeling. He'd had it before when Jethro tied him up, and in his research, he'd learned that it had to do with the chemical reactions that take place when you're so submissive during sex. The high that comes with it can be accompanied by a drop in certain hormones that caused a feeling that, when not attended to correctly, could lead to severe depression. Tony thought about how he usually felt, and what Jethro did that helped him back up; the tender touches, the reassurances, the kisses and the affirmation that he was needed and wanted. He applied those things to Jethro now.

Jethro curled safely into Tony's arms, and Tony whispered to him, holding him, touching him and kissing him from time to time. It was warm and comforting, and Jethro couldn't remember the last time he had let someone take care of him like that. He couldn't even remember Shannon doing anything quite like that. Soon, he was asleep in Tony's protective embrace.

* * *

Elly laid in bed with his phone in his hand. He was staring at the picture on the screen of the entire team. He had been trying for three days to talk himself out of these feelings he was developing for Ned. He knew it could screw up the entire team dynamic. He was finally happy with his life. Why did he have to go and develop feelings like these that could, and most likely would, screw everything up? He stared into the dancing gray eyes in the photo that the camera caught surprisingly well. Ned looked happy. Who was he to screw it up for him like this?

The screen went dark, and Elly pushed the power button again, turning it back on. He knew he was torturing himself. This could never be. He was the SFA after all. That technically made him Ned's superior at work, and one only had to look as far as his boss and the man on the other side of the wall to see what happened when someone fell in love with their superior at NCIS.

 _Not that I'm in love. Because I'm not. I'm just… infatuated. And like Tony explained, there's a reason for Rule Twelve. You don't_ date _coworkers. You can fall in love with them, and if you fall in love with them, then you're willing to give up everything for them. Otherwise, it's not love, and if it's not love, then you shouldn't be doing anything about it, because the trouble that follows isn't worth it._

He ran his finger over Ned's face on his phone, lost in thought. "He doesn't want someone to grow with anyway. He wants to wait and fall in love later when he's someone else. Problem is, I don't want him to be someone else."

Elly opened his text messages. He looked at the ones he'd exchanged with Ned over the weekend, and then thought about the tub of Lysol wipes earlier. He smirked as he remembered the empty container being pelted at his head when he rambled about Courtney. He got the distinct feeling that Ned was jealous, and he loved it. Courtney _was_ kind of his type as far as chicks went, and he was much better at dating women than men. He couldn't deny that the sex was better with guys, but it wasn't bad with women.

He stared at the screen and wondered if Ned would still be up. He thought back to his discussion with Courtney at his desk, hyper and excited. Then he thought about the long research he had done with Ned, and the list of diseases on Ned's notepad. They hadn't really discussed the bugs he had down, but a few stuck in his head, burned into it, a vision of blue ink on yellow and blue lined paper.

He couldn't deny that even researching biowaste companies with Ned was more fulfilling than discussing the database with Courtney, and the closeness between them as they reached over each other without hesitation, and that brief moment that Ned's hand was on his thigh as he leaned in to read something captioning a picture, was more noteworthy than anything Courtney had done. Ned's serious gray eyes still outshone Courtney's hazel at her most animated.

Even if he managed to make it to the one year mark, if his crazy year of celibacy was over, and he and Ned decided to see where things went, and fell madly in love, what would he tell his dad and brother? How would he get through to them how much Ned meant to him? Would they turn their backs on him like Ned's family had?

That's when Elly realized he was in too deep already. He was worried about bringing Ned home to his dad.

"Oh, shit."

Visions started running through his head of him and Ned: Leaning back on the couch Saturday, wishing more than anything that Ned would just bend over and kiss him. Coming between him and the counter before he could wash it again. When Ned said distraction helped the OCD, he wanted nothing more than to wrap his arms around Ned's neck, and show him how much of a distraction he could be.

When he stood behind him at the gun range, looking at the target coming at them with the holes just where they needed to be, he'd wanted to put his arms around Ned's waist and ask him what he'd been thinking.

He saw in his mind's eye the joy on Ned's face when he finally pinned him the day it took tickling to bring out his aggressive side. He also remembered the smirk when he left him flat on his back when he'd tried to tickle him again a few minutes later. He loved the way Ned felt under his fingers. He preferred beefier men, and though Dorney was slimming down a little since they had all started working out together, he was still thicker.

He remembered when he stumbled outside of the restaurant, and Ned's arm quickly went around his waist. He wasn't at all sure how he had found the strength not to kiss him as he clung to him. His clingy drunk side wanted to crawl into bed with him that night after their talk about Mr. Right versus Mr. Right Now. He wasn't sure then which he wanted to be, but at the current moment, it was becoming clearer.

He realized he had set himself up for the fall. Ned was going to be going to the club with him on Friday. He'd wanted both of them to be able to have a good time and unwind, but he wasn't going to be able to drink and party with Ned. He'd do something stupid like wake up next to him, completely missing the best parts of the night. That's kind of how he had gotten into this situation, and he wasn't going to do that to Ned, and per his promise, himself, ever again. He also couldn't go and watch Ned shack up with some virtual stranger, either. The very idea hurt more than he thought it would.

He opened a text to Ned.

_You up?_

He stared at the phone, willing a text to come back to him.

_Yeah. Not sure how much longer. What's up?_

_Couldn't sleep._

_I couldn't either. Got up, researched some more, cleaned some more, and now I'm back in bed staring into the darkness._

Elly suddenly wished he was there with him. Even from the next room, he knew he'd feel better. He shook his head at himself.

_The research stress you out or the topic?_

_Just the research I think. Thanks for the cleaning wipes today, btw. I'm sorry I threw the tub at you._

Elly laughed.

_You are very welcome. And you can throw the Lysol tub at me anytime. Except for when Boss is around apparently. He wasn't too fond of that. Got a little protective there._

_Yeah! I know. He wasn't sure what to think. Glad my aim sucks. I would have felt really bad if it hit you._

_It actually woulda drilled me if I hadn't moved. Your aim isn't all that bad. Either that or you were so aggravated that you just didn't think and it helped._

_Me? Aggravated? I wasn't aggravated! Who said I was aggravated?_

_Mr. Clean whispered it to me as it he was flying past my head. It's cool. I woulda been pissed too if I just found out what you had, and then had to listen to me rambling on about Courtney._

_Ah. Yeah. Courtney. Can't wait to meet her! She sounds great!_

Elly chewed on his bottom lip. He felt himself being drawn to making Ned jealous, but he didn't want to push him away at the same time.

_She's going to be a huge help to the database project. Your op comes first though, so whenever you need me, let me know. The database can wait- what you're tackling can't._

_Thanks :) I feel better knowing I've got you backing me up. Well, you and Mr. Clean. ;)_

_I'm definitely better backup than Mr. Clean!_

_Yeah, I'll give you that one._

_I still think you'd look hilarious bald, a gold hoop earring, white tee. I see a Halloween costume in your future._

Elly licked his lips, imagining himself on a countertop while "Mr. Clean" stood between his legs kissing him.

_My Halloween costumes tend to get me in trouble. Went as Gibbs a couple of years ago. Spent the night trying to shrug off Marla in accounting. She stalked me into a copy room, and locked the door._

_Oh! That sounds uncomfortably close to heading to HR._

_It took threatening that to get her to let me out of the room. Left the costume behind. Marla however decided to tell people a different account of the story._

_Did you tell them the truth?_

_No. It kinda helped the cover, you know? Not that I'm so sure about keeping the cover these days._

_You mean you're thinking about coming out at work?_

He wasn't sure how he felt about that. Ned deserved to be able to live out, especially since his family already knew, but if he was thinking about the big R with him, and Ned wanted to take him up on it, being out would mean having to face coming out to his dad and brother about his own preferences, and he wasn't sure enough of his preferences to define them, nonetheless explain them to anyone else.

_Maybe. With Boss and Gibbs coming out, and the op giving me a sense of security, if things go well for both of those things, I'd kind of like to be, yeah._

_That takes a lot of courage man. Good for you. You'd be iconic. I bet you'll have dates lined up in no time!_

_I doubt all of that._

_I don't. You'll be interviewing for Mr. Right and you'd have all the Mr. Right Now you can handle._

_I'm not actively looking for either. If Mr. Right Now finds me, then okay, but I'm okay where I'm at._

Elly sighed. He wasn't sure if he was relieved or hurt by that.

_Friday night, my friend! Me, you, Tony, Abby, some great music and some good times! Even if you don't get your hunt on for Mr. Right/Now, we're going to have a great time!_

_I'm nervous. I'll probably stick to you guys like glue._

_Not a problem._

_:)_

_:) We're bringing you so that you have a good time. If you're stressed, just do what you want to do while you're there. If that means sticking with one of us, that's cool. Hell, I'm sure if you feel stressed enough, Christopher will let you walk around cleaning tables._

_LOL! You're an asshole, but we'll keep that as a backup plan._

_*gasp!* Me? An asshole? Where are you learning words like that? I should wash your mouth out with soap! No one should teach you that kind of language young man! (Because you'll definitely use it on me!)_

_Ha! Trust me, I have a very colorful vocabulary, you just have to get me in the right setting to hear it._

_Oh?_

_Oh, yeah._

_And what's the right setting?_

_I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you. Or marry you. Don't think you're up for either._

_Hmmm. Let me think about that. I'll get back to you. Might be worth it to hear you spout off._

Elly groaned, lost in the thought of Ned talking filthy dirty into his ear with that voice that did things to him he shouldn't admit to even himself. His hand was already on his stomach by time he realized Ned had text him again.

_Haha! Sure. You think about that. I'm going to sleep._

It took Elly a minute to remember what he meant, then he reread his last text to Ned, and felt the tension escape his muscles. _He can't read your mind, dipshit._ His right hand started tapping out another message while his left pushed down his pajama pants.

_I will, and I'll get back to you. Sleep well!_


	25. Chapter 25

Tuesday went by quickly. Jethro got the call from Keith early saying the meeting was on Monday afternoons at one. He agreed to go with him the next week, and told him to feel free to call anytime between now then.

Their court order came through for the case files from Organized Crime, and they found it waiting at the front desk for them with surprisingly few redactions. However, the unfortunate truth was that it was going to be impossible to figure out exactly who pulled the trigger forensically, and it would mean getting someone a lighter sentence in exchange for information. Jethro wasn't sure if he wanted to do that, and wasn't sure Austin Lagger would've want him to do that. They put the case on hold until he could run it by Keith and get his opinion. He decided to wait until the following Monday before their meeting to ask him what he thought. He emailed Vance, and gave him the update on the matter.

Tony had his team put aside the database to dig into the biowaste company research, and spent all day picking apart hundreds of companies to see if any of them could be the one they were looking for. They were waiting for sources to get back to them on the company used for the clinics in South Africa. Tony wasn't too excited about the idea of traveling there, but the possibility was on the table. Ned seemed even less enthusiastic, though he kept saying he was willing.

Elly and Parke exchanged multiple looks as they saw Ned going paler and paler as he researched. Finally, Elly couldn't take it anymore. As soon as Tony got up to hit the head, he went over and bent down next to Ned.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah. The research is just making me kind of squeamish. I'm specifically reading on transference right now." Ned's voice was low, and his hand was on his stomach.

"Oh," Elly said, looking up at the website. He reached in his pocket and pulled out his keys. On the keychain was a little bottle of hand sanitizer. "Here. Hold out your hands."

Ned looked at him in confusion, and Elly dropped some of the liquid into them. Ned rubbed his hands together and sighed deeply.

"Smart thinking," Ned said with a shy smile.

"I wouldn't get into the habit for as often as you want it. It really dries you out after a while, and your hands will crack and bleed. Talking about transference! This stuff is pretty good though. It has aloe and crap in it." Elly shrugged and got to his feet, sitting back down in his desk just as Tony came back into the bullpen.

Parke had watched, and felt like he was missing something important, which he had been feeling a lot lately as he'd watched how things were going between Dorney and Elly. He opened an IM window, and messaged Elly, unable to keep from being nosy any longer.

 _GParke01_ : What's going on?

 _ECritten01_ : Ned's OCD is kicking in because he's reading up on the germ stuff.

 _GParke01_ : Oh! That makes sense now. I didn't know he had it.

 _ECritten01_ : Yeah. That's what the wipes were about yesterday.

 _GParke01:_ I get it now. Does Boss know?

 _ECritten01_ : I think he's got an idea, but it's not that bad. He just gets worse when he's stressed, and being his first op, and it having to do with, ya know, germ warfare and all, it's hitting home.

 _GParke01_ : Shit. I bet.

 _ECritten01_ : I kinda figured everyone knew. Please don't say anything to him. I'd hate to break a confidence I didn't know I had.

 _GParke01_ : No, it's cool. My lips and fingers are silent.

 _ECritten01_ : Thanks :)

Elly sat back and thought a moment. He didn't realize that everyone else had been so blind to it. He had pretty much figured it out the first couple of days he knew Ned, but until the other day, didn't have a reason to breach such a personal subject. He hoped that he wasn't crossing a huge line by talking to Parke about it, but he figured that was the kind of thing that people working closely with you should know when you could be in a life or death situation together, and suddenly someone is paralyzed with fear. He'd been there, and he knew first hand. He decided he must have been paying closer attention to Ned than he thought this whole time. He sighed, and went back to his research.

* * *

Wednesday was just as eerily calm, and by Thursday, everyone was bored. They continued researching, and Balboa came over to sit with Elly and Courtney as they talked about the database project. He was excited about the idea of something that could bring back a cold case team, and from what Tony could overhear, was eager to lead it. Tony watched Elly interact with him, and he was happy to see that though Elly was supportive of the idea, he still made it clear that he wanted to stay where he was.

Ned watched them out of the corner of his eye as well, and he was relieved that Elly was just as excited about the project when talking to Balboa as he was when he talked to Courtney, though he refused to admit to himself why it mattered. He knew better than to fall for a straight guy, especially not one that was quickly becoming his best friend- even if said straight guy occasionally threw him curveballs that made his head spin. He shook the thought off, and went back to his research, determined to focus on the work and not the conversation across the room.

Parke felt a little out of his league. None of the current case material was psychologically based. He was able to do the research just fine, but it wasn't his favorite thing to do. It was what they needed him on the most though, so he was giving it his all. His mind kept drifting to Tiffany and their talk the night before about turning their office/second bedroom into a nursery. He smiled to himself as he worked, wondering if the ultrasound would be able to tell them soon if they were having a girl or a boy.

Ziva sat at her desk, going through a case file. She poured through it looking for something new, but she couldn't find anything. She began typing up the case notes like she had been asked, and saved it to a file that she was passing on to Critten for inserting into the database. She tried to think about what it would be like to work on cold cases all day, combing them for dead clues. The idea was mind numbing, but at least she would still be an agent. She looked up at the computer screen, and clicked the email she had gotten from the admissions counselor she had been working with at Georgetown. She'd been accepted, and the woman wanted to sit down with Ziva about laying out a course load. She hit reply, and started typing with a sigh.

Tim was working on updating the encryption key he used on the agents' thumb drives, and he was having trouble concentrating. Everything was too quiet. The only thing he could hear was the conversation between Elly, Balboa and Gleason. He didn't want to be sucked into the project. He knew he'd work on it from time to time, and eventually he would want to be involved, but right now, he wasn't in the mood. He wasn't in the mood to be encrypting the thumb drives, or sitting in front of his computer at all. The weather had finally broken, and he wanted to be outside.

"McGee!" Jethro barked. "Stop fidgeting! What's wrong?"

Tim's eyes snapped to him and he sighed. "Just got that trapped indoors feeling today, Boss. I'll get over it."

Jethro looked up at the large window and sighed. "Go grab Abby if she's not busy, and take a walk. Then come back with your head on."

Tim smiled and got to his feet, hitting the lock commands on his computer. "Thanks, Boss."

Tony had heard, and IMed Jethro.

 _TDiNozzo01_ : Wanna go get coffee with me?

"Yeah, let's go," Jethro said, bypassing the IM and getting to his feet. Tony smiled and got to his as well, grabbing his gun and creds.

"Grabbing coffee, Elly," Tony said, then headed for the stairwell with Gibbs. As soon as they were out of view, Balboa looked at Elly in confusion, then the rest of the team, and back at Elly.

"What?" Elly asked.

"Well, I'd heard this weird-ass rumor the other day, and I blew it off, but for some reason, them getting coffee together makes me wonder how true it might be."

Elly grit his teeth, trying to decide what to do. He looked at Ned, who looked back, and then Parke caught his eye, too. Elly wasn't sure if it was his place, but he felt like he had to defend them. He looked to Ned one more time, whose eyes were wide, and then looked back at Balboa.

"If you mean the talk about them getting married, it's true. And we're all going to the wedding this September. We couldn't be happier for them."

"Whoa! It's true?! That's crazy! I mean, they've been stuck together like glue for years, but I never thought of them as, you know, _tying the knot_ or anything."

Elly smiled, relieved that his reaction was tension-free, even if shocked. He still felt like he needed to explain before all of the questions they had been afraid of could be asked.

"We're really lucky. When they broke the news that they were together to Vance, they had to put Tony somewhere, you know, so Vance had him fill in for Simmons when she went on maternity leave, and he was able to save us from her."

"Save you from her?" Balboa asked, looking confused again.

"Yeah," Parke said, his voice icy, causing everyone to turn and look at him. "She wasn't training me and Elly. She was going to get us killed. Was too concerned with making her way up the ladder to actually make sure we were doing things correctly. Overlooked some major things, constantly tore us down, never built us up. Tony's been in charge of us for, what? Two full months? Going on three? And we're building the database, working an op, feeling much more confident on cases. She was going to let us fail."

"I didn't realize that was going on," Balboa said sympathetically, looking at Parke with more than a little guilt in his eyes. "I'm sorry. One of the problems with being in the other room, I guess. We're so separated from the other teams. If I would have known, I would have said something to her."

"Don't feel bad," Parke said with a shrug. "Boss and Gibbs were right on the other side of the wall here, and they didn't realize it either."

"I'm glad he was able to pick up on it, and not just for your sake. That room back there's supposed to be the cold case team's room, and with any luck, with this puppy leading the way, we'll be a cold case team again."

"Hell yeah!" Gleason said. Balboa and Parke talked for another minute, but Elly's eyes met Ned's.

 _Thank you,_ Ned mouthed. Elly shrugged. He wasn't sure if he would have had the courage to speak so confidently if Ned wasn't right there. He couldn't bring himself to be a coward around him. He made him want to be braver than he felt. He smiled faintly at him as his stomach flipped, suddenly wondering if he would one day be able to tell his dad and brother about his Mr. Right. Courtney stole his attention, and he could have sworn that he saw Ned roll his eyes, which made him smile brightly as he tried not to turn red.

* * *

Tony and Jethro walked through the quad together with their coffees. Tony's was iced, and Jethro's hot, and they strolled pleasantly in the early summer warmth. It was nice, a breeze blowing past them to keep it from being uncomfortable, but no chill to the breeze like they'd had through May as they couldn't quite shrug the cold winter.

"I'm glad we're doing the whole "out at work" thing," Tony said. "I like being able to take walks like this with you without needing a purpose, or feeling awkward. I can concentrate on enjoying being with you, and not have to worry about what someone is going to say or do that could cause us trouble."

Jethro smiled at him. "I never thought in a million years we'd be doing this."

Tony chuckled. "Me neither, but I'm happy."

"So am I," Jethro said. Tony smiled at him, letting his shoulder bump against his tenderly as he looked down shyly at the sidewalk. His head suddenly snapped up as he remembered something.

"Oh! I wanted to tell you that I looked into the mats."

"The mats?" Jethro asked, looking at Tony, who nodded, raising an eyebrow at him. "Oh! The mats!"

"Yeah. They are definitely doable. Think you can clear the basement sometime in the next four to six weeks?"

"For that I can clear it in the next four to six hours."

Tony smiled from ear to ear. "I'm sure you could."

"Is it a done deal?"

"Yup. I'll be getting a confirmation to my phone anytime now."

"Best damn news I've gotten today, if not all week."

Tony chuckled. "I also emailed the lawyer back what I want to do with the will, and he's already sent me some wording for the trust for Amira. I printed it off for you, and it's sitting on my desk."

"He's quick."

"Well, when I brought her up in conjunction with the will, he made the assumption the trust was what I wanted to do. I'm actually kind of riding his thought with that, only he assumed it was in case we had custody of her. I like the idea of having someone to leave things to. If it can keep it out of Dad's grimy paws, even better."

"Do you think he's going to find out about the wedding?" Jethro asked.

"I don't know, and I don't really care. I don't want him to try to ruin it for us. I have these brief fantasies sometimes about after the ceremony, sending him a copy of the picture of our kiss, or a picture of the marriage license just to piss him off, but then I think, I don't want him to have anything that portrays our happiness. That brings him too close to it."

"I can understand that."

Tony heard an undertone to Jethro's voice, and stopped, resting a hand on his shoulder to make him stop as well.

"What's going on in there?" Tony asked.

"It's your decision, and I respect it, but I'm waiting for the next time he _comes_ _around_ and finds out. You know I'd rather see you in control of the situation when he learns about us than have him drop by unannounced to "surprise" you, and it turn into a stressful situation we're not in a good place to handle."

Tony nodded. "I can understand _that_." He tossed the idea around in his head a moment. "Let me think about it?" he asked.

"Like I said, it's your decision, and whatever you choose to do, I'll stand behind you."

"Thank you," Tony said, smiling softly at him before they continued walking again. "It's not like I'm ashamed of us, or even scared of telling him actually. I'm just not looking forward to whatever bullshit he's going to try to pull between now and the wedding."

"Do you really think he'll try to screw with us?" Jethro asked.

"You know my dad. He'll be hellbent on taking the spotlight, always needing to be the center of attention, and he'll show up at the ceremony and cause a scene, or try to storm into work and go off. I'll have to have him escorted off the property, and all that. Then, knowing him, he'll re-enter the property, get trespassing charges pressed against him, and then I'll get dragged into a court case. He tends to leave me alone these days, even when I'm trying to get close, so I can't imagine he'll come around again until he's ready to ruin our holidays."

"You know he tends to show up at the worst possible times," Jethro pointed out.

"True. And I did jinx the hell out of us by saying that, didn't I?"

"Don't believe in jinxing, but we seem to have a greater understanding of Murphy's Law than most people."

"You know that if I call to invite him to town to drop the bomb on him, he's going to cancel on me. Maybe I should just call him."

Jethro raised an eyebrow at Tony.

"Yeah, and maybe then again maybe I can ask the Qureshi and see if they have a real bomb I can drop on him," Tony said with a sigh. "Telling your dad in person was… _nice_. It was confusing, but he understood and supports us. Telling my dad is going to be like, 'Dad, I'm marrying Jethro. I don't give a damn what you think about it, and though I love you, I don't want you in my life anymore. You're nothing but a gigantic hurtful pain in my ass, and you've crapped all over my heart since I was able to walk. Consider this goodbye.' He's going to want to smooth things over, and I'm going to feel too bad to get up and walk away, and then I'll hear him talk, and feel even worse for when I reiterate what I've already said, and I'll feel like shit for months."

"You're the one making the decision to tell him to get lost. If you want it, you need to stand for it, and if you're standing for it, there's a reason. Remember the reasons. If you tell him now, he might be a pain in the ass for the wedding, but he won't be around when we're starting to look into the adoption process, and honestly, I'd rather deal with him before the wedding than that."

"Wow. That's a pretty big decision for us to make based on the adoption."

"If we're going to consider having a child, we need to consider the safety and wellbeing of that child in everything we're doing now, leading up to it. We're writing Amira into our wills based on Leyla's will. It's not much different than that. The real question is, do we want your father in our daughter's life?"

Tony stopped his slow stroll up the sidewalk. He lost all sense of the world around him for a long moment as flash after flash of memory ran in front of his mind's eye. From finding his mother, to coming home to find the house empty when he graduated from high school. It was a string of parental failures, and Tony's heart ached.

He blinked hard and pulled out his phone. Jethro watched, resting a hand on Tony's shoulder, not sure what was going through his fiancé's head, but knowing it wasn't good. The horrible heartache he saw in his eyes made his stomach roll.

"Hey, Sheila. This is Tony DiNozzo Jr. Is Tom available? Okay. Thanks."

Jethro moved so that he was standing in front of Tony, and Tony's eyes looked into his as he started talking again.

"Hey, Tom? It's Tony. Yeah, it looks good. I want Jethro to read it first. Look, I have a serious question to ask you. If Jethro and I were to adopt, what kind of recourse would I have to make sure my father has absolutely no right to see our child? In fact, is there a way I can keep him from being anywhere near her, and the rest of us for that matter?"

Jethro watched Tony, seeing the sad rage consuming his entire body. His eyes were wet, his stance was stiff and tight, and his jaw was clenched. He was glad Tony was cutting Senior out because he knew that he was seeing what Tony felt like every time he remembered his childhood with his dick of a father. No one deserved to live with that kind of pain welling up inside of them.

"Do I ever. Definitely, you know him. You know what he did when I graduated, and before that. You know what he did to my trust fund with my inheritance from Mom, and you know how many chances I've given him to redeem himself. Now that we're considering bringing a child into our lives, I want to make sure I can keep her safe from his insanity."

Jethro ran his hand up and down Tony's bicep, trying to calm him. He suddenly smiled, and Jethro listened closely to hear whether or not he could make out what the lawyer was saying. He couldn't, but Tony's grin said plenty.

"Thanks, Tom. I mean it. I'll look over it this weekend and get back to you soon. We're still a long ways away from deciding, but that may make or break our decision. Yeah, you have a good weekend. Thanks."

Tony took a deep breath and looked into Jethro's eyes. "He said he can have him stripped of grandparental rights if I'm able to prove parental negligence, and that by not telling me he was moving my senior year so that I came home to an empty house, and had to fend for myself most of the time, that should be enough to sink it without even having to bring up my mom."

Jethro smiled broadly at him, and ignoring their locale, pulled him into a tight embrace. "Thank you."

Tony sighed. "I didn't even think about it until you said that. Unless he's attempting to harm us or harassing us, we can't do a restraining order, and that's the only recourse _we_ have with him, but I kind of figured that."

Jethro could feel Tony relax in his arms, and he felt a twinge of guilt in his stomach when he realized they should probably release their hug, and Tony held on a little bit until reluctantly letting go.

"As long as we know we can keep him away from our little girl, I'm happy."

"Our little girl," Tony said, echoing the phrase. Jethro smiled and shrugged.

"I think I'm a little attached to the idea," he admitted.

Tony smiled from ear to ear. "Me, too."

"We should probably get back in," Jethro said. "I promised Ducky I'd stop down and talk to him at some point this week, and I'm hoping Keith calls me to let me know how his appointment goes."

Tony turned to start the walk back to the building. "I think hell is freezing over. I'm breaking Rule Thirteen left and right without so much as a peep from you, and you're saying you want to talk to someone on the phone."

"Hell froze over three months ago, and it just keeps getting colder."

"You can say that again. I'm glad I'm getting out with Abby and the guys tomorrow night. Can use a lighthearted, drunken night on the town with Abby. We haven't really had our usual time for each other now that we're both in relationships, and when we do hang out, we're tiptoeing around personal things because we're all connected in this weird new way."

"Do you want to maybe tell her what we're thinking about? She's adopted after all. She may not have known it at the time, but losing her folks so early and having the sisters raise her, she'd probably appreciate the fact that we're thinking about it."

"Along the same logic, Parke might have some input for us, too. Especially if we're considering adopting older."

"Maybe we should wait a little longer to tell them," Jethro conceded. He wanted to share what he was thinking with Abby, but he also didn't want to be overwhelmed by her exuberance as they thought it through.

"Yeah. Let's give it a month or so. Not sure if I'm ready for that pressure yet."

"Agreed."

They got into the elevator together with two other people who were heading upstairs.

"Thought you were going to go see Ducky?" Tony asked.

"Going to check to see if McGee is back yet, or if I should hunt him down while I'm downstairs."

Tony chuckled. "I left the kids alone with Balboa and Gleason. By time I get up there, Balboa is going to have recruited Elly for the not-yet-existent Cold Case Team, and Elly's going to have Gleason signing up to switch agencies."

"She's been hanging onto every word the kid says."

"Yeah! She's totally behind the project, and totally into Elly."

Jethro smirked. The elevator stopped and let the two other people in the elevator off. Once the doors closed again, Jethro looked at Tony. "She's barking up the wrong tree," Jethro said to Tony with a smile and shake of his head.

"Wait? What? What do you know?" Tony asked as the elevator doors opened.

"Don't know anything. Just got a gut feeling."

Tony followed him out eagerly, looking down the aisle at the team, but talking to Jethro before he could get too far away.

"Damn it, Jethro!" he whispered. "About what?! You know I trust your gut more than anything! What are you thinking?"

Jethro shook his head, and kept walking towards his desk with a smirk.

Once Tony got to his desk, he leaned over the divider so that he was only two feet from Jethro's ear. "You're lucky I love you!" Tony whispered. "I'll get it out of you later."

"Nah. Just wait and see. You like surprises."

"You're such a bastard," Tony said quietly.

"Yeah, but you love me anyway."

"That I do," Tony said before sitting down with a smile, ignoring the glances from the people around him.

* * *

Thursday night, while Jethro hid in the basement to talk to Keith alone on the phone about how his appoint had gone with his therapist, Tony, Abby, Dorney, and Elly were texting about their Friday night plans. Since Elly had to get to the club before it opened, the rest of them decided that they would meet up beforehand, and planned on arriving somewhat early at about 9:30 before Elly had to attend to what they were hoping would be a busy crowd. Tony was going to drive over to Abby's, and then they were going to go pick up Dorney and help him figure out what to wear.

Ned didn't know that yet, but Elly had told them Ned was getting more and more nervous as the night drew closer. Tony and Abby spent the rest of the night trying to reassure him. He couldn't remember the last time he had gone out like that. Knowing Tony and Abby had his back made him feel a lot better, and Elly reassured him that everything was going to be fine about twenty times.

An hour after Tony and Abby dropped out of the conversation, Dorney slipped into bed and turned out the light. He stared at the ceiling for a few minutes, and then picked up the phone off the nightstand next to him.

You still up?

He waited to see if Elly would reply, and he only had to wait about thirty seconds.

Yeah :) What's up?

Ned smiled, feeling special because of the eager response.

Just wondered if you were nervous about tomorrow. I feel like a dick for not asking earlier.

I'm not nervous as much as I am excited! I have a great lineup planned, an awesome alternate lineup planned, some of my closest friends ever are coming out to party with me, and I'm going to get to hang with Rise a while beforehand! …Okay, yeah, I'm pretty nervous.

:) Ha! I'm glad you're so stoked. Focus on that. I'm starting to feel pretty excited, too, even though I'm nervous.

Really?

Yeah! For pretty much the same reasons you are actually. Hanging out with the people that matter to me, having a few drinks, relaxing. And who knows? It might be nice to be in a different kind of atmosphere for once.

I'm really glad you're coming, Ned.

:)

I think it's going to be good for us.

Ned got a warm feeling inside at the idea of "us", and he pushed it away. _That's not what he meant you dumbass. You need to be careful about that. You don't want to ruin one of the most important friendships you've ever had because you're horny and lonely!_

Me too :)

Elly sat frozen on the other end of the phone. He hadn't realized what he was typing before he hit send, and then he re-read it and stumbled over himself. It had sounded too intimate to him, and he reread it over and over again, praying it would sound less personal each time, but it didn't lose the effect. When Ned's response came through, his heart skipped a beat, and he had to tell himself aloud to let it go and stop reading into things.

I should probably try to get some sleep. I'm going to be up close to twenty-four hours straight tomorrow, and I'll be spending most of it working. I'm glad Boss is going to let me leave at three. I'm going to try to work in a nap before I have to go to the club.

I'm going to call it a night too. Well, I'm already in bed, so I guess I have called it a night, but I'm going to stop talking now and go to sleep.

Elly could almost hear Ned's voice in his head as the message rambled. He smiled to himself, and shook his head.

Goodnight Ned. Sleep well.

You too :)

* * *

The next day, Tony's team was on pins and needles all day, praying that they didn't get dragged into a case. Every time a phone rang on the other side of the bullpen, they stopped to stare and see if Jethro's team was getting a case. At a quarter to three, Abby bounded into the bullpen delivering a CafPow to Elly.

"I thought you might need this tonight," she said with a bright smile.

"Thanks, Abby! I'm going to try to take a nap when I get home though, so is it okay if I save it until later?" he asked,

"Definitely! As much as I love my CafPow, nothing beats a powernap. Break a leg tonight, and we'll see you soon!" she said. She turned to Tony. He touched the side of his nose, and she touched hers, the sign that everything was prepared for their mission that evening. She turn turned and waved to Parke and Dorney, and headed over to the MCRT's side of the bullpen.

"Are you sure you don't want to try to come with us tonight?" she asked Tim.

"Thanks, Abs, but I'm going to use the time to pack. You're so far ahead of me. This might give me the chance to catch up some."

"Smart thinking my smart cookie!" she said, bending to kiss him on the cheek before turning to Jethro.

"Gibbs! Are you really going to let your guy get all dressed up and go to a club by himself?"

"He's not going by himself, Abs. He's going with you and Dorneget, and I expect the two of you to keep him out of trouble."

Tony scoffed loudly in disbelief from his side of the bullpen. "Jethro! Do you really think I'd get into trouble simply because you're not with me?"

"Tony, you get into trouble even when I'm with you."

"No, I get into trouble _because_ you're with me. Totally different. And if you think putting Abby, Dorney, Elly and I together doesn't equal trouble, you're not as brilliant as I've always believed you are! I fully expect to be sitting in a Waffle House eating greasy potatoes and bacon at sunrise."

Jethro turned, looked over the divider, and squinted at him, raising an eyebrow.

"Okay, well, maybe not _sunrise_ ," he conceded. "But as soon as we can pry Elly away."

"Told ya," Elly said, picking up his stuff and looking at Ned. "Bacon and greasy food is the ultimate hangover cure. Nothing beats it."

"Coffee and Tylenol," Jethro said.

"Bloody Mary and aspirin," Abby corrected.

"Gatorade the night before, and greasy food for breakfast," Tony agreed, turning to give Elly a thumbs up, receiving a nod in return.

"Dry toast and orange juice. Just don't brush your teeth first," Dorney said, grimacing at the idea of OJ after brushing.

"Never heard of that one," Jethro said over his shoulder.

"Water and something for a headache before bed," Ziva said, getting to her feet and moving towards their cold case filing cabinet. "Saltines in the morning."

"What about you, Greg?" Elly asked.

"A B vitamin and some serious hydration before bed. Then get up and do it again. Or, if you can get it, there's one of those teas, you know the one in the tall cans that you can get for like a buck, and it's their energy drink blend. Tons of B vitamins in those, too. Chug that before bed. Works every time for me."

"I've had that one!" Abby said. "It's actually pretty good. Never tried it for a hangover though."

"Try it! That gas station on Douglas usually has them."

"We'd pass that on the way back to my place from the club!" Abby looked at Tony excitedly.

"There's a good chance we're going to have to call our mommies and daddies to pick us up tonight, so I'm not so sure about a pit stop. I may be driving there, but I'm not planning on DDing. We're going out, we're all drinking. That's what cabs are for kiddos!"

"Damn it! I wish I was going with you guys, but we have the ultrasound in the morning," Parke said.

"What time is it?" Tony asked.

"8:45."

"Ouch. Yeah. That's not happening."

"Nope. Maybe next time. We all need to go out and celebrate once we find out what the sex of the baby is though. We doubt we'll know anything definitive tomorrow. Too early."

"Are you hoping for a girl or a boy?" Abby asked, leaning over the divider next to the plasma behind Jethro.

"Well, Tiff is hoping for a boy, but I'm rooting for a girl," he said with a bright smile.

Tim suddenly spun away from the filing cabinet where he was putting his files away, and one of them opened, spilling everywhere. Tony and Jethro's eyes met, and they both smiled sheepishly, and then turned back to their desks, trying to find something to do with themselves so that they didn't give their secret away.

Tim picked up his paperwork, trying not to look at Tony and Gibbs, afraid he was going to give up their secret. Thankfully his spill distracted Abby from them, because when he glanced up, he could see that Gibbs was actually blushing.

* * *

Tony was dressed for the night out, and was trying to get his hair to cooperate in the bathroom mirror. Jethro came to the doorway, leaning on the jamb, and checked him out with a smile. Tony looked back, feeling self-conscious in that way that Jethro made him when he stared at him with open appreciation. He chewed on his bottom lip, grinning into the mirror.

"Like what you see?" he asked, feigning confidence.

"Oh, yeah. Definitely. You never dress like this at work anymore. Don't get to see it very often."

Tony looked down at his black shirt over his red tshirt, and his antique-dark blue jeans. He smiled up at Jethro.

"The position requires a little something different," he said, shrugging. Jethro nodded.

"Yeah, it does. Doesn't mean I don't want to rip those clothes off of you on a regular basis too, but I really like casual Tony."

"I'll see what I can do about that," Tony said, rinsing his hands and then drying them quickly before stepping up to Jethro and slipping them around his waist. "You sure you don't want to come get all hot and sweaty on a dance floor with me for a while tonight?" he asked with a smirk.

"Mmmm. Tempting, but no. If you make it home before sunrise though, I can see me getting hot and sweaty with you doing other things."

"In that case, I'll make sure I'm home before sunrise. Or at least in time for a wake-up call."

"That could work," Jethro said, leaning forward to kiss Tony deeply. "Just don't expect me to pick your ass up in the middle of the night."

Tony laughed. "Will you take me back to get my car tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I think I can do that."

"Good. I gotta go. Abby and I are doing an impromptu dress up session with Dorney."

Jethro laughed. "Oh?"

"Yeah. Elly told us he was really nervous about going tonight, so we're going to see what we can do to boost his confidence a little."

Jethro leaned in and kissed him again. "You're really great with them, Tony."

"They're growing up so fast!" Tony joked.

"I thought we were busted today."

"I know!" Tony said, shaking his head. "I think we both turned red when Parke said he wanted a girl. I don't know how I'm going to keep it to myself if I get plastered and Abby starts prying tonight."

"I've been thinking about it, and that could end up being a nightmare," Jethro said, shaking his head. "If you get tempted, call me. I'm sure I can talk you out of it. That would be worth waking up in the middle of the night for."

"I can do that."

"Good," Jethro said, leaning in for another kiss. He didn't let Tony go though when the kiss was over, and Tony realized he had something on his mind.

"Whatcha thinking?"

"Can I ask you something?"

Tony was taken aback by that. "You know you can ask me anything."

Jethro nodded, and took a deep breath. "What number are you at today?"

Tony smiled. "Eight? Maybe even nine? You?"

Jethro smiled. "About a seven or eight."

Tony kissed him again, and it deepened. After a minute, he pulled back suddenly. "Okay! I so don't have time for where that's going, but hold that thought, and we'll pick it up in say eight or nine hours?" Jethro laughed as Tony broke out of his embrace and headed for the bedroom. Tony picked up a bag from the closet he had grabbed after work, and then gave Jethro another quick kiss before grabbing his lockbox, and heading out the bedroom door.

"Love you!" he called behind him.

"Love you, too! Behave!"

Tony came back to the bedroom door, giving Jethro a long once over. "Trust me, I know what I'm coming home to. I'll behave tonight because I know I get to come home and misbehave in the morning." He winked at Jethro and then jogged out to his car, running late.

* * *

Abby and Tony showed up at Ned's place half an hour earlier than they'd told him they would. They rang the buzzer, and Ned panicked. He wasn't anywhere near ready yet. He had no idea what he was going to wear, and he had pulled almost everything he owned from the closet. He'd tried on half of it, and he was fighting with himself about whether or not to text Elly for suggestions. As soon as Abby and Tony came through the door, they ushered him into his room.

"Thank god you guys are here! I don't have any idea what I'm doing. Maybe I just shouldn't go. This is already feeling like a disaster."

"No!" they both said at the same time.

"Elly is counting on us to be there. You have to go. No backing out," Abby said.

"Besides," Tony said. "We brought provisions. First things first, we need to discuss wardrobe. Now, I'm not one for stereotypes, but if there's anything dating men has taught me, it's a fashion sense. So, I grabbed a couple of shirts that would be suitable for this occasion, and Abby and I will help judge on which one will look best for tonight."

"Not to be a dick, but you definitely just out-gayed me," Dorney said, shaking his head.

"Eh. Maybe. Okay, we need pants. Abby, help me sift through this stuff." Abby and Tony started tossing through the clothes that were strewn around Dorney's bedroom.

"Tony! I think we may have something here!" She picked up a pair of black jeans, and held them up.

"Perfect. Will go with any of the shirts. As long as they aren't too tight or too loose, those should work. Okay, now we need a couple of shirts he can wear under one of these."

"Like t-shirts?" Dorney asked.

"Yeah," Tony said.

"Oh, I definitely have tshirts!" He opened a drawer in his dresser that was stuffed full of shirts in every color.

"You're right- I out-gay you." Tony squeezed Dorney's shoulder.

"Yeah. I would have at least expected them to be arranged by color," Abby joked, elbowing Dorney, making him laugh.

"What do you think, Abs?" Tony asked.

"Black, white, and that royal blue."

They handed the clothes to Ned, and sent him into the bathroom to get dressed. A few minutes later, he came out with the black jeans on, a black belt with it, a black button down shirt on over the blue tee.

"It's not bad!" Tony said.

"No. It doesn't look bad, but thinking about it, you're both in black shirts. That's weird. Next," Abby demanded, shooing Ned back to the bathroom.

"Good call," Tony said as the door shut behind Ned. A couple of minutes later, he opened the door again. This time, he was in the white tee with a white and purple pinstriped button down over it.

They looked at each other with a nod. "That might be the one," Abby said.

"Yeah, it might be. The last shirt is my favorite though." Tony pointed back to the bathroom. Ned turned around with a sigh.

Once behind closed doors, he put the black tee on, and slipped the last shirt in the bag on over it. He looked at himself in the mirror, and he froze. It was the same exact shade of gray as his eyes, and he had to admit that it did something for him. He left the top and bottom buttons unbuttoned, and then rolled the sleeves up a third of the way. He slipped his hands in his pockets, and he got that feeling that he felt when he was in MTAC. He was suddenly comfortable in his skin.

He stepped out into the bedroom.

"I'm wearing this one," he said. Abby and Tony stared at him a long moment.

"Yeah. You're definitely wearing that one," Tony said, taken aback at how the shirt not only did something for Ned, but the sudden confidence that came with it.

Abby reached over and smacked him in the back of his head, startling him as he reached to rub it, stopping only as he remembered his hair was gelled.

"Jeez, Abby!"

"That's from Gibbs," she said.

"Sure it was! No offense kid, but you're not really my type," he said, addressing Dorney. "However, that shirt definitely does something for you."

"I kind of think so, too. Now we just need to figure out shoes."

They looked through the pile of shoes in the bottom of the closet until they all agreed on a pair, and then Tony and Abby got him in front of the bathroom mirror with something Tony had to make his curls sleek and shiny. When Abby was finished playing with the curls and getting them just right, she sat the stuff on the sink ledge, and the three of them looked back at each other in the mirror.

"Mission complete!" Abby said with a grin, high-fiving Tony over Dorney's head while he rolled his eyes.

"Let's go!" Tony said, and ushered them out the door.

* * *

Elly was grinning from ear to ear when he walked into the club at 1900. He'd gotten a forty minute nap, started sipping on Abby's CafPow, took a shower, got dressed, and then ran through the track list one more time. He was stoked, and he couldn't wait to meet DJ Rise. He admitted to himself that he was a little star struck, and then told himself to tone it down.

Christopher met him at the door where a burly man was starting to approach him that couldn't look more like a bouncer if he tried. Elly knew he was fine, but the man was intimidating, even with his police, karate, and FLETC training.

"Elijah!" Christopher said happily.

"Hey, Christopher! How's it going?" he said, taking Christopher's hand in a sliding handshake.

"Everything's going pretty smoothly so far. Elijah, I want you to meet Nick. Nick, this is Elijah. He's guest DJing tonight."

"Nice to meetcha, Elijah. Christopher was telling us about you. We're lucky he came across you! You're saving our asses."

Elly shrugged, and shook Nick's offered hand with a smile. Once Nick knew who he was, he grinned in a way that was so friendly that he seemed harmless, though Elijah wasn't fooled by that for a moment.

"Nick is one of my co-owners," Christopher said.

"One of your co-owners?" Elly asked.

"Yeah, I have fifty percent of the company, and the rest is split evenly between Nick and my lead bartender Tyson, who is already instructed to give you anything you want tonight."

Elly froze, then forced himself to relax.

 _Nah, it couldn't be,_ he thought. _That would be too fucked up._

"Why don't I give you the tour while we have a minute?" Christopher said.

"Yeah! Sounds great." He followed Christopher around the club, checking out the back room and the new patio level on the roof. The light system was first rate with multiple color and strobe settings, and he was anxious to play with it and figure out the controls. He'd used a couple of similar systems, but they weren't nearly as large as the one in the club. He felt like a kid in a candy store, other than the nagging fear in the back of his mind about this Tyson guy.

"So this is Elijah!" A voice suddenly said from behind them. Elly turned around with Christopher and Nick, and saw a man a few years older than him approaching them. He was an inch shorter than Elly's own 5'10", with dark hair, dark eyes, and whereas Elly was a more lean-muscular, this man was bulkier with large biceps. He wore a tight black t-shirt and black skinny jeans, but his body was adorned with glow necklaces and bracelets. Elly knew immediately it was Rise.

"Yeah! Hey!" he said, trying to maintain his cool.

"Awesome! I'm Michael, or Rise as I'm known around here. You can call me whichever."

"Just don't call him Mike," Christopher said with laughing eyes.

"Oh, _hell_ no! I'm no ' _Mike'_. I'd rather be 'Hey Ugly!' than Mike. If you want to make an enemy, call me Mike. I'd rather not make enemies with you though," he said, giving Elly a once over that made him chuckle shyly.

"I'll do my very best to remember that," Elly said, unable to keep from flirting back.

"Has Christopher shown you how to work the light system yet?" Rise asked.

"Not yet," Elly said, looking between him and Christopher.

"I have to do a couple of things up here, but I can come down and show you in about five minutes if you want."

"Sure," Elly said, trying to rein in the overwhelming need to lay on the charm.

"I'll see you at the tables in a few then," Rise said with a smile, and gave Elly an obvious once over before heading over to the sound system.

"I'm going to go get back to work," Christopher said with a smirk. "Feel free to roam anywhere you please!"

"Thanks!" Elly watched him leave, and then headed downstairs. He stood back by the sound tables, watching the bar for the bartender, and barely looked at the system.

It only took a couple of minutes before Rise came down the stairs and beamed a bright smile at Elly, who returned it uncontrollably. He told himself to remember that he hadn't hit his year yet, and that he was trying to figure out what he felt for Ned. Looking at the man approaching him, his didn't give a damn about the two months left of his one year. It wasn't until he thought about how Ned was branching out of his comfort zone to come support him that night that he felt the blazing infatuation go into sizzle mode.

The two of them worked on the system for a few minutes, and they turned up a track so that Rise could demonstrate how the lights could be synced with the music. Elly still enjoyed how Rise leaned in extra close in order to speak to him over the loud music, but he was able to react a little more confidently to it. Five years earlier, and Elly knew he would be sticking to the older man like a magnet, fawning over him whenever he had the chance, but tonight, he realized just how far he had come, and it made him feel oddly good about himself.

After they finished going over everything, Elly left a couple of tracks running on a much lower volume to fill the empty building with some life. More people filtered in, heading for a locker room behind the bar, laughing and joking.

"Let's grab a drink before they get too busy with prep," Rise suggested.

"Sure," Elly said, following Rise to the counter. He'd completely forgotten his worry about the bartender until he saw a tall man with dusty brown hair come out from around the corner from the back room.

Elly's heart stopped, and he suddenly didn't feel so great. It really was a small world. He couldn't believe his eyes.

The man approached him and Rise, his eyes locked on Elly's in surprise. He looked somewhat confused as well, and Elly wondered if he might be trying to remember his name.

"Hey!" the man greeted, looking only at Elly, and completely ignoring the other DJ next to him. "What are you doing here?" he asked in a friendly tone that betrayed his confusion. "Wait!" he suddenly said, even more shocked than a moment before. "You're _that_ Elijah?" He asked.

"Hey, Tyson," Elly said, surprising himself with how nonchalant he sounded.

"You two know each other?" Rise asked.

"Sorta," Elly said, smiling broadly at Rise. "We met last year. Weren't you tending at The Blue Note?" he asked.

"Yeah! A friend of mine owns it. I help her out sometimes when she's desperate. Club is only open Friday through Sunday, so I have a lot of free time on my hands. Didn't Christopher say you're a federal agent?" Tyson asked. Elly could see the pieces coming together in his head.

"Yeah! Some of my team is coming tonight to hang out with me." Elly turned towards Rise with a smile that he found being returned with a sense of intrigue.

"I hope I have a chance to meet them," Rise told Elly.

"That would be nice," he agreed, leaning back on the counter to give Rise his attention instead of Tyson. "Our forensic scientist is coming too. She's awesome, and I actually sent her one of your recent mixes last week."

"Oh?" Rise asked, suddenly looking flattered in a way that Elly found honestly endearing.

"Yeah! I have the Thundercloud Adrenaline Mix on my iPod right now. She really liked it!"

A stream of voices came rushing out of the room behind the bar as a long line of people came out.

"You two want anything before we start breaking the place in?" Tyson asked.

"Yeah!" Rise said. "I'd love a tall glass of Jack and Coke over ice that I can sip on for a while."

"Got it!" a blonde chick called over her shoulder at them.

"And you?" Tyson said, smiling at Elly.

"I think I'll do a Goose with cranberry."

"Coming right up!" Tyson turned around and grabbed a bottle and glass, and Elly watched him closely. As soon as the bottle was put away, he turned back to Rise.

"As much as I love Thundercloud, Rev It Up is an all time favorite," Elly said before turning casually to take his drink from Tyson. "Thanks!" he said, then turned back to watch that look come over Rise again that he got at the mention of his work. He stopped looking confident and cocky, and seemed genuinely interested in what Elly was saying, and not just what he appeared to be.

"That was one of my _first_ recordings!" he responded excitedly. "Working with Rick Martinez was like a dream come true! It was so awesome! We mixed it twenty times that day. And his vocals weren't _touched_ with autotune. He is pitch-freakin'-perfect! I love that track. It's my first real labor of love. The others were just demos, but when he called me it was like the world stopped on a dime, and my dreams came true."

"He does have an _incredible_ set of pipes," Elly agreed, excited by how impassioned he was able to make the man next to him. He saw the way his eyes twinkled, and he was touched that he could do that.

"I'm actually going to be doing a collaboration with him and Noyz in two weeks. It's going to be this eerie, almost hollow sounding track for my album coming out in February called Winter Chill."

"Nice! She's got a hell of a voice, too! That's gonna be sick!"

"Have you ever recorded anything?"

"Nope. Love the tables, but my life is definitely in the field. Doesn't leave time for much else."

Rise sat his drink on the bar and pulled out his phone. He grinned as he pressed the screen a few times. "Gimme you info, and when I get the final details of our studio date for recording "Empty", I'll give you a call. You can come chill with us. Would love your input."

"Really?" Elly asked, feeling himself about to bubble out of his skin. He tried to stay collected, but it was extremely hard, and he knew he failed to at least some extent. "That would be awesome!" He gave Rise his number and email address, and he watched him choose a bright blue and green swirling neon graphic for the photo to identify him by in his contact list.

"Got it," Rise said, smiling up at Elly. "I should get upstairs, but trust me, you'll hear from me soon! If your friends are still around at closing time, come find me. I'd love to meet them."

"Definitely," Elly said, watching Rise walk away backwards a few steps before turning around and practically bouncing away. He waited for him to leave his view, and then started moving away from the counter when a voice called after him.

"Federal agent, huh?"

Elly turned back to Tyson, the smile gone from his face. He nodded slowly. "Yeah."

"Guess that explains the handcuffs," Tyson said, grimacing and looking away.

"Yeah. Most people don't just carry them around for fun."

Tyson nodded, and Elly shrugged.

"Kind of forgot they were back there. It was just a night of one mistake after another."

Tyson half-chuckled and half-scoffed. "Guess I deserve that."

"No, you deserve a lot _worse_ than that." If looks could kill, Elly would have murdered Tyson three times over at that point, and he could tell that the blonde that had made Rise's drink had seen it, because she was suddenly watching them fairly discreetly in the mirrored glass behind the bottles in front of her. "But like I said, it was just one of those nights that I made one mistake after another, and trusting you was right there on top of that list. At least I've learned from it. More than I can say for you from what I've been told." Elly watched Tyson swallow as the words hit home, and then turned around and headed for the tables. He needed something to help his mood bounce back, and he knew just the song.

He slipped his jacket off, tossing it over a small table behind him, took a long gulp from his drink, and flipped through the track list. Thirty seconds later, and the song that was playing faded out seamlessly into a bass pumping energizing song that had him grinning from ear to ear. He cranked it up, set the lights, made a few sound adjustments, and then looked at his phone to check the time. He only smiled larger when he saw the text message from Rise.

:) The doors are all open, and I hear you loud and clear! I'm honored. You getting "revved up"?

Hell yeah! :)

Rock on! Have fun tonight!

You too!

Elly closed out of the messages and saw the background on his phone. His team smiled back at him, and he sighed happily. He couldn't wait for them to be there. He knew they couldn't protect him from his past mistakes, but just being around them made him feel great about his choices since, and he really needed that at the moment.

He opened his conversation history with Ned, and after re-reading a few messages, he added another.

You're still coming, right?

Definitely! Abby and Tony just got here and I'm getting ready. See you soon!

Elly sighed in relief and smiled.

You'd better be! See you soon Ned.

Elly stared at the picture again for a long moment before he realized he was only staring at Ned. He felt a rush of something in his stomach that he couldn't really say was unpleasant, and his heart was racing suddenly. As awesome as Rise was, he didn't manage to create the butterflies feeling that Ned was making him feel, and Elly sat his phone down with a shake of his head.

He decided he may as well admit it- he was falling in love.


	26. Chapter 26

Abby, Tony and Dorney made their way to the entry of the club, surprised by the line of people already waiting outside. Dorney texted Elly to let him know they were there and would be in soon.

"Looks like business is good," Tony said, smiling at Abby who nodded, wrapping her arm around Tony's.

"Awesome! There's nothing worse than a thin crowd at a club. Who wants to dance when no one else is dancing?"

"Oh, no. You guys aren't expecting me to actually dance, are you?" Dorney asked, looking terrified suddenly.

"Well, yeah!" Abby said. "You can't be in a club full of techno-punks without dancing. You don't have to dance _with_ anyone, you just kinda get to dance with _everyone_. It'll totally be fine!" She saw the skeptical look on Dorney's face and her own cocked to the side with a reassuring smile. "I promise. Get a drink, let it do its thing, and then come out onto the floor with us."

Dorney took a deep breath and nodded. "I can do this. I can do this," he chanted.

"Yeah you can!" Tony said with a smile and a pat on his back. They suddenly saw Christopher come out to talk to one of the bouncers, looking around. The bouncer came down the line and up to them.

"You're Elijah's friends?" he asked.

"Yeah?" Tony asked, looking back and forth at his cohorts.

"Christopher says you guys can come on in," he said, nodding for them to come to the front of the line. They exchanged looks as they followed the beefy man to the door. "I'm Nick. If you need anything, you just let me know. Word is you folks are Feds."

Tony nodded when Nick looked back at him.

"We love having cops and such in here. Keeps the cokeheads and x-fiends away. I'd have to say a third of this line won't get in tonight because they think they're going to make it through these doors to get high as a kite and bump. Not happening." He didn't lower his voice at all, and the three exchanged yet another look, knowing he was doing it intentionally.

Ned looked over his shoulder and watched two young women step out of line, looking back at them as they went. Parke had helped him recognize when people were saying things more for the benefit of those around them rather than who they were talking directly to, and he felt proud to have picked up on this one. It gave him the slight boost of confidence he needed as he made it through the door and saw the crowd on the floor.

Music was blaring around them, a strong beat with electronic rhythm over it that Ned found himself bobbing his head to automatically. He recognized the song, but couldn't place it. Lights danced around the room in various colors, a purple light pulsing in time with the bass underbeat. He smiled at Abby and Tony, and Abby led them up to the bar. Christopher made his way through the team of bartenders, and smiled broadly at them.

"I'm glad you guys made it out! Elijah really has the place up! Wish I could keep him." He leaned forward against the bar so that they could hear each other.

"This is awesome! Congratulations!" Abby said loud enough to be heard by all of them.

"You're telling me! Packed house and it's only 9:30? Awesome is an understatement!" Christopher's grin doubled, and he chuckled a giddy laugh. "Your drinks are on me tonight, but your cab is on you!" He shouted with a wink as he walked away.

"Thanks!" they all hollered back. Christopher pointed out the trio to a bartender that nodded in understanding, and approached them with a friendly and eager smile.

"I'm Tyson. I heard you're my VIPs for the night! Anything you want, let me know. What can I start you out with?"

"I'm going to stick with beer," Tony shouted.

"Are you a craft fan?" Tyson asked.

"Sure. Not a big stout fan though," Tony answered.

"I have just the thing for you. Try it and tell me if you like it," he said pouring a mug from tap.

"And what for you gorgeous?" he asked Abby.

"I'm feeling fruity. Maybe something green apple-ish or watermelon."

"Are you thinking shots or mixed drink?"

"Mixed."

"I've got a watermelon spritz, which is like a watermelon vodka, Sprite thing."

"Oooo! Let's do that!" she said, hopping as she turned to Dorney. "And he needs something strong enough to get him on the floor," she announced.

The bartender handed Tony's beer off laughing. "Let me know what you think," he said. "So we need a footloose for you, huh?"

Tony noticed his eyes sparkling a little as he took Ned in, and smirked to himself. _Bartender has a thing for the shy ones,_ he thought. He sipped his beer to taste it, and found he really liked it. He watched the situation unfold as Dorney smiled shyly at Tyson, and moved closer to the bar to be heard.

"Yeah, dancing isn't really my thing, or crowds really. I'm just here to support Elly," he said, then caught himself, realizing that only the team and MCRT called him that. "Elijah, the DJ, is a friend of ours."

"Oh! You're his team? That's why Christopher… oh! I get it now! He's tearing it up tonight!" He looked over at the turntables with a nod. The group all followed his gaze to find Elly standing behind the large black tables with headphones over his head, his shoulders moving as he danced in place while he operated the controls.

Ned smiled at the sight. Elly looked really happy, and it was good to see. Tony noticed it too. The overflowing energy Elly usually tapped out with a foot or a pencil as he concentrated was completely at home in the role, moving as he focused on what he was doing. Tony smiled at Ned as they shared a look and a nod.

"So are you more the flavored stuff, bitter, shots…?" Tyson asked Ned.

"Uh, I guess something kinda fruity?" he said with a shrug, and Tony almost laughed out loud at the nod and expression on Tyson's face.

"You like coconut?" he asked. Ned nodded. "Gotcha."

They watched Tyson pour the drinks he made for Abby and Ned, and Tony noticed that he made Ned's especially strong. A certain protective feeling came over him as he considered that. The bartender was trying to get him wasted, and he knew he was going to have to keep an eye on him. On one hand, it could be just what Ned needed to unwind, but on the other hand, he could be a little naïve, and he didn't want to see his baby agent get taken advantage of.

Both Abby and Ned sipped at their drinks, and gave their approval. Tyson smiled as they both responded well to his concoctions, and they all excused themselves to go see Elly.

They approached the tables, and Elly looked up with a bright smile, holding up one finger as he pushed a couple of buttons to line up the next two songs. They joined him, and he reached out to hug Abby as she practically squealed.

"This is so cool!" she shouted. Elly beamed at her, and hugged her tightly.

"Thanks!" he shouted back.

Tony saw just how happy Elly was up close now. His eyes shone and were dilated, and Tony could tell that he hadn't stopped smiling all night. His head kept moving with the music while they said their hellos.

"You've got the floor packed!" Tony shouted, smiling back. He was glad that Elly had this outlet. He wondered if he shouldn't do it more often. Their work was serious, and the look on Elly's face at the moment was anything but.

"I know! I'm stoked! Great turn out tonight!" Elly turned his attention to Ned. "Hey! So? You hanging in there?" he asked with a smirk.

"So far, so good. Tyson made me some kind of slushie that tastes like I belong in Tahiti, and these two haven't dragged me out on the dance floor, so the panic hasn't started yet," he said directly into Elly's ear as he leaned forward.

"Don't worry! You could always hang out up here with me if the floor isn't your thing!" he shouted back with a comforting smile. He could see the relief on Ned's face, and knew he had just said the magic words. He looked over at the bar to see if he could spot Tyson. He wasn't sure he liked the fact that he was already on a first name basis with his friends. He turned his attention back to Ned, and was surprised he was dressed to fit in as well as he did, though he had a feeling Tony had helped with that.

"Come dance with me!" Abby encouraged Ned.

"Let me drink this first. I think I need some liquid courage. You two go ahead," he said.

Tony saw the slightly imploring look in Dorney's eyes as he glanced at him and then Abby, and decided to bail him out for now.

"Come on, Abs, let's go!" He sat his almost empty beer on the table behind Elly, and Elly reached forward to monitor some controls on the tables, making a change and putting his headphones on for a moment to check them. He nodded and took them back off, turning to Ned.

"Tastes like Tahiti, huh?" he asked with a smirk.

"Wanna try it?"

"Sure!" he took the tall glass from Dorney, surprised he was going to share a glass with him without something to scrub it down with. He found it rather intimate, and tried to steer his mind away from that train of thought. He admired the colors for a moment before taking a taste. His eyes widened at how strong it was, but he nodded. It did taste good. "That's definitely gonna get your ass on the floor. Wow, that's strong!"

"Abby told the bartender that I needed something to help me loosen up, and this is what I got."

"Yeah! That'll do it! Whew… " he took another taste before handing it back to Ned. He hoped if he drank a little more of it, Ned wouldn't. He knew Tyson's tactics well, and he didn't trust him as far as he could throw him with someone he cared about. Like Tony, his protective instincts kicked in, only tenfold.

He had to turn back to the music for a few minutes, and he motioned for Ned to come check out the collection to see if he had any requests. He started explaining to him how everything was done, and with his usual rapt attention, Ned hung on to every word as he slowly drained the highball in his hand. Elly watched the glass grow empty, and finally his protective nervousness started winning over. He reached out with a smile, asking silently for another drink. Ned smiled and handed it off. He took a large gulp, and then held out the glass for Ned to take as he shook it off, puckering his face, which made Ned chuckle.

Abby bounded up to the tables with Tony in tow. They were caught up in the energy of the place, and Abby grabbed Dorney's hand, not asking before pulling him out on the floor. Ned shot a panicked look at Elly who just gave him two thumbs up and smirked as he went back to the turntable, watching the countdown until the current track was over so he could play Dorney's request.

He watched the group fade into the edge of the crowd, but not too deep, and started a crossover fade into Ned's song. The song started with a mix of rock and electronica, and he smirked as Ned looked through the crowd to smile at him. He nodded and went back to the controls, jamming to the song as he set up the next few and monitored the controls for the bass, treble and colored lights.

Ned took a deep breath, smiling as he initially just moved his shoulders and head a little to the song. Abby soon grabbed his hands and seconds later, he felt like the drink suddenly kicked in, switching off every inhibition, and he found himself jumping with Abby while his song played.

Tony smiled and danced with them, glad that they were able to break Dorney out of his shell a little more. He had gotten used to seeing Dorney serious and focused at work now, and he'd been afraid he had been shutting down all of the little things that made him relax. The results had been great for him as an agent, but there had to be a separation, and he felt like tonight was his way of showing him that they don't have to be so serious all of the time.

Twenty minutes later, Ned excused himself to the bathroom, and Tony and Abby hit the bar for a refill. When Ned came back, he went to the turntables to check in with Elly and finish the drink he had waiting for him there.

"You seem to be having a good time out there," Elly said with a teasing tone, his tongue sticking out as he focused on the controls before shooting a smile at Ned, who smiled back shyly, embarrassed to think that anyone had been watching him. Elly reached forward and punched him in the arm. "Loosen up. It's good for you! You deserve a little playtime."

Ned looked up to find something in Elly's eyes he had never seen before, but that expression changed to a fake plastic smile as he looked past him at something. He turned to see what it was, and he saw Tyson bringing him another highball full of the colorful Tahitian tasting drink.

"Your compadres came up for refills, but you didn't come with them. Thought I'd bring one to you." Ned took the few steps over to Tyson with a smile. Elly moved to stand with him, leaving his headphones on the hook on the tables.

"Hey, Elijah! You want me to bring you anything?" Tyson asked. Ned was confused by the fake smile on Elly's face and the sudden smirk on Tyson's.

"Nah, I'll just share Ned's. They're plenty strong for the both of us," he said with an edge to his otherwise pleasant voice.

Ned knew something was wrong, and was taken by surprise when Elly's hand ended up in his, and he was pulled back towards the turntable. He felt heat rush up his arm , and his head swam. He wasn't sure what to think about the sudden possessive nature Elly was showing. He had wondered if he was picking up on something over the past couple of weeks, but had brushed it off. Elly had never eluded that he was anything but straight, and with all of the conversations they had had, he pretty much figured it would have been mentioned by now. But he had his hand in his, holding it tightly, and he was confused as Elly took the drink and downed a third of it without asking. He handed it back and let go of his hand as he reached for his headphones. Once they were on his head, he put his hand on the small of Ned's back, and Ned felt even more confused.

Elly put one finger up to tell him to hold on while he took care of the sound, and then took the headphones back off, biting his lower lip a little before leaning in to talk in Ned's ear.

"Tyson is into you, but he doesn't play safe, and he doesn't play fair." He pulled back to look into Ned's eyes to see if he understood. It took a moment, but then those gray eyes widened as the light bulb went on in his head. Elly leaned back in. "Sorry. I'm a little over-protective of the people I care about."

He looked back into Ned's eyes for a moment, chewing on his lip again before turning back to the music. Ned stopped him though by taking his hand again. Elly looked back up at him, suddenly feeling very unsure of himself. Ned leaned in to talk directly into his ear, sending a shiver down his back and making his eyes close.

"How do you know?" Ned knew he wouldn't have asked sober, he knew he wouldn't have taken Elly's hand back, but he felt like it was what he needed to do.

Elly took a deep breath. "Can I tell you later?" The pleading in his eyes was obvious to even Ned, and he nodded. Elly smiled at him. "Thanks," he mouthed, not even trying to shout.

Ned squeezed his fingers, and smiled back. He was afraid of what he was going to find out, and he was suddenly very glad he wouldn't know until later. He wasn't sober enough to keep his head on straight if he had found out Tyson had somehow hurt his friend. He reached for his drink, his other hand still in Elly's. When he looked down at the turntable to see what was happening, sipping on the fruity mixture, Elly leaned in, chuckling in his ear.

"I kinda need my hand back to do this," he said. Ned blushed hard as he realized he had never let go, but he laughed. "Go dance!" Elly said, taking the drink from him and shoving him out from behind the tables with a smile. He sipped on the glass, and shook his head as he set up another set.

Tony and Abby had watched the entire scene unfold. Abby was able to read their lips as they talked to Tyson, and she looped her arm through Tony's as they both realized Tyson was bad news and Elly was stepping in. They stared in shock as Elly pulled Ned away by the hand, and then watched the tender way they talked to one another and shared the drink Tyson had brought.

"Whoa!" Abby shouted. Tony was glad it was masked by the music and noise. "What the hell!?" she asked.

"I don't know, Abs. I don't think they're actually, you know, a thing. I think it's an act. God, I hope Elly knows what he's doing. Dorney doesn't know how to decipher between- oh damn." Ned had just taken Elly's hand again and leaned in.

"Oh, God. It's a train wreck. I can't look away." Abby tried to look up at Tony, but she couldn't. Her eyes darted between her friends' linked hands and the way Dorney was leaning in. She huddled closer to Tony, and Tony huddled back as they watched as Elly smiled at him, and Dorney smiled back. When they didn't let go of each other's hands, Abby finally turned to Tony, mouth wide open in shock.

"Okay, what the hell," Tony agreed. They watched Elly take Dorney's drink, and Tony shook his head at the bright smile they shared before Dorney made his way back into the crowd of dancing people. Abby turned to him.

"What are you going to do?" Abby asked, eyes wide.

"We don't know anything yet. We just need to wait until they're not downing Tahitian slushies and ask them. I know they're getting close, but we're all getting close. I had no idea this was even a possibility. I have never heard Elly say a word either way about whether or not he's gay or straight or bi or whatever." Tony looked up over Abby's shoulder at Elly as he bopped along to the track that was playing, and laid out future selections. The shit eating grin he was wearing told him he was screwed.

Both Abby and Tony suddenly reached for their pockets and pulled out their phones.

"Ugh!" Abby said. "Case. I gotta go. Glad I haven't gotten very far into this thing yet." She held up her glass that she'd only taken one drink from, and Tony looked at the beer in his hand only a fourth gone.

"I'll drive ya. Won't be able to have fun anyway if I know Jethro is out on a case."

"What did yours say?" she asked with a smirk and a hip bump.

Tony smiled from ear to ear. "Got a case. Love you."

"He looooooovveesss you!" Abby teased.

"Well, that is the point of living together, getting married, all of that stuff. Oh, and the awesome sex. Can't forget the awesome sex." He left Abby standing still in shock as he headed for Elly. She caught up with him and took his arm again.

"Can we talk about that in a little more detail? I don't think I understand. I'm pretty sure I need an explanation, you know for purely scientific reasons, with lots of minute details."

Tony laughed and Elly turned to greet them. "Hey, hey!"

"We gotta go. Gibbs caught a case, and I gotta take Abby to work."

"That really sucks! Hope it's a quick close."

"Yeah, me too. Tell Christopher I said thanks for the drinks, and that his new place is awesome. We'll have to come back some day. Maybe give you another chance behind these tables," Tony said with a smirk.

Elly nodded with a bright smile. "Hey, are you taking Dorney with you?"

Tony eyed him suspiciously. "Should we?"

"Nah. Let him stay. I'll make sure he gets home safe. He's loosening up a little bit. I think it's doing him some good."

Tony nodded, exchanging looks with Abby. "Okay. Text me when you get home later to let me know everyone made it there in one piece, will ya?"

Elly nodded with a smile. "Will do, Dad." Tony reached out and smacked him in the back of the head, and they all laughed.

"Okay, we gotta go. Have fun!" Tony and Abby made their way through the crowd and to the door.

Ned saw them leaving, and left the crowd to go ask Elly what was going on. He came up on the platform, and Elly smiled brightly at him. He smiled back, feeling his face getting warmer, and was suddenly really glad he was probably already red and sweaty from the dance floor.

"Where did Abby and Tony go?" he asked.

"Gibbs' team caught a case. Tony's going to take Abby to NCIS."

"Is he coming back?" Ned asked.

"Nope! You're stuck with me!"

Ned smiled and reached for the melting glass of slush. "There are worse things," he said before taking back another drink, his eyes full of mischief in a way that made Elly chew on his bottom lip again as he smiled from ear to ear.

Elly really enjoyed hanging out with Ned as they chose tracks together and decided what color to make certain lights. He was feeling his share of the slushie, and another one appeared for both of them, this time brought by a woman with long blond hair and a low cut shirt. He looked across the bar, and saw Tyson look up at him with a shrug. He nodded back, wondering if he had really gotten his point across not to mess with Ned, but feeling like the battle was not quite won.

The night wound down, and he was feeling pretty amazing. The re-opening had been a huge success, and he felt like he had played a big part in that. People had been coming up to the table all night, stopping in to make a request or chat, and Ned had stayed by his side through the entire thing.

He hadn't meant to admit that he was into him, but as the night went on, he found himself being more and more touchy-feely, leaning closer, whispering when talking would have worked, and he kept catching himself, telling himself not to lead Ned on. He hadn't hit his year yet, and they had a million things standing in the way of a relationship between them.

He realized that this had snuck up on him, and he wouldn't really be able to get a handle on it until he was sober again. He prayed he could convey that to Ned when he needed to, but it was getting harder and harder to keep his hands to himself, and he felt the liquor hitting him hard.

He was grateful when last call came a few minutes before three, but another slushie ended up on each side of the sound system. He decided not to drink his, but share Ned's instead, and he loved the way Ned smiled at him, watching his lips as he took a drink, and then drank from the same glass seconds later.

He changed the pace of the music to something a little slower, and set the last few tracks. Ned was extremely drunk next to him, reaching to change the color of the lights, turning up the blues. The dancing on the floor changed to couples hanging onto each other, and singles and groups swaying together with what was left of their last drinks. Ned's head landed on his shoulder, and he smiled despite himself, and rested his head against it. He turned and wrapped his arms around Ned's waist, pulling him closer, and dancing slowly with him.

He felt like the world was spinning around him. No matter how much his brain told him to step back and put space between them, he couldn't. It felt too good, too much. He wanted so much more, and he tried to warn himself that he was feeling the alcohol, feeling that usual clingy, needy feeling he let himself feel when he drank and the walls came down. When he opened his eyes to look at Ned, whose head was still on his shoulder, he realized the room was spinning. He chuckled.

"Those drinks were wayyyy too strong. I think the Earth is going to toss us off," he explained when Ned looked up. "That's how he works though," he added so softly he didn't think Ned would hear, but he did.

"He doesn't have a shot in hell," Ned said, laying his head back on Elly's shoulder. Elly's eyes closed, and he breathed Ned in.

 _Feels too good…_ he thought. _Well, as long as I keep my eyes closed at least._ The next song came on, and he had to adjust the bass, and that meant letting go of Ned.

"Gotta fix something," he said into Ned's ear and pulled back. He leaned on the edge of the table as he made the adjustments. The room didn't still much at all, and he was glad the lights would be going up soon. He didn't feel right.

 _It feels good, but... off,_ he thought.

He'd spent many nights passed out in random places as he recovered from near alcohol poisoning in college, sometimes under a bar or a turntable, but this was different. Sounds felt louder, and colors felt brighter, and that's when he saw the glass. He turned to Ned and saw that he was looking around in amazement at the way the colors danced around the room, and he pulled out his phone. He wasn't sure who else to call, so he hit Tony's speedial.

Elly couldn't hear Tony well at all when he answered, but he knew what he had to say. His mouth managed to form the words he needed to. "Boss, I need you back here. I think we've been given something."

Tony jumped up off the couch, grabbing his keys and stumbling half-awake to the lockbox for his gun and creds. "Given something? You mean like someone has slipped you a drug, Elly?"

"The colors, the sounds…"

"I'll be right there. Keep talking to me, Elly. Where's Dorney?" Tony's heart was pounding hard. He tore out of the driveway, not bothering to lock the front door behind him. He wondered if he should call EMS, but that would mean hanging up with Elly, and as of yet, it just sounded like his agent was as high as a kite, not in immediate medical danger.

"Mmmm… Dorney's here. With me." Elly started giggling, and Tony could hear Ned's voice next to him.

" _The lights are so blue. I love blue. Your eyes are so blue…"_

 _Awww, fuck,_ Tony thought. He looked at the clock on the dash and wondered why he still heard music in the background. Then he heard Christopher's voice, and sighed in relief.

"Elly, hand Christopher the phone, NOW."

"Mmmk, Boss."

"Hello?"

"Christopher? It's Tony DiNozzo. Someone has drugged my agents. Elijah just called me. I'm almost there."

"What?!" Christopher said, turning to take in Elly and Ned dancing in a slow circle together.

He had been busy on the new patio level most of the night, and had left Elly alone once he knew that things were going fine. The quieter VIP crowd was up top, and that's who he'd needed to cater to that night, but he had wanted to come down and personally thank Elly for keeping the floor packed. As he watched the two men, and the wild way they were looking around as they danced, he knew what he was looking at. He forced back his personal concerns, and focused on the guys.

"Shit. I'll stay here with them until you get here. The lights are about to go up, and they are going to get a rude awakening. I know what this is." He took Elly's phone and moved back a little bit so that the wall helped shield some of the noise. "When I was in the old building, we had an issue with the street drug Existence. It's a cross between Ecstasy and Rohypnol. The only thing people remember the next day is that they existed in some place that felt extremely good, or extremely horrible, depending on the experience, but it has some nasty long term effects. That's why we now search the bags and pockets of everyone coming in, but there's always ways. We figure people are keeping baggies in their bras and drawers, places we can't search. When these lights come up, they're going to be in pain. The combination of the two drugs creates a serious sensitivity to light."

Tony squinted at the lines on the road in front of him at the thought of being assaulted by really bright lights. "What about your bartenders? How many of them came with you from the old building?"

"More than half of them. Mandy, Sam, Gavin, Tyson, Bree, and of course Nick came with me."

Tony shook his head. "Don't let them leave. I'm almost there. Can you put Elly back on?"

Christopher turned back to Elly and Ned and found them on the floor behind the tables. "Uhh…"

"What?" Tony asked.

"Well, he's a little preoccupied at the moment with Agent Dorneget."

"Damn it! Can you try to get them apart, please?"

"I'll see what I can do. Hold on." Tony listened as Christopher pulled Elly up into a sitting position, and tried handing him the phone. Ned's hands kept stroking up Elly's side and leg, petting him.

"Hey, Boss," Elly said as the room spun around him. "You- you coming to get us?"

"Yeah, Elly. I need you to do two things for me. Are you listening?"

"Is listening one of the two things?"

"No, smartass."

"Then you need three things. Okay. Three things. The first is listeninnnnnnnnggg… oh, god honey! Not while I'm on the phone with the Boss! Okay. Second thing?"

Tony sat there in shock for a moment, his mouth hanging open, then shook it off. "I need for you to move ten feet from Dorney. Can you do that?"

"Ten feet from Ned? Why would I want to move ten… feet… from… mmmm…."

"Because the third thing I need for you to do is throw up."

"Oh." Elly said. "Yeah. I don't want to do that on Ned."

"Right," Tony said. "Now hand me back to Christopher, and move ten feet away, and throw up."

"Okey dokey." Elly thrust the phone up to Christopher, and tried to get to his feet. It didn't work, and he fell on top of Ned.

"Mmmm… I like this a lot better," he leaned in and took Ned's mouth in a deep kiss that he returned greedily.

Christopher watched and shook his head, glad that the crowd was too busy to notice what was going on. "It's me."

"Is Elly trying to throw up?"

"What?" Christopher asked in confusion until he considered the question. "Uh, no, he's making out with Agent Dorneget."

"Damn it! This is messed up. Can you… I don't know, throw a bucket of water on them?"

"Not around the sound equipment. I'd probably catch the place on fire. There's too much power running through this thing." Christopher reached down and grabbed Elly's arm, dragging him from Ned. "Come on Elijah," he half grunted, half said. "You're going to hate yourself tomorrow my friend." He got Elly about four feet from Ned, and then reached behind him for the small trash can kept there for the DJs.

Tony could barely hear Elly's voice in the background. "Oh, yeah. Sorry, Boss! Got distracted."

"I'm almost there, Christopher. Tell Nick I'm coming." Tony hung up the phone as he heard sounds of Elly retching in the background. Two minutes later, he pulled up right outside of the building, and one of the bartenders was warning Nick.

Nick followed him in. "God, I hope it's not Existence," he said softly.

"How much do you know about it?" Tony asked.

"You don't want those floodlights to come on if they aren't ready," he said shaking his head.

"That bad?" Tony asked.

"We used to know who's been taking it because of the screaming," Nick said with such a serious tone that Tony shivered.

 _What the hell is this stuff made out of? Vampire DNA?_ He wondered.

"Can we bring the lights up slowly?" he asked as he approached the table to find Elly up against the wall with the trashcan, looking like he was stoned out of his mind, his eyes glazed over and staring around the room. Ned however, was shaking on the floor against the turntables. The last song Elly had set up finally ended, and the crowd immediately started dispersing.

Christopher got up from where he'd been trying to calm Ned, and quickly moved to the controls on the wall nearby, stopping Tyson turning them on. He shook his head at him, and Tyson looked at him in confusion. Tony watched closely as genuine disbelief came over his face, and he looked towards the tables, understanding why the lights weren't going to be up quick and cold.

Tony was surprised to see him sincerely distraught. He was his number one suspect at the moment, and now he was a little more than confused. He had to think about his agents before he could consider the criminal though. He motioned for Nick to help, and together they pulled Ned up to a sitting position and situated him so that he was propped against the wall.

"Boss? I don't feel so good," he said. Tony nodded and handed the trash can to Ned, who immediately threw up. When he was finished, Tony retrieved the can, and Christopher moved to take it.

"No, leave it. I'll need the contents of their stomachs as evidence," he said grimly.

When he turned back around, Ned and Elly had stretched their arms out, and were holding each other's hands. He wasn't sure what was going on between them, or how much was just because of the drugs, but he knew that they deserved the comfort.

"We're going to have to bring the lights up. This place is too big, and I need to make sure it's empty," Christopher said regretfully.

"Can I get them out of here first?" Tony asked.

"Yeah. Come on, Nick, let's get them on their feet."

"Can I help?" a tentative voice asked. Tyson was standing there with his arms crossed like he was hugging himself, looking at the group.

"You were making their drinks tonight," Tony said, his voice cold and stern. Tyson looked at him with a fervent nod.

"I'd made their drinks all night. Elijah had cranberry and Goose when he got here, and then Ned had Fruity Almond Slushes. I had brought him the second one, but Elijah and I know each other, and I was kinda an ass the last time I saw him. I got the picture that he didn't want to see me, so I sent Mandy over with their next round, both slushes that time, and then Gavin with the last round."

"Kinda?!" Elly exclaimed. Tony held up his hand at Elly, who turned his head back towards Ned, chewing his lower lip nervously.

"How long ago was each round?" Tony asked, still not sure he was buying the innocent routine.

"Mandy's round was a little after 12:30, because she had just come back from her break. Gavin took the last round right before the last call slam."

"Has to be the last round. If they had it in the 12:30 round, they both would have been like they are now two or three hours ago," Christopher said.

"You really think we still have our troublemaker?" Tyson asked.

"I'd hoped we'd taken care of it, but apparently we didn't."

Tony noticed that Elly was pointing to something. He turned to see a tall glass of liquid, clear, orange and then frosty white slush on top.

"I shared Ned's. That was supposed to be mine," Elly said, breathing deeply, looking at Ned instead of Tony as he talked. He pushed himself so that he was a little closer to Ned, and when no one stopped him, he pushed again until he could pull him against him.

Ned's shaking was scaring Tony, and the way Elly was breathing scared him more. Tony watched as Elly ran his hand through Ned's hair and whispered. "S'okay. Shhh… s'okay. I gotcha." Tyson sniffled, and Tony turned to see him wiping his eyes as he walked away.

"What's his deal?" Tony asked Christopher.

"Tyson has been with me from the beginning. He, Nick and I are the only original staff left. When this whole thing started, and we were having a hard time staying afloat, Nick and Tyson became my business partners. Then the drug problem became pretty heavy. We lost a friend of ours. Tyson was especially close to him."

"He wasn't a user," Nick interjected. "He drank, oh boy did he drink, but he never used. It wasn't his thing. He played the room too, so we couldn't figure out who was the one that slipped it to him. We thought we'd gotten it down, kicked out people every night that we'd find tweaking or hear snorting in the bathrooms…"

"They're making a point," Ned suddenly said. He was still shaking, but his eyes were wide as they looked around the room, and Tony knew the high was really kicking in for him as well now that he'd gotten sick.

Everyone turned to look at the man in Elly's arms who'd been silent the entire conversation.

"They don't like having feds and cops here. Want us gone. Think we won't be around now." Ned's voice was hollow, and gave Tony the willies.

"Sounds like it. When did Gavin come on board?" he asked quietly.

"Only a few months before we closed the old building. He knows his liquors, has a good temperament, sometimes runs a little late getting here for prep, but he has a daughter and a day job. I can't see him getting into this, and it started long before he came on board."

Christopher and Tony both looked over at the bar to find the staff standing there watching. Nine bartenders and Rise were gathered, and each looked as forlorn as the next. Christopher squinted at the group.

"Where's Bree?" he whispered under his breath, then moved towards the bar. "Where's Bree?" he asked, his voice as demanding as Tony got in interrogation, and he felt impressed by the control he suddenly found the younger man had of his staff. The group looked around and realized who they were missing.

"I'll go check the back room for her purse and coat," Mandy said.

"I swear to God, if that bitch is the one behind all of this…" one of the other bartenders stated as Tony approached. He held up his hand to stave her off.

"What's Bree's full name?" he asked.

"Brianna Middle," Christopher answered, giving a glare to the woman who had started speaking, letting her know her comments weren't needed. "She's sassy, has a smart mouth, but knows her way around a last call better than most people I've worked with. She's just bitch enough to tell people they've had enough, but with a wink."

Tony nodded, and Mandy stormed out of the back room. "Her shit's gone."

"I want her address. As soon as I find out what's in this bucket of puke over here, I'm going after her." Tony was pissed, and he was surprised to find the rest of the staff was too. Their cheering tipped him off. Christopher ran his hand across his throat for them to shut up.

"We've got two guys over there in the middle of an Existence embalming. Do you mind?" he snapped.

"Our bad, Christopher. We're just happy to clear the air around here," Gavin said.

"I know. We're all ready for this to be over, Tony. Take her down, and let us know how we can help."

"First things first, I need to get that glass of whatever Elly was supposed to be drinking in a sealed container. What do you got?"

"Salt bucket?" Mandy offered. "We go through a lotta salt. We have empty tubs you can put it in."

"That'll work. Not exactly sterile, but neither is the trashcan. I'm going to steal their glasses, too."

"Whatever you need."

Ten minutes later, everything was packed up. Tony held Elly up while Nick held Ned, and they took them out and put them into Tony's backseat. They way his guys shielded their eyes from the streetlights reminded Tony of every vampire movie he had ever seen. He said goodbye to Christopher, and got behind the driver's seat. By time he looked into the back seat in the rearview, Ned was curled up in Elly's arms again, and they were both touching each other in awe. Ned's hands were outlining Elly's face as if memorizing it, and Elly was running his hands through Ned's curls over and over again.

He wasn't sure where to take them, so he settled on the Navy Yard since he had to drop off the evidence to Abby. He called her and waited for her to answer as he drove down the street slowly.

"Tony?" she answered. "What's up?"

"I'm on my way to the Yard. I have Ned and Elly with me. They were slipped a drug called Existence at the club tonight. Have you ever heard of it?"

"Oh, my god! Are they okay?" she asked.

"I think so. They've both gotten sick, and are getting to know each other in my back seat." He turned to face them. "Come on you guys! Keep it PG-13 for me! Damn it!" He turned back towards the road and shook his head, trying not to look into the rearview mirror as they started getting braver with their touches. "What do you know about this stuff, Abs?"

"It's not good! Someone is mixing roofies with X, and they have a really crappy list of side effects when you put them together. At first, it's apparently an incredible high, like you would get if you've taken X, but then the body becomes _too_ sensitive to things like sound and light, even taste and touch. However, the urge to touch is still there like you would have with normal X. It doesn't last long though because of how the Rohypnol metabolizes. And then the consumer isn't usually unable to remember anything from the three or four hours it lasts in the system until these nightmares start a day or two later. They usually last for weeks, though no one can prove why, but they're like, really vivid memories, and sometimes people say they're distorted in the creepiest ways."

"Sounds like they have a rough road ahead of them."

"They could have it much worse. Through the drug does get used recreationally, it's mainly a date-rape drug. People pass it off as regular X to someone, or slip it in their drinks. Most of the victims are then violently sexually assaulted, and with the extreme sensitivity to touch, it's excruciating. The nightmares are more flashbacks than anything, and they are so realistic that the victim literally _feels_ the trauma physically all over again."

"Christ. What did this bitch plan on doing?" he mumbled. "Listen, Abs, I'm bringing you a glass, the contents of that glass, and the contents of their stomachs."

"Get it here quick. The stomach acid pulls it apart, and it's hard to trace. Gibbs hasn't sent me any evidence yet. I don't know what they're doing, but they aren't here. If I can, I'll start your tests before I get it."

"We'll be pulling into the Yard in about ten minutes. Can you do anything to help the guys?"

"Urine samples for now. Hair samples in a week."

"And everything else?"

"That's going to be more for Ducky."

Tony nodded. "See you in ten Abby." He fumbled with the phone while he tried to drive, and dialed Ducky.

* * *

Elly felt Tony shaking him. His arms tightened around Ned, not willing to let him go.

"Come on, Elly. Abby needs a urine sample from both of you as soon as you can piss. The drugs are going to disappear soon."

Elly nodded, and the world spun again. The car was parked in the darkest corner of the parking lot, and Tony saw that Elly still shielded his eyes as he talked softly to the man in his arms.

"Ned? Ned, we gotta go see Abby. She wants our pee."

Tony watched his stoned agent try to tenderly disengage from Dorney, and he was torn between laughing and crying for them. He settled with patiently waiting.

Ned's eyes flipped open and he groaned, throwing his hand over them. "That hurts, Elly!"

"You guys are going to have a hard time with light for a few hours apparently. I'm sorry about that, but I still need for you to come in. He reached forward and opened the middle console of the car to pull out some sunglasses, handing them to Ned. "See if these help at all."

Elly squinted as he helped Ned put them on, and then Tony had to pull Elly out of the car physically as his hands started wandering.

"You're done groping each other in my car. Wait until you get inside at least." Elly reached for Ned, and grabbed his hand that was reaching out to him. He pulled Ned out of the car, and stood next to it so that they were leaning on one another.

"You know this is going to look really bad on tape if you both come in clinging to each other. I want one of you on one side of me, and the other on the other. We'll be inside soon enough." Tony didn't realize that by putting himself in the middle he was volunteering to be both of their pillows. Three steps towards the door, they both started leaning on him, hiding their faces in his arm from the light. He realized it was hopeless, and shifted so they could lean on each other.

They made their way inside, and Tony was glad that the light in the elevator was so dim. When they got into Abby's lab, she had all of the lights off except the lamp next to her computers on the lab counter.

"Tony!" she whispered, running up to stop Ned and Elly who were already heading towards her office. "Sit it on the table. How are you guys?" she whispered to them, then handed them cups.

"Abby?" Ned asked, trying to look at her, the confusion written on his face.

"Yeah, Ned," Elly said. "We're in Abby's lab. Pee?" he asked, holding the cup up to Abby. She nodded and pointed to her bathroom. Ned started following Elly, and Tony took his arm to stop him.

"I don't think so. You go in there together, and we're never going to get you out."

Ned turned to lean on Tony automatically, and Tony rolled his eyes. Abby stifled a chuckle, and Tony patted Ned's back gingerly, hoping that Elly hurried up. It only took a couple of minutes before Elly was back with a full cup.

Tony turned Ned over to Elly, who held up the second cup to him. "Okay, you gotta pee in the cup, Ned. Can you pee in the cup?"

Ned nodded, looking into Elly's eyes with a lost and confused look that made everyone's heart ache.

"Why are we here?" he asked, sounding like he was going to cry.

"Pee in the cup, and then we can talk. Okay? Go pee in the cup." Elly kissed him gently, making Abby and Tony look at each other. "It's okay. I'm going to be right out here, I promise. I'll be waiting for you."

Ned nodded, took the cup, and leaned in to kiss Elly quickly before trying to make his way to the bathroom. Elly turned and looked at him, shaking his head, before turning back to Tony.

"Boss? I need to lie down."

"Come with me," Abby said, leading him to the back room and unfolding the futon from its couch position. "Lie down here. I'll bring Ned in too when he's out."

"Good. Miss him," Elly said as he laid down. Abby threw the blanket she kept on the couch over Elly, and she turned around to find Tony leading Ned in.

Ducky's voice rang through the lab behind them, and Tony turned around to shush him as Abby led Ned over to the futon. Ducky grimaced, realizing his faux pas, and then joined them in the back room.

"Abigail, before they sleep, make them drink this." He handed her two large bottles of juice, and Abby sat the guys back up, handing them each a bottle.

He moved towards them and started checking their pulses. He handled them very gently, looking into their eyes, but forewent using his penlight. From what he had been told about the drug, that would have been torture. He realized that Elly was wheezing, and took the stethoscope out of his bag to listen to him.

"Anthony? How long ago did they consume the drug?"

"Our best estimate is 0300. When I got there at about 0335, Elly had already thrown up, and then a few minutes after I got there, Dorneget threw up. Soon after, I saw that Elly was breathing hard, and Ned was shaking, but both were responsive."

"Asthma," Elly said, shaking his head. "As a kid. Feels like that."

"Anthony, would you have one of your inhalers with you?" Ducky asked.

Tony grimaced. "I think there's one in my desk. Let me go check. Haven't had it replaced in close to a year though. I never need it."

"If you do not, we may need to take Elly in for a breathing treatment. I'd rather not put anything that strong into his system right now if we can help it. I'd rather try with the weaker dosed inhaler."

"Got it. Be back soon."

Tony took off for the bullpen, and Elly looked over at Ned next to him. Abby was able to get Ned to drink half the juice before he couldn't take anymore, and he was laying down, curled up against Elly. Elly began running his fingers through the curls of the man against him. "Can I lay down, Ducky? I really want to lay down."

"How much do you think you consumed Elijah?" Ducky asked.

Elly looked at his fingers, measuring out a couple inches of the six inch glass. "This much?"

"Looks like twelve ounce glasses, Ducky," Abby said, thinking about the bag Tony had set on her counter. "That would be about four ounces."

"And how much had Agent Dorneget consumed?"

"The rest?"

"Well, that certainly explains why you are so much more coherent than he is. Go ahead and lie back until Anthony returns with the inhaler."

Elly did, immediately curling around Ned and holding him tightly.

Ducky and Abby went out into the lab. "Abigail, I'm not sure I quite understand what is happening here. I didn't know they were so close."

"We didn't either until tonight. They were showing signs before they were ever given the drug that their relationship was more than we'd known about."

Tony came rushing through the door just in time to hear her say it. "I don't think they knew about it before tonight either, Duck. I have it. Brand new, never used, but eleven months old."

"Ah, not a problem. Let's go get your agent to use it."

"I need to get started on the tests of the stomach contents," Abby said through a mask she had just donned, her gloved hands pulling the bag of puke out and sitting it in a deep metal tray. "Lovely. If there's any part of my job I hate, it's this."

Tony and Ducky gladly left her behind to take care of the vomit while they got Elly roused just enough to take the inhaler. They sat in silence in the chairs next to Abby's desk, Tony's fingers running over Abby's keyboard as he researched. Ten minutes went by, and Ducky took his stethoscope over to check Elly's breathing again.

"That's already much better," he whispered to Tony, not wanting to wake them. Tony sighed in relief.

"Come look at this, Ducky," Tony said, motioning for Ducky to come check out the research site that Abby used and the search results on the drug.

"Oh, my," he said. They read over the information together, and then they both looked up at the men lying across the room from them. "I'm afraid they have a rather unpleasant time ahead of them."

"I'd say," Tony said. "At least they'll be physically okay. I think I'm going to take them back to my house, Duck. Let them rest somewhere safe so that when they wake up from this nightmare they aren't too freaked out, and someone can be there to explain what happened."

"I think that would be a good idea. Keep your inhaler close, and if Elijah begins breathing oddly again, trust your judgment. It's fine to have him use the inhaler again, but if he's still wheezing ten minutes later, take him to the hospital. And if Agent Dorneget starts breathing difficultly at all, call 9-1-1. He doesn't have a history of breathing conditions. I just did his physical a couple of weeks ago. There is no reason he should be wheezing, and this combination of drugs has the ability to cause pulmonary edemas. I don't see any signs of that, but they can happen quickly, so check on them often over the next few hours."

Tony nodded, staring at them, lost in thought.

"Anthony? Are _you_ okay?"

Tony shook his head slightly. "I'm this worried about _them_ , and they're grown men. How…?" He looked up at Ducky. "How will I feel when it's my own daughter?" he whispered.

Ducky smiled broadly at him.

"Like you're going to rip the perpetrator limb from limb, I suspect. If Jethro doesn't beat you to it," Ducky whispered back.

"That's the truth," Tony said, getting to his feet.

Elly had heard the quiet conversation, and his eyes grew wide. He was too disoriented to do anything other than consider the words, but he told himself he needed to remembered it and ask Tony about it later.


	27. Chapter 27

Tony sat on the front stoop, anxiously waiting for Jethro. He'd gotten a text from him saying that they'd found the teenager that had gone missing, and that he was on the way home. Tony had texted back that he was glad, and that he would be waiting for him.

Jethro had smirked to himself at the reply, expecting to find Tony naked and hard in bed or on the couch by time he made it through the door. When he pulled up and saw Tony on the front steps, his head in his hands and his clothes disheveled, he knew something was wrong.

"Tony?" he said, jumping out of his truck in a rush.

Tony looked up at him and sighed in relief. He stood up, and threw his arms around him.

"What's wrong?"

"Shhh…" Tony said. "You'll wake the kids."

"What?" Jethro asked, pulling back just enough to look into Tony's eyes.

"Dorney and Elly are asleep in our guest room."

" _What_?" Jethro asked again in confused disbelief.

"After Abby and I left the club earlier, they were slipped a drug called Existence. It's a combination of Ecstasy and Rohypnol. I had to have Abby and Ducky look at them and everything. I'm surprised you didn't hear."

Jethro sighed. "What's next?" he asked with a shake of his head. "I didn't see them before I left. Are they okay?"

Tony nodded. "For the time being. The drug creates an extreme sensitivity to light, and they won't remember anything for a while until these nightmares begin. The combination creates a psychotropic drug that has long term effects. The dreams are apparently like flashbacks. Reports say that people can't wake up from them, and for those that suffer sexual trauma during the high, the flashbacks are so vivid the victims will go for days without sleeping because they're afraid of them. They usually have to be medicated."

"They weren't…?"

"There was no sexual _trauma_ , but…" Tony sighed. "I have a problem. Something happened at the club, and Abby and I realized that there was chemistry between the two of them. See, this bartender was hitting on Dorney, and Elly ended up getting all protective of Dorney once he realized it. Afterwards, there was handholding, and whispering, and touches…"

"Oh," Jethro said, nodding as he put the picture together. "I saw that coming."

"What?!" Tony asked incredulously.

"When I said the other day that Gleason was barking up the wrong tree by flirting with Elly, I meant it was because he and Dorneget have something going on. Realized it at the restaurant last week."

"And you didn't tell me?"

"Thought you knew. It was pretty obvious that night, and I thought you were watching them, too. Since then, I've noticed they're always around each other, in each other's personal space, and Dorneget is jealous as hell of Gleason."

Tony thought about it, and shook his head. "I wouldn't have realized that they were in each other's space like that. You and I were always in each other's personal bubbles."

"Yeah, and look at where we are now. Our front steps. Of our house. That we're living in together. Holding each other for the whole neighborhood to see."

Tony groaned. "I'm screwed. And more than that, I'm worried! I don't think they'd really hashed it out yet from what we were seeing at the club. I mean, there's obviously something there, I see that now, but I don't think they've gotten a chance to talk about it. To have them making out with their hands all over each other behind the DJ table tonight makes this all the more horrible. What am I going to do?"

"I hate to say it, but this could look bad for us if it gets out."

Tony groaned again, and dropped his head on Jethro's shoulder.

"We're going to need to think of all of the possible outcomes of this, and plan accordingly." Jethro stroked Tony's hair for a long minute in silence.

Tony let go of Jethro and sat on the steps. "They aren't going to remember anything about last night until the dreams come back to them. I feel like the smartest thing to do would be to let them know ahead of time what those dreams are going to be of. Then we'll need to ask them if they have been involved before tonight. God, Jethro. I don't want my team split apart."

Jethro sat down next to Tony, and took his hand. Tony squeezed it and held on, staring out into space as he thought. After a few minutes went by, Tony's voice started again softly.

"They've worked so hard to be where they are, and they have come through so much. Dorney is so damned incredible in MTAC; you should see him. Not to mention, as Vance pointed out, he isn't sticking his foot in his mouth every five minutes anymore. And Elly. The kid _shines_ where he's at, Jethro. He's going to get stuck running a Cold Case IT Team if we have to bring the hammer down on them. And even then, you're right- you and I are going to suffer the fallout from that. I can hear it now. There'll be accusations of 'harboring gay couples' on my team, of not disciplining Elly for stepping out of line as SFA, they'll say I've known all along, and I _obviously_ haven't. Then they'll pry into our relationship, and the reasons why I took Kathy's position. It's going to be a nightmare."

"Do the fraternization rules actually include Senior Field Agents? I don't think they do. Team leaders can't date subordinates, but I don't think an SFA is considered enough of a superior over their teams that it breaks the rules." Jethro shook his head as he tried to remember. "This is _exactly_ why Rule Twelve was created."

"That's the most ironic part about all of this," Tony said, looking at Jethro bewildered. "I just had this conversation with Elly a few weeks ago about Rule Twelve, and about why despite what _we_ have, it's not meant to be broken. I told him that unless you're willing to give up everything for someone, unless you love them, really _love_ them, it's not worth breaking."

"How did the conversation come up?" Jethro asked, again in disbelief that Tony hadn't seen this coming.

"We were actually talking about how putting all of their perspectives together solved that case in East Village back at the end of May, and I said something about Rule Fifteen being always work together as a team, and he said that he thought that was Rule Twelve, and I corrected him. Then he asked what Rule Twelve was, and I told him. He laughed. Loudly. He said it was kind of funny how we have such a strict set of rules, and yet we have broken so many of them in the past few months. Ten, Four, Twelve, and though he doesn't know it, I guess we can throw Thirteen in there.

"Then I explained how there's a difference between dating a coworker, and falling in love with a coworker. I told him that if you're not sure how you feel about someone, give it time. Working this close together will give you plenty of opportunity to figure out if it's infatuation or love. Infatuation isn't worth the trouble that dating on a team becomes. But if you realize you love someone, really love someone, enough that you would do anything for them and be willing to give up your job as you know it for them if you needed to, _then_ you act."

"If he was getting between this guy and Dorneget last night, then I have a feeling he's figured out it's more than infatuation," Jethro said quietly. He sighed. "I talked to Ziva this week."

"Oh?" Tony said, confused by the sudden change in topic.

"Yeah. I told her I knew she was considering going back to school, and offered to talk to Vance about putting her part time on a cold case position if they got the funding back. That way she can continue being an agent while going to school."

"She's made up her mind?" Tony asked.

Jethro shrugged. "She doesn't think she has, but I have a feeling I know what the answer is going to be."

"Damn. I'm sorry, Jethro."

"Nah, I'm not. She deserves to be happy, but I'm going to miss her."

"Yeah. She's not going to be far though."

"I keep trying to remind myself of that. Has me thinking, and I'm going to need to fill at least one of the empty spots on my team soon, otherwise it's just going to be me and McGee, and I don't think either of us want that."

"Are you…?" Tony's head shot up to look Jethro in the eyes.

Jethro shrugged. "It makes more sense to move Dorneget to my team if the shit hits the fan than to let him get shipped to the L.A team or leave the agency. I wasn't considering it before, but if someone needs to go somewhere, it wouldn't be the worst move for him, and we could get it past Vance without having to let him know why he's changing teams. Hate lying to him after all that's happened though."

"Actually, he'd originally expected Ned to end up on your team after Parke's shoulder healed. The problem with that idea is that when I brought Vance's plan up to Ned, he freaked out. We're a tight little group, and we have our own way of doing things that works for him. I'm not sure how well he'd fit on your team. Not to mention, I think you may actually butt heads in MTAC. He gets somewhat authoritative, and I'm not going to dull that edge. He needs to have it. He's going to learn soon enough that the decision making process he's used to is hell to actually apply."

Jethro sighed. "Never thought that kid would have it in him."

"Yeah, well, he _does_. Don't get me wrong, I do fine, maybe even better than fine, but I have no qualms with letting him take the reins when we're in there. He's a perfect fit. He's not too eager to be doing it full time yet, and he's made an excellent point that he needs more field experience in order to understand what he's asking the people he's working with to do. He told Vance that the other day, straight to his face, and in a very convincing tone. Vance agreed. I agree. Damn it! I don't want to give him to you, Jethro."

Tony's head fell over onto Jethro's shoulder again, and the older man smiled, shaking his head and wrapped his arm around Tony's shoulder.

"Let's look through the handbook and find out if the fraternization rules apply to SFAs. We'll take it from there."

Tony nodded, but didn't sit up.

"You left them in the guest room together?" Jethro asked after a long moment of silence.

"Yeah, they're in there together. After they threw up, they didn't do so well apart. Elly… he's been unbelievably protective of Dorney through this whole thing. Won't leave his side. Just… holds him. It's kinda sweet actually."

Gibbs raised an eyebrow and glanced at the head of hair on his shoulder as the younger man talked.

"They were sharing Ned's drink. The drug was meant for Ned. Elly was dosed, but not as much as Dorney."

Gibbs nodded his understanding.

"Are they okay to be left alone for a while?" he asked.

Tony nodded. "Yeah. Ducky said at this point they'll probably sleep for the next 8-12 hours while their bodies reacclimatize. When they wake up though, they're going to be confused as hell. I'll have to be there to explain to them exactly what happened. Give them a crash course in what they're about to go through with the dreams…" Tony sighed.

"Mmmmhmmm…" Gibbs said, nodding as he held Tony closer, breathing him in. "8-12 hours. How long have they been out so far?"

"About two."

"Hmm. So another six to ten hours. I know what I want to do with that time," he said quietly.

Tony looked up at him, and Jethro leaned in to whisper in his ear.

"Not get caught," he said before gently attacking that place below Tony's ear that turned him into mush.

"Fuck," Tony gasped, realizing what Jethro was getting at.

Jethro loved that sound coming from Tony's mouth. It usually meant that he was about to get what he wanted from him, and what he wanted right now was to get Tony upstairs and take him hard while he tried to be quiet for his agents in the room down the hall. A small part of him was extra exhilarated by the idea that they might hear their boss being taken by him, and Tony's words, _"I'll always be one of yours"_ echoed through his head.

Tony felt his will evaporate. He was wired from too much coffee, and stressed to the max. A good fuck sounded like the perfect way to relieve the tension. He knew Jethro would push him this time, that his fiancé had a thing for almost getting caught and sneaking around when others were near. He enjoyed it, but Jethro had a specific kink for it.

Jethro stood up, took Tony's hand, and led him inside. The front door closed, and Tony heard Jethro lock it behind him. The thunk of the deadbolt sent a shiver through Tony's back, and suddenly he was pulled back against Jethro's body, the older man's hardening cock pressed against his ass. He took in a sharp breath, and then let out a groan.

"What's your safeword?" Jethro whispered into Tony's ear, loving the way he felt him go boneless immediately.

Tony hadn't been expecting that, but was onboard with it right away. "Mercy," he whispered, suddenly achingly hard. He hadn't realized Jethro was taking it there, but he responded to it immediately, wanting nothing more than to be under the man's care and direction, letting go of the past few hours, and forgetting about what he had ahead of him. For now, he was at Jethro's mercy, and he could have wept at the sudden relief that went through him.

"Very good," Jethro said, running his hands over Tony's chest, stomach and then his clothed erection.

Tony leaned back into the touch, not even thinking about his agents upstairs anymore.

"I should take you right here in the living room so they can find you like this," he whispered as he continued rubbing Tony through his clothes. He was surprised by the low groan that came from Tony, and realized he was aroused by that prospect. Jethro drew his senses together though, and tucked the thought away for later discussion.

"Upstairs, shower. I want you naked and under that water in two minutes. I'll be right up."

As soon as Jethro released him, Tony raced up the stairs. Jethro smirked and shook his head, heading for the kitchen to the half-full coffee pot. He poured a mug and downed it, making sure he was fueled for the task ahead of him. He paused and then fumbled around in the cabinet above the fridge for Tony's cereal bars. He found the one he liked and ripped it open, pouring another cup as he chewed off a large bite. He heard the water running upstairs, and knew Tony was standing under it, patiently waiting as he finished eating his snack and drinking his coffee.

The thought of Tony standing in the shower, naked with water glistening down his body while he waited for him anxiously, reeked of the control he had over him like this. It felt good, and right, and he was hard as nails.

After Tony had tied him up that week, he had a new appreciation for the control and lack of control that making love like this gave them. He'd been surprised that it didn't take them longer to maneuver through the balance of control in their relationship, work relationship, and sex life. Then again, he was even more surprised that he loved turning over his body to Tony as much as he did. It helped balance things.

He headed upstairs, taking his time, sipping his coffee as he went. He sat it down on the dresser, and moved to Tony's side of the bed, pulling open the nightstand drawer he'd taken the hinged cockrings out of the other day. He found a couple others, and smirked.

Tony had gotten two made of the same materials they had used earlier in the week that were solid. He'd also ordered an interesting looking sling-like contraption made of leather and silver snaps. He raised an eyebrow as he looked it over, imagining how it would look strapped around Tony's cock and testicles. He left it in the drawer and tore open the packaging for the two solid rings. He put the metal ring back in the drawer, remembering Tony seemed to prefer the hard black silicone, and then picked up the hinged steel one from the other night.

He peeled his clothes off, and then took the rings in the bathroom. Tony was standing obediently under the water, letting it run down his back. Jethro took in the sight, and sighed.

"Turn it cold."

Tony raised an eyebrow at him, but did as he was instructed. The cold water sent a series of shivers through him, and his eyes locked on Jethro's, watching them grow darker. His body battled with a rush of internal heat beating against the cold water pelting him. When Jethro finally stepped into the shower with him, Tony saw the rings in his hand and realized what the deal was with the cold water torture. With one swift motion, Jethro had the plastic ring settled at the base of Tony's now semi-hard cock, and with another he had the water turning warm again.

He pushed Tony back against the wall, kissing him hard and stroking him back to full mast. Tony kissed him back eagerly. Jethro's eyes slit as he watched the expression on Tony's face as he leaned in, took his lips, kissed him and pulled back, then did it again, and again. Tony struggled with keeping his hands to himself, and Jethro felt a need to test his own will. He stepped back, and then clamped the thick metal ring around his own testicles and erection. His eyes rolled back into his head a moment before he looked at Tony again. He could feel the fire in his own glare as it built up under his skin, scratching and clawing to get out.

"Touch me, Tony," he said roughly, reaching to put his hands on Tony's waist. Tony wasted no time in running his hands over Jethro's body. Their mouths locked again, and the kiss was deep and hungry. They touched every inch of one another's torsos and backs, their hands exploring each other's arms, shoulders, and necks. They were lost in a deluge of ecstasy, thoughts completely incoherent, only able to experience what they were doing to one another. Jethro's mouth moved to Tony's neck and let his tongue run slowly up it to his jaw, where he nipped him gently. Tony kissed Jethro's shoulder as his nails ran down his back.

"Jethro," Tony gasped when teeth clamped down on his shoulder hard. His head fell back against the cold tile behind him, and Jethro's hand started stroking him. "Oh, God," he whined, and then clamped his mouth shut, remembering that Elly and Ned were a mere thirty feet away. He watched Jethro smirk, and realized this was war. He ran his hands down Jethro's sides, and then one went to his butt while the other stroked his cock. He slipped the tip of one finger into the tight ring of Jethro's ass while he put a twist on his strokes that he knew made Jethro crazy.

A sound started coming from Jethro's throat, and stuttered to a stop, turning into a low growl. "More," he whispered.

Tony raised an eyebrow as he slipped his finger deeper into Jethro, pressing against him as much as possible while still maintaining a hold on his erection.

"Mmmm…" was his reward. Jethro took Tony's lips in another demanding kiss, and then pulled out of him embrace. "Bedroom," he directed.

Tony got out of the shower without even turning the water off, and his eagerness made Jethro's cock twitch. He turned the water off and found Tony toweling himself, already on the way to the next room. He followed him, stopping him before he could climb into the bed.

He turned him, pushing him gently until he was face down on the bed, and reached for the lube. He tipped the bottle up, letting it run down Tony's crack in that way that made him groan. Clicking the lid shut, he tossed it on the bed and slipped his aching and swollen cock up and down between the firm cheeks in order to smear the lube. He slowly pushed forward, and Tony opened up to take him. They both groaned loudly.

"Your ass is meant for fucking," Jethro said, leaning forward to put a hand on both sides of Tony's body, talking into his ear, though no quieter than if he were talking to him in the bullpen. This was no longer about staying quiet enough not to be caught. He wanted Tony's team to hear who he belonged to. He started to wish they would wake up from their drug induced comas to hear exactly what was happening. "It swallows my cock so perfectly."

Tony gulped. He knew that Jethro was pushing him to respond, to try to get some kind of rise out of him, but he wondered if Jethro anticipated just how much control he had over him at the moment. He came to a place of peace inside whenever he gave himself up to his lover, and he had realized the only reason he would ever stop Jethro was if he was in serious pain to the point it didn't feed his arousal. He considered the possibility that Elly and Dorney could hear them, and he whimpered, loving that he had no control over that. If Jethro told him to scream right now, he would. Hell, if he told him to call the guys in, he probably would. The thought made him groan and start thrusting back against Jethro.

He wondered when that had become a turn on for him. He'd never had the idea of someone catching him turn him on like it did while he was with Jethro. He'd thought it had been induced by hiding their relationship from much of the world, but they were no longer hiding, and he still found it hot as hell. The small push from that to the realm of exhibitionism was only a hair wide, and he was falling over the edge. He had never wanted someone to watch him in the act, but he knew that if Jethro wanted it, he would gladly do it. He wanted the entire world to know who he belonged to, and what would prove that more than letting them see this?

His mind went blank as Jethro changed their angles, and the head of his lover's thick cock started to brush over his prostate. "Fuck!" he shouted.

"Yeah, that's it. Atta boy. Let me know what you like. Let everyone know what you like."

"Right there! Oh, god! Yes! Fuck… Fuck… Fuck… Fuck me harder!" Tony cried.

"Damn it, Tony! Love that. Love when… when you… fuck… let them hear…" Jethro's words turned into moans and grunts. He listened to the sounds being made by the man under him, from the groans and gasps, to the squish and slap of their bodies coming together over and over. He was ready to come, but not ready for their lovemaking to be over.

"You're not allowed to come, Tony. Understood?"

Tony shook his head up and down fervently, despite a long, high, wailing whimper that came from his throat.

"Mmmm… very good." Jethro paused long enough to work the release latch on the cockring that was restricting him, and then began thrusting rhythmlessly into Tony. It only took a minute before he was unloading into him, and then collapsing on the bed next to Tony's shaking body.

Jethro began running circles up and down Tony's back with one hand while he caught his breath. Tony turned his head to look at him, and Jethro saw desperation in his eyes.

"Don't worry, I'm not done with you yet. I want more."

Tony nodded fervently, and let out a long shaky breath as he tried to calm himself. Jethro smiled at him.

"Let's lay down for a few minutes together," Jethro said, remembering that feeling he had the other day, and not wanting Tony to have to feel that. They shifted to lay against the pillows, and Jethro took Tony's wet towel and put it underneath him. "Just let it drip. Think about about how filthy you are right now while your men lie right across the hall."

Tony groaned, resting his head on Jethro's shoulder. Jethro ran his fingers down Tony's back, across his ass, and dipped a finger in the mess there. "So dirty," he whispered, wiping the cum on Tony's ass cheek. "I love it. I love you, and your filthy mouth, and your cum-filled ass, and your hard cock trapped in that ring so that you can't come. I think I'd like that cock fucking me a while until I'm hard again so I can take some more of you." Tony whimpered, looking up at him. "Would you like that?" Tony nodded excitedly.

Jethro smiled and turned around. He fumbled around on the bed, looking for the lube, and then passed it back to Tony. He could hear Tony squirt some of the almost empty tube of lube on his hand and slick it over his cock before guiding it between Jethro's solid globes. He moaned happily, and then Tony was slipping his fat head into him.

"Yeah. There you go. How's that feel?" he asked, eager for Tony to be vocal again.

"So fucking good," Tony said as he started thrusting forward and back slowly.

"Yeah, it really does." Jethro stroked his cock lazily, wondering if he was ever going to let Tony come. He liked the idea of denying Tony his orgasm completely, testing the strength of the invisible bonds he had on him. He knew tonight wasn't the night for it though. Tony had been through too much already, and he was behaving so well. He deserved the orgasm he was working up to.

Tony rested his head on Jethro's, panting in his ear. The warm breath on Jethro's neck and face fed the sensations of Tony's cock sliding in and out of him.

"Feel… so… good. Ahhh… damn!" Tony said, his voice getting sharper. Jethro knew he was struggling against the cockring. The sound aroused him almost as much as having his ass plowed, and he was surprised to find he was already hardening again in his hand.

"The things you do to me, Tony," he groaned quietly.

" _Jethro_ ," Tony whined.

"Hmm?" he answered nonchalantly.

"I need to come. Please?"

"No."

The keening noise that came from Tony was heartbreaking, but the fact that Tony was still fucking him let Jethro know he could handle it while he got a handle on himself. He still wasn't hard enough yet to go another round with Tony, and until he was, he wasn't going to let Tony soak the sheets. He finally reached a hand back to stop Tony, knowing much longer and he was going to black out or cum, neither within his control.

When Tony slid out of him, he rolled over and told Tony to turn away from him. Tony did, breathing deep heavy breaths. Jethro let his hand coast over Tony's ass, and began dipping his fingers into the soggy mess there. He started with two fingers, crooking them, feeling the thick cum he had left behind still trapped. He smirked and took another finger and slid it in with the first. When it went in easily, he froze, torn between wanting to fuck Tony senseless and to see if he could fit his whole hand in his ass. When he put in the fourth finger, plunging in again and again, and he heard Tony practically sobbing, his erection started to ache.

"Tony? Do you want me to fuck you again or do you want me to see if I can fist you? You can come either way."

"Oh, god!" Tony said through the noise he was making. "Fist… please.. yes…"

Jethro's cock twitched hard. He picked up what was left of the lube, and squirted it around his hand and knuckles. He pushed until all four fingers were in, and he felt resistance at his knuckles. He crooked his fingers, making sure to run them slowly over Tony's prostate, earning a loud cry from the man his hand was inside. He began lightly fucking Tony with his hand, turning his hand this way and that to loosen him up. Suddenly, between the cum and the lube, his hand slid in past the knuckles. Tony cried out, sobbing opening now. Jethro thought he was going to blow his load right then, but a few deep breaths and he was able to proceed.

"Are you okay, Tony? Tell me the truth."

"Yes!" Tony shouted through his cries. "Yes! Please! More! God, more, Jethro!"

Jethro began fucking Tony's ass in earnest with his hand, loving the way his hand felt when Tony's ass swallowed his knuckles again and again. He tucked his thumb in against his palm, and on his next thrust in, he tried to make a first. Tony moaned, and Jethro saw that his thumb joint was still not in. He pushed just a little harder, and then began gasping himself as he saw it slip in.

"Oh my god!" Tony shouted. "Oh god! Yes! Oh, fuck! Yes, yes, yes, oh god! Fuck me with it, Jethro! Please?"

Jethro was in shock that his entire hand was inside Tony's ass. He watched as it just sucked him in deeper and deeper, closing around his wrist. He was worried he wasn't going to be able to get it out again, and gently pulled it halfway out before pushing it back in.

"Yesssssss…" Tony hissed, and then began rocking back on it.

"Come, Tony. Come for me."

The sound that tore through Tony was loud enough to wake the dead as he reached for his cockring, pushing it even further back on the base of his penis, and came. Jethro pulled his hand out just in time before the anal muscles could begin tightening around him. He got up on his knees, and stroked himself so that he came into Tony's wide open ass. He pulled back a little, watching his cum shoot inside of him like some kind of game, trying to get it into the hole. Tony collapsed onto the bed, and Jethro let the last few strings squirt out across Tony's ass, smacking his softening cock against it so that his lover wore every last drop. He looked down at Tony's unconscious body on the bed, and realized that was some of the best sex of his entire life.

He got a couple of damp washcloths from the bathroom, and gently cleaned Tony up. He made sure he was clean too, and then set the alarm for a couple of hours later before climbing into bed, and pulling Tony up to sleep with him. Tony nuzzled into him, and Jethro wrapped his arms around him. Only a few minutes later, and they were sound asleep.

* * *

 _Whoa!_ Elly thought as soon as he awoke. He squinted against the light shining into the room, and tried to look around, taking in the situation. _Where in the fuck am- holy shit! Ned's on top of me._

He felt the panic rising up in him, and he couldn't remember how to breathe. He looked around the room, and realized he was in his boss' house by the photos on the wall from Easter, and another couple of Jack, Tony, and Gibbs.

 _Oh, my God! Why am I in the boss' house with Ned lying on top of me feeling like I got hit by a Mack truck?! What in the_ _ **hell**_ _did I do last night?!_ A moment went by and he exhaled, realizing he was still fully dressed, shoes and all. Ned was, too. He was momentarily distracted by the worst headache of his life, but then he looked down at the peaceful expression on Ned's face. The sun caught on his eyelashes, and Elly watched it shine like some kind of heavenly sign.

_He's so… perfect for me. And then I had to go and screw it up by getting sloshed last night, apparently to the point that the boss was called to get me. At least Ned was just as fucked up, and I guess Tony figured out we're… well. Whatever we are. After all, we're in the same bed together. How could I let this get so screwed up? I still have two months! Two months. How am I ever going to convince him to wait two whole months? I'm not just imagining this, right? This isn't some fucked up dream? No, my head hurts too much to be a dream. What the hell happened last night? We were hanging out, and he kept touching me, and I kept touching him, and hell… the way his voice would crackle in my ear whenever he leaned in to talk made me think of the air right before a lightning strike. How does he do that to me?_

He stared down at Ned, running his fingers through his hair carefully.

 _We're not ready for this. Fucking Tyson. He couldn't have picked another guy to try and pick up last night? It had to be_ **my** _guy? If it wasn't for that prick I would have already made my way into Mr. Right Now territory, working up to that Mr. Right category._ He stopped and thought for a minute, then shook his head. _No, I wouldn't have. I would never be okay with simply being Mr. Right Now. Like Tony said, working with someone this closely will teach you the difference between infatuation and love. Looks like I figured it out._

_What was the last thing we did last night before I blacked out? The music was still playing…_

Movement on his chest startled him, and he squinted down at Dorney. When the brunette tried to sit up suddenly, Elly rested his hand on his shoulder to calm him.

"Shhh…" he cooed, feeling unusually protective of him. "I'm pretty sure we're at Tony and Gibbs' house."

"Fuck, Elly! My head hurts!" Ned closed his eyes tightly and fell back onto Elly's chest. Elly thought he was going to bubble out of his skin when he returned to the position without a second thought. He smiled despite the pain in his own head, and started stroking Ned's hair again.

"There's that colorful vocabulary you were telling me about!" Elly whispered, trying to lighten the tension.

Ned tried to chuckle, but the gongs that went off in his head prevented anything more than a "Heh."

"Elly? I can't remember anything. How did we end up here?" Ned's voice sounded confused and somewhat distraught.

"I have no idea. The last thing I remember was changing the songs over to something kind of slow, and then we were dancing."

"We were dancing? Oh, man. I must have been plastered. I don't dance."

"You were dancing with Tony and Abby earlier in the night."

"But you said the music was slower. I can't slow dance to save my life. My apologies to your feet. I bet I stepped on them a lot."

Elly chuckled softly. "Not that I remember. What I'm terrified about, but am dying to know, is what the hell we did that made them call _Tony_. I mean, really? Of all people? Granted, I don't know too many people around here outside of the team, but _Tony?_ If I were Christopher, I would have called Dion to see if there was something he could have done, not chanced my job by going to my boss."

"Hmmm," Ned asked, getting comfortable against Elly.

"Oh, shit. I hope I didn't…"

"What?" Ned asked.

"Okay. Here's the thing. I need to tell you something. It's kinda big."

"Okay?"

"Just, promise me you'll let me tell the whole story before you say anything or make a judgment?"

Ned looked up at him. "Okay. I promise." He sat up, ignoring the pain in his head, and took Elly's hand. Elly sat up too, sitting cross-legged next to him, and took a deep breath.

"Okay. Here goes. My first week on Kathy's team didn't go so well. I had a really bad day, and I was seriously considering going back to the basement. I'd been on the team less than ten days, and I felt so inept, and Kathy didn't help things. She tore into me, made me feel like an idiot for not knowing things that it only took Tony five or ten minutes to train me on, and it was just a nightmare.

"Our case had run late, and we were taking a half day the next day, so I went out drinking. I was still pretty new to the area, didn't know anyone to go out and have sympathy drinks with, and so I went alone to this place in the city I'd heard had an acid jazz night on Tuesdays. Anyway. I get there, sit at the bar, am talking it up with this bartender, and we get kinda flirty. He's making my drinks really strong, and I'm not feeling pretty much anything anymore. He introduced me to his friend, and the three of us hung out until the crowd thinned out. Long story short, I went home with them. Both of them." Elly cringed, wondering what was going on behind Ned's blank expression, but he kept going.

"In my defense, it's not something I usually do. But there we were, you know, getting hot and heavy, and one of them finds my cuffs where I'd forgotten to take out of my back pocket."

A sympathetic hiss from Ned made him feel better. He suddenly remembered the story Ned had told him about his first time out with McGee on Gibbs' team, when he'd forgotten his gun.

" _Yeah_. I ended up cuffed to the headboard, which, by the way, is totally fine with me under normal circumstances! I wasn't real comfortable having _them_ do it though, you know, having just met them and everything. For the moment, I just went with it, trying to relax. I was so drunk though, and I wasn't quite sure of what was going on. Most of the time, I'm not going to lie, I was enjoying the hell outta myself. Until I realized…" Elly cringed. "Well, they had no intentions on using protection. I said something about it, and then there were distractions, and some hazy, drunken manipulations, and next thing I know it- it doesn't matter anymore." He took a deep breath, waiting for Ned's reaction, but he had this still, yet captivated mask on.

"I've been pretty paranoid ever since. I've been making trips into the clinic for weekly testing instead of my doctor to make sure it stays off my record, and there's never been any indication to make me think I've gotten anything from them, but when I said I understand the germ thing? Yeah. I do. I mean, HIV sometimes won't show up on tests for a year, so I've been celibate for ten months now, and I've promised myself I'd wait the full year out." Elly swallowed hard, and looked down at where Ned still hadn't let go of his hand. "The next morning… I'd never felt so worthless and scared in my entire life. I promised myself that I would never sleep with anyone I didn't care a hell of a lot about ever again. I read up on every possible STD out there, learning things I could have gone my entire life without knowing, and started the weekly testing."

When Ned still didn't react, Elly felt unnerved.

"Okay. You can say something now."

"Tyson was the bartender?"

Elly nodded, unsure if he liked the tone of Ned's voice. "He apparently helps a friend who owns that bar on his off days from Synthinity sometimes."

"He's really lucky my head feels like it's about to fucking explode right now."

"I'm in no way innocent in all this," Elly said sheepishly, looking down at the way Ned's fingers were tightening around his. "Like I said, I can't say I didn't enjoy it, because I did. I just wish things would have happened a lot safer than they were, and that they would have respected that request. And I wish I would have respected myself enough back then not to be in that position to begin with."

Ned nodded. "Elly, you are easily one of the bravest guys I've ever met. Who else admits to that kind of stuff? And who follows through and gets tested like that every week, and takes a year off in the prime of their sexual years to make sure that their partners stay safe? I've known that you have like, one of the _biggest_ hearts ever since the first week working with you, but this? This is pretty freakin' amazing of you. I'm really grateful that you told me."

Elly sighed in relief, shaking his head in disbelief. "How are you not freaking out right now?" he asked, starting to shake.

"Why would I freak out? You ended up in a situation where things got out of your control, and you took responsibility for your part in it. Not only that, but you had the balls to tell me about it. If we'd been going at it for a few months, and then I found out, I'd be really hurt and upset. But, we're waking up fully clothed in our boss' guest room, which, I'm still really nervous about why we're in here, and you're telling me before anything could happen between us, which not only shows that you're serious about your celibacy, but you're giving me the chance to decide if I am okay enough with this to move forward with whatever is developing here. I know you're not thinking about it this way, but that's pretty good strategy."

"Well," Elly said with a chuckle, realizing he felt like he just might cry, "I'm learning from the best."

"I would love to keep talking, but I really gotta pee."

"Yeah, the last time I went… wait. Holy shit. It was in Abby's lab. What the fuck?!" They looked at each other with wide eyes, let go of each other's hands, and tried to get out of bed. When Elly's legs felt like someone had attached weights to them, he stumbled and fell face first into the door. Ned wasn't so lucky. He fell out of bed, landing with a hard thud.

"Ow." He said.

Tony opened the door, and Elly had just made it out of the way before it swung in.

"They're up!" Tony said down the hall in a quiet shout.

"On my way," Jethro said in the same tone, then came out from their bedroom.

"Boss? Why do I remember the last time I took a leak being in Abby's lab?"

"Boss?" Ned asked from the floor. "I really gotta pee, but I can barely walk."

"I got him," Jethro said, bending down to help Ned to his feet. "Lean on me. Come on."

Tony led Elly back to the bed to sit him down while Jethro took Ned to the bathroom and left him alone to do his business.

"I'm going to go grab some water for the two of you. Abby and Ducky both said that you won't feel better until you flush your systems. I'll be right back."

"Boss!" Elly regretfully shouted after him, but he was already gone. A couple of minutes later, Tony returned and handed him a water and a Gatorade, and then Jethro returned with Ned, and Tony passed him one of each as well. Ned flopped down on the bed next to Elly, and opened the water, drinking greedily.

"Will someone tell us what's happening?" Elly asked. He was suddenly so nervous that he had pulled his legs up on the bed and was hugging a pillow.

"The two of you were drugged last night at the club," Tony said gently.

"We were _what?!_ " Elly squeaked.

"It's a drug called Existence. It's a-"

"It's a mix of _roofies and X_ ," Elly said, disgusted by the idea. "It's a rave scene date rape drug. People give it to someone saying it's X, and then they rape them. This is unreal." He shook his head and looked at Ned, sighing. Ned raised an eyebrow at him. "What? I worked in techno clubs for years. I may have been a little crazy in my day, but nothing like _that!_ "

"Please make sure not to incriminate yourself in front of your boss, okay? Thank you," Tony said, shaking his head.

"Nah, nothing like that. But _Existence_? Really?" He was still in shock as he looked back and forth between the three other men in the room. They were all silent for a moment while it settled in, and then Elly's head shot up with a gasp, and looked at Ned. "We're going to remember!"

Tony cringed. "Yeah, from everything I heard, you will. Here's the problem. You two were kind of all over each other, and with this drug, apparently you'll eventually recover the memories in a sort of nightmarish flashback. In your case, things didn't get too far out of control. Some kissing and heavy petting isn't exactly the trauma that most victims remember. There could be some embarrassment though, and that brings me to my next concern. I need to know what's going on between the two of you."

Elly looked at Ned, and Ned looked at Elly. "We haven't really talked about that yet," Elly said, giving Ned a small smile. Ned offered one back.

"Yeah. We were starting to when Elly had a memory of peeing in Abby's lab."

"Yeah, the testing cups." Tony sighed, and pulled up a desk chair in front of them. "Here's the thing. I had to bring you to the Yard, and you're kind of on camera clinging all over each other. Abby and Ducky both know that something was happening before the drugs were introduced to your systems. I hate to do this to you, but you need to decide what is going on, because I'm going to have to explain this situation to Vance on Monday, and if you're not serious about each other, I can play if off as the drug. If you _are_ serious about each other, I'm going to ask for his recommendation about what to do.

"Jethro and I looked into the regs, and it doesn't actually state whether or not the fraternization policy includes the Senior Field Agent. I just want you to be prepared though if he brings the hammer down, and you two decide you have to explore this further. We're already prepared to move Ned to Jethro's team if this is serious between the two of you and Vance pushes the subject. I don't want either of you to go, but this way, at least we'll all be close to one another, and I know I can trust Jethro to make sure you're trained right and let you work in MTAC."

"Wait? What?" Elly said.

"Seriously?" Ned echoed.

"I'm hoping Vance will let you be on the same team still, but we need to be prepared if you're not, otherwise we could be looking at Elly stuck behind a computer working on the cold case files until he's old and gray, or worse, sending Ned to LA to work with the team there, because they work with the Pacific Tacticals Team in MTAC."

"He'd really send me to California?" Ned asked.

Elly tuned out the room around him. He felt like the floor was going to open up and swallow him. He'd finally found a place he belonged, a perfect place, with the perfect people, and he'd met this great guy that made him feel incredible, and now suddenly he had to choose between one or the other. He suddenly felt like there wasn't enough air in the room. There were too many people, and he needed room to breathe and think. He got to his feet, finding his balance as Tony said something to Ned, and the next thing he knew, he was tearing off down the steps of the house and towards the front door.

Tony looked at Jethro in surprised bewilderment, and shook his head. "What the hell was that? At least we know he can't get far in his condition."

"Especially with no car," Jethro added.

"I'll go get him."

When Tony left the room, Jethro looked over at Ned to find an expression on his face that far surpassed Tony's own bewilderment.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Why'd he leave?" Ned asked. He played back their conversation in his head from when they woke up together. Elly had told him his big dark secret, and Ned thought he'd taken it pretty well. He couldn't think of anything he'd done wrong. He thought about the smile Elly had just given him a few minutes before when he said they hadn't had a chance to talk yet.

 _Maybe he's just not that serious about us after all. But didn't he just say he would never sleep with someone he wasn't serious about ever again? Then again, we didn't actually sleep together. I guess that's my answer._ Ned felt his heart break.

Jethro had never seen a grown man look so much like a kicked puppy in his entire life. He sat down in the desk chair in front of Ned, and struggled to find something to say.

"Give him time. This is a lot to have thrown at you at one time. You've both been drugged, waking up in a strange place, finding out we might need to separate the team… it's a lot to take in. Sometimes you need to do that alone."

"I know Elly, Agent Gibbs. He doesn't do the whole _alone_ _thing_ as well as he makes it look like."

Jethro sighed. If Ned felt confident enough to say that about him, then he was definitely serious about them. He decided to switch tactics.

"Tony thinks we'd have a hard time working in MTAC together."

"We would."

Jethro's eyebrows went up, surprised by the quick and definitive answer. "Oh?"

"We do things completely different from one another. I'm more analytical, you can feel your way through situations. I can't do that, which is why I'm having a hard time figuring out why in the hell he just ran out of here like that!" He pulled out his phone, knowing he still didn't have the strength to run after Elly, and that frustrated him even more.

 _You okay?_ He texted.

Jethro reached out and took his phone. "Then trust me on this one- give him some space." He turned and sat the phone on top of the dresser.

Ned nodded, chewing on his lip. He opened the Gatorade and drank half of it down. He had never felt so thirsty in his life.

Tony meanwhile had caught up with Elly in the front yard. He was bent over, hands on his knees, breathing heavily like he'd just run a marathon.

"Whoa, kid. What's going on?" Elly turned his head to look at Tony, and then turned it back towards the ground, shaking it furiously.

"No air. Need air."

"Hold on!" Tony fumbled in his pocket and pulled out his inhaler. "You were having issues last night from the drug. Do me a favor and use this."

Elly nodded fervently and reached for the inhaler, using it while Tony explained.

"One of the side effects of the drug is lung issues. You were kind of wheezy last night, and the inhaler brought you back around. Keep it. I have another. I've been carrying it with me in case you were wheezing again when I checked up on you."

Elly nodded, then exhaled the inhalant. A few deep breaths and he was able to breathe again. "Thanks."

"You wanna tell me what just happened in there? One minute I'm explaining to Ned how things would change, and the next you're taking off like a bat out of hell."

"It's too new to give everything up. I mean, I know that I want something very serious with him, but Boss, this is too new. He doesn't know yet. How could he? He hasn't been thinking it through like I did. I don't want to change his whole world around if he's not sure, if he hasn't had the time I've had to consider it. You said it yourself, give it some time and you'll understand if it's like or love, and I figured that out, Boss! I figured it out. He hasn't figured it out yet. This damn thing... I blame it all on Tyson. I swear, if that swarmy little mother fucker hadn't been trying to get all up on Ned, I wouldn't have had to step in, and things could have taken the nice slow progression that they were taking. I could have had the time I needed, he could have had the time he needed, and we could have figured this out together, but no! That bastard had to go and-"

"Whoa! Breathe, Elly! Breathe." Tony moved closer to him, feeling an incredible urge to hug him. He held off, but barely. He was joking earlier when he said the kids were inside, but more and more, they were more his family than his team, and he suddenly knew how Jethro felt about Abby, Ziva and Tim. "Now, slowly, tell me what you want."

Elly felt all the fight leave him. "I want to go back in time to yesterday morning, when things were on track for him to figure out he loves me as much as I love him. Before that jackass hit on him, and before some dumbass drug-" Elly stopped midsentence. "Was it him? Did you figure out who did it?"

"It wasn't him. We think it's this girl named Briana Middle. She went missing right after I showed up."

"Why did we end up here anyway? Don't tell me I screwed up Christopher's opening night."

"No, you called me when you realized something was going on. You said something about the colors and the sounds, and I was on my way."

"The blue! I remember the blue. Ned… he-he-he turned up the blue lights, and then we were dancing, and he said something about my eyes."

Tony smiled sadly at him, and considering if he should disclose what they'd learned that afternoon. He decided he should.

"I didn't want to tell Ned this yet, but you need to know. The two of you were sharing a glass. You didn't have as much as him, and you were a lot more coherent during the aftermath. You're probably going to remember things a lot easier. Also, Abby told me that your glass was just as toxic, and by toxic, I mean that the levels that were put in both of your glasses very well could have killed you. You are especially vulnerable with a history of asthma."

"Holy shit. If we hadn't of split the glass, we'd be goners?"

"Probably. You had a much lower level than what he had. We're lucky he's a little heavier than you, otherwise it could have been really bad."

Elly took a few steps and sat on the stoop. "I think I'd like to go home and be alone a while, Boss."

Tony nodded. "Do you want me to say anything to Ned before we go?"

"Just tell him I'll get in touch with him soon, and that I just need to let this digest."

"I'll do that. I need to go get my keys, and I'll take you home."

Tony made his way towards his bedroom and stopped in the guest room. "I'm going to take Elly home. He started having a panic attack, and it turned into an asthma attack, and he needs some time to think. He said he'll call you soon."

Ned sighed and nodded. "Okay."

"Why don't you sleep here for a while," Jethro suggested. "If your strength comes back tonight, I can take you home."

Ned nodded numbly. He laid back on the bed, trying to keep himself in check until the two men walked out of the room. As soon as the door closed, the tears slipped over his cheeks. He had never felt so confused in his entire life.


	28. Chapter 28

The ride back to Elly's apartment was almost completely silent. Tony, for once, didn't feel like he needed to add anything to fill it. It was rather uncomfortable, but talking would have only made it worse. When Tony pulled up in front of Elly's apartment building in a spot someone was just vacating, he turned the engine off.

"I think I can make it in by myself, Boss," Elly said, but he didn't move to get out.

"I know. Elly, are you okay?"

"No. This is fucked up. Would you be okay?" He glared at Tony, and then rolled his eyes.

"I wouldn't be okay, but I can't help feeling like I'm missing a major part of the bigger picture here."

"There are some things that not everyone needs to know. Those things are personal for a reason."

Tony nodded, feeling more sting from the kid than he felt like he deserved, but he knew the circumstances were hairy, so he let it slide.

"As long as you're telling the people who _do_ need to know, that's all that matters."

Elly sighed. He knew this wasn't Tony's fault, and he was being incredibly helpful and understanding given the circumstances. He tried to remember that this wasn't Tony's fault.

"Yeah, Boss. I told him. And he was actually really great about it. There are some things though that you can't say. You just have to find them out on your own, and he doesn't deserve that." Elly got out of the car, trying to escape before Tony could react, but Tony got out too, beating him to the apartment door. It didn't take much because Elly was still moving rather slowly.

"What does that mean?" Tony asked, trying not to take his frustration out on the man in front of him. "What are you trying to say here?"

"I'm saying that he doesn't need to get mixed up with my special brand of crazy!" Elly shouted, wishing everyone would just leave him alone so he could go back to sleep. "Yeah, I want him to. I'm not going to say that I don't. But if he chooses me, and moves to Gibbs' team, and he's not happy there, and he really gets to know my absurdities, and he's not able to deal with it, he's given it all up for nothing.

"That's what I mean by saying we're not ready. We're not ready to make these decisions. We haven't had the time to really show each other our true colors, and without being able to reveal them one step at a time, it's going to be too much, too overwhelming. The things that are wrong with me are _nothing_ compared to his OCD. It takes time to decide whether or not you're right for someone. There are things he didn't know about me until last night that I've known about him for months now. I've had time to figure this out. He hasn't. This isn't an overnight decision, and now that it's all exploding like this, it's going to have to be. That's not fair, and it's not right. I finally have- You know what? Fuck it. I'm going to bed."

Tony stood there in shock on the steps as Elly moved past him to put his key in the lock. Tony turned to look at him as the door shut him out.

 _How am I going to fix this?_ He wondered. _And what exactly am I fixing?_

* * *

Tony came home to find Jethro cooking pasta in the kitchen. Jethro took out the pesto from the fridge as Tony entered the room, and turned around to find him behind him, ready to wrap his arms around him. He sat the pesto down as he obliged, and they stood silently for a long couple of minutes.

"Is he going to be okay?" Jethro finally asked quietly.

"Not sure. He's really upset that they have to make this decision so quickly. All the preaching about taking your time to figure out if it's love or infatuation I've done is coming back to bite me. He must have started applying that from the word go, but he believes Dorney didn't know he likes guys until last night, therefore, he hasn't had time to apply the same principle and think this through. He's worried that Dorney might not feel as strongly as he does yet, and that he's going to choose them, and find out some kind of big secret that he can't handle. I don't know. I give up."

"Nah. I know you. You won't give up on 'em." Jethro squeezed him a little tighter, and then let go to work on the pasta.

Tony sighed. "You're right. I'm going to go check on Dorney."

"If he's up, tell him I made enough pasta for him. He should probably eat something."

"Okay."

Tony headed up the steps slowly, not sure what to say to his agent if he found him awake. He knocked gently on the door and waited a moment.

"Come in," Ned's voice said faintly on the other side.

Tony opened the door cautiously. "Hey, Ultra Probie. How you feeling?"

"Horrible," Ned answered, sitting up on the edge of the bed. Tony could see he'd been crying, and he winced.

"That's pretty much to be expected. You hungry?"

Ned began to shake his head no, but then stopped and shrugged. "Maybe? Can't really tell what I'm feeling right now at all. Everything is just so jacked up."

"Yeah, it is." Tony sat down in the desk chair again. "Jethro is making pasta. He's better with cold pasta salads. This one is a basil pesto thing with some tomatoes and sometimes he roasts corn to put in there. Not sure if he did that this time or not."

"That actually sounds pretty good," Ned said, looking towards the door.

"You wanna talk about it?" Tony asked, unsure of what else to say.

"What's there to talk about? One minute we're talking about overcoming possible hurdles in a relationship, the next we're finding out we've been drugged up. Then he's running from the house and leaving me here to deal with it all alone, you know, when I need him most. That pretty much explains it all."

"I think he just panicked," Tony said. "He knew you were safe here, and he needed air. Literally. The drug gave him asthma attacks last night for the first time in years. Give him some time. He's afraid, and fear makes us do some seriously stupid things."

"What does he possibly have to be afraid of?" Ned asked, more than a little anger behind his voice.

"Being hurt."

"Like I don't?" Ned's voice was suddenly much quieter, and Tony was afraid he was going to cry again.

"Just give it some time," Tony said, feeling lame even as the words came out. "Maybe after you both get enough rest, and everything is out of your systems, and you've eaten something, you'll be a little more steady on your feet and your head will be on right again."

Ned looked entirely unconvinced.

"And once you both feel more like yourselves, you can talk about this, and figure out what you want."

"I thought it was pretty clear when we woke up what we both wanted. Now I'm confused as hell."

"Come eat something, and if you're feeling up to it, I can take you home if you want. Maybe some space will help. I'm pretty sure that's what he thought. It's a huge decision to give up everything we've built for a relationship you're just realizing you want."

Ned nodded, and Tony stood up, ready to catch Ned if he toppled over again. Ned got to his feet, and other than being somewhat lightheaded, managed fairly well on his own. Tony followed him down the steps, ready to reach out and grab a hold of him if he had to, but they made it to the kitchen without incident.

As they sat down to eat, plates already set at the table, Tony and Jethro's phones chimed one after the other. Tony looked at his and sighed in relief.

"Finally! Some good news! Malek just text me."

"About damned time," Jethro growled. "What does it say?"

" _We have discovered the meaning behind your friend's words, and have met her by an act of fate. Safety is within our reach._ "

"They met Leyla?" Jethro asked, pulling his phone from his pocket. "I have the same message."

Tony began to text back a reply. _She is a brave woman. Please let us know how we can help._

"Who's Leyla?" Dorney asked between bites.

"A friend of mine," Jethro answered. "Tony and I are her daughter's godfathers."

"Really? That's cool. She's helping Malek?"

Tony nodded. "Sounds that way. It's not official though, so we don't talk about it beyond these four walls."

"Understood," Dorney said before loading another heap into his mouth.

"It's not going to run away, you know," Jethro said, smirking at Ned. "And there's more if you want it,"

Ned grinned sheepishly. "Thanks. I didn't realize I was so hungry."

"Abby warned me that when the morning nausea wore off, you'd be starving. You have food at home?" Tony asked.

"Yeah. Just went shopping the other day. Don't worry, I won't starve. I promise!" Ned smiled into his food, rather enjoying having what felt almost like a family dinner. It was nice to have people caring about him like that, and it helped him to forget his heartache just a little.

"Have you started on the cake topper yet?" Tony asked Jethro before taking a bite of pasta.

"I have an idea in mind, but I haven't started yet. Might do that tonight."

"Oh! Wedding cake? What did you decide?" Ned asked excitedly. Tony decided to indulge him since it was obviously lifting his spirits.

"The top layer is going to be a white almond cake with buttercream icing. It's like a white cake only a little sweeter and kind of nutty, but not too much. Then the middle layer is going to be red velvet. We were torn because we didn't know if we wanted the cream cheese icing and filling to be under layers of fondant like that with what we're doing design-wise with the middle layer, but we really wanted to do a chocolate fudge layer for the biggest, bottom piece. And by we, I mean Abby and I. Jethro stayed out of the cake for the most part." Tony winked at him, and then turned back to Ned. "He's going to make the topper though."

"You're making it?" Ned asked, looking at him before scarfing down the last bite on his plate.

"Yeah," Jethro said, shrugging.

"He carves things, so this will be like his own special touch," Tony said, beaming proudly at him.

"That's cool," Ned said. He looked back and forth between the two men, and Jethro snickered.

"Bowl's on the counter. Help yourself."

Ned smiled, turning pink as he got up. Tony shook his head as he took another bite, his eyes shining as they met Jethro's. He wondered if one day they'd be sitting around that very table, talking things over with their daughter about school, or one of her extracurriculars, or maybe a family vacation. He felt the worry about what was happening between Dorney and Elly under the current of light conversation, and he knew that would come with being a parent as well. He remembered what Ducky had said to him in Abby's lab, and he knew Jethro would enjoy his comment, but now wasn't the time.

"What?" Jethro asked.

"I'll tell you later," Tony said softly. Jethro nodded once, knowing some things couldn't be talked about with company around. The three finished their meal in lighthearted conversation, ignoring the circus worth or elephants in the room. Dorney finished off a second plate of pasta about the same time the older men finished off their first.

"You think you're okay to head home?" Tony asked. "If you're not, you can stay here, but a shower and change of clothes might help."

"Home sounds good, thanks."

"I'm fine cleaning up on my own if you two wanna head out," Jethro said, standing and taking their plates.

"Thanks," Tony said. He got up to get another bottle of water out of the fridge to combat the heat outside, and handed one off to Ned. "See you in an hour," he said before leaning in for a quick kiss. Jethro smiled and deepened it just a little, making Tony blush as he thought about their steamy morning together. In the aftermath, he was _really_ glad that they hadn't woken his team, but he had to admit that it had been extremely hot to test those boundaries. He turned to leave, and saw that Ned was trying not to stare.

"Come on, kid. Clean clothes await."

Ned followed Tony to the door, making sure he had everything he had left the house with the night before. He had his keys, his phone and his wallet. He felt a sharp pain as he thought about the sweet kiss that Tony and Gibbs had just shared. He remembered Elly telling him how he had figured out he was gay the night of Easter dinner, staring out into the backyard of this very house, swooning over how cute the older couple was lying together under the stars. He had said that he wanted that, and then Elly had taken him home. Now, Tony was taking him home, and all he could think about was Elly holding his hand at the DJ tables the night before.

He tried desperately to remember every detail of the previous night. He had a good portion of it down. The odd encounter between Tyson and Elly, leading to Elly taking his hand and pulling him back to the DJ table, stealing his glass and drinking a lot of it. He remembered his words of caution, and the pleading in the other man's intense blue eyes when he asked him to wait for his explanation behind how he knew Tyson didn't play fair. He started to bristle at the thought of what the jackass had done to Elly, and knew he had to cool it, otherwise the boss would see.

Then there was their touching, their talking, their whispers. The slow glide of their hands over the smalls of one another's backs, the way Elly had a tendency to reach out and hold his bicep as they talked. The twinkle in those damned blue eyes, deep with color under the lights. When the red lights were up, they almost looked violet, and he sighed as the thought about how badly he had wanted to lean in and kiss him senseless so many times.

Elly had told him that they had danced. He wanted to remember that more than anything, even if it meant also remembering stepping on his toes a dozen times. The thought of being in Elly's arms was incredible. He thought about waking up with him that morning, and how even though he felt so horrible, and had no idea where he was, he knew he was safe because he was with Elly.

He'd worked himself into a steep depression by the time Tony pulled up in front of his apartment, killing the engine.

"You know," Tony began. "There's a rule about coworkers dating. It's, uh, Rule Twelve. It's what took Jethro and I so long to get together. Well, that and we're a couple of stubborn jackasses."

Ned looked at him in confusion.

"It came up a few weeks ago when I was talking to Elly, and I explained how to know when to break the rule. I told him that working together as closely as we do gives us ample opportunity to figure out the difference between whether or not you just like someone a lot, or love them. I told him that if he ever found himself in that position, to give it time, and if you figure out it's love, then you act on it. If you're not willing to give up everything for one another, then you shouldn't act on it. _Your_ decision Ned, is whether or not you love him enough to change teams, and apparently whether or not to forgive him for running out today. I hope you remember that he's used to having to deal with things by himself. It's not personal what he did today, and it has nothing to do with how he feels about you."

"You seem pretty set on taking his side about this," Ned said with a sigh.

"That's because he loves you, you idiot!" Tony reached out and headslapped him, shaking his own head. "I didn't know when we had that conversation that he was into you, but he's willing to do whatever it takes. He just doesn't think you've had the time to really consider things, and that you're still in the "like" stage. He was willing to wait it out, to work through it, but then this happened, and look at the mess you're in now."

"Oh."

"So it's up to you. You need to think about it long and hard. Rule Twelve is there for a reason, but even it has its limits. It's up to you whether or not you're willing to break it. Breaking it comes with consequences, but if you honestly believe that the rewards are going to outweigh those consequences, then let me know, and I'll do what I can to help you break it the right way."

Ned nodded emphatically. "I will." He sighed heavily. "Thanks."

Tony nodded. "Do you need help in?" he asked.

"No. I think I need to be alone for a while. Thanks though."

"If you need me, call me. For anything." Tony's eyes met Ned's. "I mean it."

Ned nodded, and got out of the car. Before he closed the door, he turned around. "Thanks, Boss."

Tony nodded, and as the door closed, he sighed, watching to make sure Ned made it into the building okay. He didn't like this at all. He pulled out his phone as he pulled away from the curb to check in with Abby to see what she had found out about Briana Middle.

"Hey, Tony," she greeted with only half of her normal pep.

"Hey, Abs. Whatcha got for me? Anything good?"

"Tony! You doubt me? Since when?"

"I'd never doubt you, Abs! Just enough crazy, universe altering things have happened today that I'm half expecting to come home and find the house missing."

"You know Gibbs would never let that happen. Anyway, I _do_ have good stuff, so get ready to be reassured that the universe and all of its stars are in alignment. Briana Middle has talked her way out of charges for holding in the past, only not for Existence. She gave up her dealer five years ago, and the DEA let her go, or so it appears. On paper, they've been following her like a hawk, and they have her on their radar as get this, _distributing_ now."

"What?" Tony asked in disbelief.

"Exactly! She bypassed dealing and went right up the chain? I don't think so. If she turned in her dealer, they'd know, and she wouldn't even be able to _buy_ from anyone else, nonetheless become a distributer. Seriously, that's a pretty big jump for someone who's been dealing for a long time, but pretty much impossible for someone who was picked up and let go, you know? She's either really lucky, or there's something especially hinky going on here."

"I'm going with hinky."

"Me, too. I've tried to get in touch with a contact I have in the DEA to see if they may be able to find out whether or not she was a plant, but beyond that, nothing is lining up. She's distributing coke, not Existence. The stuff she's wrapped up in is much harder."

"So you're saying she's possibly running an undercover with the DEA, and she took off when everything hit the fan so that we didn't interfere with their investigation." Tony rolled his eyes, not looking forward to dragging another agency in on this case. It was the last thing he needed.

"Possibly. I've already started running background searches on every employee at the club just in case. Tyson has a harassment charge and a couple of DUIs, no shocker there, and one of the other bartenders has a few car break-ins on his record from when he was nineteen. He's thirty-eight now, a dad, job, nothing since, so that might be in the past."

"Would that be Gavin?" Tony asked.

"Yes, Gavin Arch."

"Christopher said that he had been at the club since they had their old building, but he had shown up _after_ the Existence issue started. Do me a favor and look into a death at the club last year. Someone had OD'd on the drug that was close with a lot of the staff."

"Was it intentional like our guys?" Abby asked, already typing into a computer.

"I don't know. Is there a way to find out if they are the same versions of the drug?" Tony pulled onto his street, and was honestly relieved to see the house still standing.

"Maybe. If they did a full workup on it, then yes. Depending on what kinds of samples they were able to keep, I might be able to make a comparison. If they only had what was in the urinalysis or the stomach contents, I won't be able to. The drug starts breaking down almost immediately when introduced to stomach acid. It metabolizes quickly, so the actual high itself doesn't last very long. The memory loss effects can only be guaranteed for about two or three hours at most."

"Hopefully they were able to find some of the actual drug somehow," Tony said, feeling rather disheartened.

"I'm glad Elly had the sense to call you before they could be led away somewhere at closing time. I hate to think of what was planned for them."

"With how much you found in the glasses, there were no plans to lure them away, just to let them die." Tony hoped it wasn't too heartless to say that, remembering as he did who he was talking to. He decided to move the conversation back into safer waters. "What about some sort of corporate sabotage? It's the opening night of a major venue. There aren't any other large scale techno clubs like this in D.C. If someone wanted to keep them from succeeding, two federal agents dying from a drug overdose would do it."

"But like you said, there are no other large venues in D.C. to compete with."

"Yeah, but I bet all of the business for the smaller clubs and bars with similar musical tastes were missing a lot of business last night. Would any of them have a reason to do something so drastic?" Tony started walking up to the house and through the front door.

"There's three much smaller clubs in the tristate area. _Haze_ , _Burgundy_ , and _Chateau_ _Buzz_."

" _Chateau_ _Buzz_? Really? Who thinks up these names? That name alone would send me running the other way."

"Yeah, I know. The place looks like a dive," Abby agreed. " _Haze_ is one of the more popular clubs, and I've actually been there a few times. Not the worst place in the world, but the clientele aren't really my taste. _Burgundy_ is fairly new, and by new I mean it's only been open since last fall. They were supposed to have a spring opening, but the building inspectors found black mold and a bunch of other stuff wrong with the structure, and the owner almost went bankrupt before it had even opened because of all of the cleaning and building modifications that had to be done."

"So, they'd stand a pretty good chance of going under if they lost their crowd," Tony posited.

"Yeah. It looks like a swanky kinda place actually."

"I'm thinking maybe we should hit the town tonight," Tony said, making eye contact with Jethro as he came into the kitchen.

"Oh?" Abby said playfully. "Got any place in mind?"

"Hey, Jethro. Wanna go clubbing with Abby, Parke and I tonight?"

"You're taking Abby?" Jethro asked, the protectiveness already in his voice.

"Just a scouting mission. Checking out Christopher's competition to see how the crowd is, and whether or not Synthinity is a serious enough threat to make the owner try and kill my team."

"If I'm going, McGee and Ziva are, too." Jethro wasn't too excited about the adventure, but he knew his team would enjoy the chance to be involved.

"Sounds perfect," Tony said with a grin.

"I'll call Tim!" Abby said, and hung up on Tony.

"I'll call Parke," Tony said.

"I'll call Ziva," Jethro said. "You might have to help me figure out what to wear though. I'm not going to fit in."

"Oh, I'll take care of that," Tony said with a wink.

"That's what I'm afraid of," Jethro mumbled.

Tony chuckled, but had his phone to his ear as he ran up the stairs.

"Boss?" Parke asked when he answered. "What's up?"

"Hey, Parke. Have you heard from the guys yet?" Tony asked.

"No? Why?"

Tony sighed. "They were drugged last night at the club. Someone tried to kill them with an overdose of a date-rape drug called Existence. Ever heard of it?"

"Holy shit!" Parke exclaimed. "Never heard of it. Are they okay?"

"Well, they're physically fine. It kinda opened Pandora's Box though."

"You mean they finally broke down and got all up on each other?" he asked.

"Damn it! Am I the only one that didn't see this coming?" Tony asked.

"Yeah," Jethro said, at the same time that Parke said, "Yes, definitely," from the other end of the phone.

Tony shook his head. "At least Abby seemed oblivious to it, that's got to mean something! Anyway, here's the deal. Elly and Ned don't know it, but we're all going to a club called Burgundy tonight to scope out whether or not they're taking a crowd hit because Synthinity opened. We want to work that angle while we have the chance. Saturday night is a much better night than Sunday to gauge it."

"Ziva's in," Jethro called. Tony heard his phone hit the sink ledge, and then the water turned on in the shower.

"Abby, Tim, Ziva, Jethro and I are going. You in?"

"Should I bring Tiff?" he asked.

"No. If it ends up turning into something rough, I don't want her in the line of fire. Tim will take responsibility for Abby, and she knows how to protect herself if needed."

"Not to mention I'd kill anyone who tried to lay a hand on her," Jethro called from the shower.

"Right, and Jethro would kill them," Tony added. "She's staff, she knows the scene better than any of us other than Elly, so she's coming."

"Should we maybe call Jimmy?" Parke asked. "If we're worried someone might drug us, it might be helpful to have someone who knows their way around the insides of the human body with us."

"Heh, I caught how you said the _insides_ there you little devil you. It wouldn't be the first time he's had to be involved on an undercover. Smart thinking."

"I can't see Ducky blending into the crowd. Come to think of it," Parke hesitated, afraid of how what he wanted to say would come out. "Not to sound like an ass, but Gibbs…"

"I know. I'll take care of it," Tony said with a smirk.

"Do I even wanna know?" Parke asked.

"Nothing outlandish, but perhaps not exactly comfort zone," Tony whispered.

"You have everything you need for that? I'm more his height."

Tony chuckled. "I'll let you know if I can't find anything."

"I'll wait to leave until I get the message. When are you thinking?"

"Probably rendezvous at the club a quarter 'til ten."

"Sounds good."

"How did the ultrasound go?" Tony asked with a grin.

"Awesome! Oh man! It's so cool to see that little lump of gray and white lines, and know that one day, that's going to be my little girl or boy. Nothing in the world like it!"

"That's awesome! Congrats man! Tell Tiff I said congrats too, and that I promise I'll do everything I can to return you in one piece tonight."

Parke chuckled. "I'll tell her. See you later."

Tony turned around from his position by the closet, and found Jethro waiting in a towel.

"Should I be afraid?" Jethro asked, smirking as he approached Tony.

"Yeah, you probably should," Tony said with a matching smirk. Jethro wrapped his arms around Tony's waist from behind.

"How you feeling?" Jethro asked.

"Mentally or physically?" Tony asked, leaning back into the embrace.

"Physically," Jethro said, kissing Tony's temple.

"Much better than I feel mentally, though knowing we're doing something about things is helping."

"I still can't believe you took it all," Jethro whispered into Tony's ear before nibbling on it.

"Mmm… me neither," Tony said, feeling him respond to the way Jethro's tongue and teeth worked on him. "I also can't believe you're seducing me again so soon."

"Seducing? Me? Now why would I do that?" Jethro began nipping down Tony's neck, his hand reaching down Tony's chest until he started stroking his already hardening cock through his pants.

Tony inhaled sharply. "Because you're an insatiable bastard, and you know I'll give you whatever you want."

"Exactly. So why seduce you? You'll already give me what I need."

Tony moaned, trying to turn around in Jethro's embrace, but he wouldn't allow it. Instead, he turned Tony until he was facing the full length mirror hanging on the inside of the closet door so that they stared back at each other. He held Tony firmly in place as he unbuttoned his jeans, then pushed them halfway down before taking Tony's cock in his sure grasp.

Tony watched the scene unfold in the mirror with eyes that were quickly glazing over. Jethro continued his attack on Tony's neck and shoulder, looking up at their reflection under hooded eyes as he stroked Tony over and over again. He increased the pressure and speed gradually until Tony made sounds of pleasure he felt the need to stifle, despite having no one in the house to hear them this time.

"Let it go," Jethro whispered in his ear, making eye contact with Tony in the mirror. Tony nodded fervently, leaning back on Jethro before he stiffened and shook, shooting out onto the glass in front of them. "Very nice," Jethro pandered. "Now clean it up."

Tony was on his knees immediately, eagerly licking the glass clean. He marveled in how many kinks he'd developed over the past few months, and was even more surprised that Jethro had so many.

Jethro watched in dark fascination as Tony jumped at the chance to lick his own cum off the mirror in front of them. He stroked himself slowly as he saw Tony's tongue slip out to lap at it, taking it in blob by blob, string by string, rolling it around his tongue before sucking it in and swallowing.

"Tastes good, doesn't it?" he asked roughly. Tony nodded. "You know what else will taste good? My cock. Come here." Tony turned around even more eagerly than he'd dropped to his knees in front of the mirror. The way he looked up into Jethro's eyes as he wrapped a hand around the base of Jethro's dick, and then began licking it like a popsicle before swallowing it, made Jethro take a sharp, deep breath, letting it out with a waver.

He looked at their reflections in the mirror. Tony had his shirt on still, his ass in the air as his mouth worked hard. Jethro could see how his ass was still an open abyss from taking his fist that morning. It caused him to thrust into Tony's mouth, and Tony relaxed his jaw to allow it. Jethro reached down and took Tony's head in his hands, and then guided his cock in and out of Tony's throat, loving the slight gagging sound Tony made when at this angle.

"There you go, just like that. Mmmmm yeah."

Tony reached up to roll Jethro's balls with his fingers. A couple of minutes and a few fancy tongue tricks later, Jethro was growling as he came into Tony's throat. Tony pulled back just enough to get a mouthful, and savored the taste before swallowing. Jethro took Tony's hand, and then led him to the bed, lying down on it with him, holding him close.

"I don't know what it is you do to me, but sex has never been so amazing," Jethro said quietly, running his hands up and down Tony's body, kissing his shoulder gently. "Never."

"I've never felt anything like what I feel when I'm with you," Tony murmured back. "I can't get enough of you."

"I can't get enough of you, either. Never." A minute later, Jethro looked at the clock. "Do we have time for a nap?"

"What time is it?" Tony asked, excited about the prospect of a little shut eye.

"Close to eight."

"Maybe a half hour? Wanna set the alarm?"

Jethro reached past Tony without answering, and clicked a few buttons. A couple of minutes later, and they were both sound asleep.

* * *

Elly woke up in a cold sweat. He was on fire from head to toe, and hard as a rock.

"What the fuck?" he gasped into the darkness. Flashes of the dream came back to him, of his hands and Ned's all over one another, kissing deeply until they were on the floor together behind large black boxes.

It was a distorted memory, and he knew it. He was on an oversized phone, and Ned was stroking him through his jeans. The phone turned into a demon's head that barked at Ned until he stopped stroking, but the brunette's hands kept wandering up and down Elly's body until they were lip locked again. The kiss seemed to go on forever. The demon head tried to bark at them some more, and Elly reached out a finger that turned into a long spike that popped it like a balloon. The dream flashed so that he was on top of Ned, grinding down on him, the music playing around them, and blue lights flashing everywhere.

Christopher's voice broke through to him, and he suddenly sat up, leaving Ned looking rejected on the floor. That's when he woke up. He chucked his boxers before he could think about it, and started beating off quick and hard. The sweat rolled down his forehead and towards his ears, and he arched up into the motion as he came hard, releasing all over himself. He gasped for air, taken aback by the power of the orgasm that hit him. Once he had caught his breath again, he looked down at himself. He decided it was time to break down and turn the air conditioning on, and _definitely_ time to take a shower.

As he washed himself off, he thought about Ned. He had Tony tell him that he would call him, and he wanted to, but he wasn't sure that calling him after using him as jack-off material was the right time to do it. He was afraid of what that sultry voice would do to him at the moment. He'd have to wait until tomorrow, he decided, and then headed for the kitchen.

Opening the freezer, he saw the stack of frozen pizzas, and took one out to put in the oven. While that was cooking, he took out a half gallon of milk and a box of cereal, and attacked it.

"I forgot this shit gives you the munchies," he said quietly to himself. He thought about some friends of his from college that had used Existence recreationally one night at a rave he had co-DJed. He'd been tempted to do it with them, but after a bad experience trying X, he had opted to just drink his weight in Jell-O shots instead. That was one decision he never regretted. He was the only one able to actually experience what happened next, even if just from the sidelines. The rest of them would have to rely on the dreams that came later, while he would remember much of it firsthand.

_And that's the kind of shit that Ned doesn't know about yet. How is he supposed to feel when he finds out just how crazy loose I once was? How nothing was off limits? Yeah, so threesomes with complete strangers aren't exactly my forte, but just how many circle jerks did I happily sit in on? And the night Eric and I decided it would be a good idea to swap girlfriends for the evening? And the fact that they were open enough to have been like, yeah! Sure! He'd die if he found out what a little man-whore I'd been._

_Oh, and then there's the night I fucked Alicia's brains out before working the tables one Friday, just to have Eric fuck my brains out afterwards? Talk about man-whores, he definitely had me beat, but he was just so fucking hot. How was I supposed to say no to that?_

Elly sighed deeply. The smell of a burning pizza wafted up his nose, finally bringing his thoughts back to the present time. He took the pizza out and cut it in four, then took it into the living room with him. He turned on the laptop, trying to decide if he wanted to watch a movie or not, when he saw the picture of the team.

_God, he's so fucking innocent. I just want to break him. I just want him to break me. What I wouldn't give to learn about that colorful vocabulary he has first hand tonight. I can think of allllll sorts of dirty things to do with that filthy mouth of his. Then again, there's way too much at stake here. I want to hear his voice, but to hear it would mean to have to speak back to him, and in order to that, I'd have to form words. I'm pretty sure the only words I can form right now are, "Come over here and fuck me until I don't need to remember last night."_

Despite his better judgment, he took his phone out. He saw the text Ned had sent him much earlier, asking if he was okay. He opened up a reply, and all of the bells and whistles started going off in his head.

_No! If you message him, you're going to want to see each other to talk about everything, and you can't see him right now without touching him, and you can't touch him right now without sleeping with him. Put the phone down, eat your pizza, and go back to bed._

Elly groaned, ate the pizza in record time, and then dropped the plate in the sink before chugging milk straight from the carton. He went back to his bedroom, slipped under the covers, and turned off the light. He stared at the background on his phone, mainly at Ned's goofy smile and shining gray eyes, somehow always so full of light, and shook his head. He opened up a text, and struggled with the words he wanted to say. All he ended up sending was,

_Goodnight._

* * *

Ned rolled over and picked up his phone.

"Goodnight? I've been waiting all day night for something, and all I get is "Goodnight?" What the hell?" _That little fucker._ He opened up the reply box, and started typing furiously, and then he remembered Gibbs taking his phone from him earlier.

" _Trust me on this one- give him some space,"_ he'd said.

Ned sighed and erased the text he had been writing. He replaced all of the writing with his own,

 _Goodnight_.

He set his alarm, and sat his phone back on the nightstand.

 _I guess it's kinda sweet that the last thing he thought of before going to bed was to message me._ A small smile crept over his lips at the thought, and a few minutes later he was asleep.

Half an hour into his deep rest, he started having flickers of images. They were mainly blue flashes of the crowd dancing at the club, and the industrial roof. Then there were orange balls whisking by and hurting his eyes. He tried to piece together the images in his sleep, and realized the orange balls were the lights on the side of the tunnel they would have taken from the club to the Navy Yard. He felt the firm body under his head and hands, and realized he was in the backseat of Tony's car with Elly. Then the images went dark, and the dream changed to something completely different.

He fought the new images in his dream, desperately trying to return to the comfort of Elly's embrace, but the harder he fought, the further away it seemed to slip, and he woke up with a start, realizing that maybe Gibbs was right. Maybe giving Elly space would be what he needed to decide what to do about them. He resolved to wait until he heard from Elly before contacting him again.

* * *

Tony stood back and checked his handiwork. Jethro knew that even with the clothes, he was going to stick out like a sore thumb. He tried to let Tony lead the costuming department, and when Tony directed Jethro into the bathroom in front of the mirror to toss his hair with some kind of goo, he barely rolled his eyes. Tony smirked.

"Don't worry. I wouldn't try to get you to do this if it wasn't for appearances. I like you just the way you are." Tony leaned in and kissed him quickly, and then checked out his own hair in the mirror. He got it the way he wanted it while Jethro picked up globbed together strands of the hair on top of his head, and investigated it thoroughly through squinted eyes.

"A couple of things to help keep you from sticking out too much. Smile- a lot. Nurse a beer. Flirt shamelessly with me, and dance with me." Tony smiled broadly at Jethro as he blushed.

"You know how hard that's going to be for me with everyone around."

"Oh, you can do it. I have faith in you. I'll whisper horribly devilish things in your ear all night if I have to."

"You think so, huh?" Jethro said, smiling as he pulled Tony close to him by the waist.

"See! Just like this," Tony said, slipping his arms over Jethro's shoulders. "And be very glad we're not going all out earwigs tonight, because I'm going to make it my goal to get you hot and bothered enough that you drag me out onto the dance floor to get away from everyone."

"You know I can't dance."

"We've danced before," Tony said with a smirk.

"I can slow dance just fine, but the other type? No, not at all."

"We'll find other things to do besides dance then. That might actually mean we'll get approached with some interesting offers, and you gotta remember not to react to them like a cop."

"Okay. Interesting how?"

"Offering us X, acid, coke, just about anything. And then depending on the tastes of the patrons, threesomes, orgies, partner swaps, that kind of thing. This kind of place is generally a very open to anything and everything atmosphere." Tony found a dark glee in the wide-eyed expression on Jethro's face.

"Don't tell me how you know this. I'll keep you locked in this house forever." Jethro nuzzled Tony, tightening his grip on him.

"I'm more worried about how well Elly knows it, actually. He DJed for these kinds of places in a college town in Minnesota. There's nothing to do in Minnesota. When the kid says he was a wild child back then, I fully believe it."

"You're going to be a great dad, Tony."

"Wow. That was kind of out of nowhere."

"If you care about our daughter half as much as you care about your team, she's going to have an incredible life."

Tony smiled from ear to ear. "That sounds so sure."

"I'm pretty sure I want to do this with you."

Tony tightened his arms around Jethro and pulled him in for a deep kiss. They stood in the bathroom for a few minutes, kissing and touching each other until they wound down.

Tony's voice came out quietly, a tentative look on his face as he stared first as his lover's chest and then up into his eyes. "I was thinking tonight, when Dorney was at the table with us, how nice it will be to have family meals. Real family dinners, with all of us around the table, and phones off, and stories with her about how her day went, and telling her she can't have seconds of one thing until she finishes another." Tony shrugged. "It felt right."

"Yeah, it did." Jethro smiled shyly at him. "I felt that too. We should probably still give it the summer to really think things through, but right now, I'm at a ten."

"Whoa, a full ten! Nice. I admit, I'd much rather be in the next room telling our little girl a bedtime story than going out to a techno club to try to discern whether or not the owners might be shady enough to try to kill my team."

"Makes two of us."

"However, we need to go. Take coffee with you. Once we're there, it's no longer coffee atmosphere." Tony kissed him quickly and then slipped his black jacket on. They headed for the kitchen to pour Styrofoam cups with the brown nectar. Jethro started chugging his down immediately. Tony doctored his with sugar and hazelnut, and then fumbled in a drawer to find the mints he had bought the week before at the store. Jethro refilled his cup, and they were off.

When they pulled up to the club, Jethro tossed his keys to the valet, and Tony smirked, thinking about how unlike him that was. Abby and Tim were already waiting near the door together. Abby was leaning against the wall, and Tim was next to her, whispering in her ear. Parke and Palmer came down the sidewalk together, laughing about something.

Jethro's arm was around Tony's back, and Tony leaned in to whisper in Jethro's ear. "We didn't talk about whether or not my team is drinking."

Jethro leaned in. "I figured you were. Appearances and all. Tim, Ziva, Palmer and I will stay sober since we're on call and Palmer's our in house medic."

"Sounds good to me," Tony said, looking over Jethro from head to toe.

"Hey!" Abby shouted at them, and they came over. Palmer and Parke joined them.

"Real quick," Tony said softly. "Gibbs' team is staying sober, and Palmer that includes you. Parke, Abby, and I are going to live it up to keep up appearances."

"Where's Ziva?" Abby asked, looking around. They saw her coming around the corner of a building half a block over, and waved to her. "Whoa! She definitely dressed to impress!"

Ziva was wearing a short flared skirt, a black midriff baring top, and a white denim jacket over it. Her hair was down, and her shoes were a rather sensible heel compared to the rest of the outfit, most likely so she could run in them if she had to.

"Wow, Zee! You look ready to tear it up!" Abby said. Her own black, red, and white plaid skirt was just as short as Ziva's, and she had red suspenders over a button downed white sheer top that was halfway unbuttoned, her black lacey bra showing right through. The men exchanged looks. There were five of them and two of the ladies, and they were both dressed to kill. They were going to have their hands full.

"I love your blouse," Ziva said. "Nice touch!" She and Abby smirked at one another and looked around at the guys.

Tim slid his arm around Abby's waist, and Parke and Palmer each put a brotherly arm around Ziva. "You two just _had_ to go and make this hard for us, didn't you?" Parke said. Ziva laughed.

"And just how do we expect to keep her sober with how half of the guys in this place are going to be buying her drinks?" Tony whispered to Jethro as they headed into the club.

"Hell if I know!" Jethro said, plastering on a smile, and slipping an arm around Tony, making sure his hand landed safely in his back pocket. Tony raised an eyebrow at him, licking his lips as they waited for the guys in front of them to pay their cover. Jethro paid their way in, and Tony snickered as they walked in. "See? There's my cover. I got me a sugar daddy!"

Jethro laughed. "Is that right?" he asked, leaning down to whisper in Tony's ear.

"I do tonight!" Tony said with a wink.

"Is that going to help keep up appearances?" Jethro said, his smile bright but genuine at the playful banter.

Tony tried to look serious, but failed. "I think it might. Let's try it and find out."

"Doesn't really matter. A few months from now, and everything that's mine is yours legally anyway."

"And the vice versa!" Tony said, leaning in to kiss Jethro sweetly.

"Hmmm. Let your sugar daddy buy you a drink," Jethro said, looking down at Tony and taking his hand before pulling him towards the bar. Tony noticed that the music had a much more subdued tone than Elly had going at the club the night before. It was still fairly early as far as clubbing went, and the low lighting and booths around the edge of the club gave the place a more mature atmosphere. As they were all lining up around the bar, making their drink orders, the clock struck ten, and the music started changing tempo. Where before only thirty or so people were on the floor, this new beat brought another fifty from around the edges of the room where they had set up home bases.

"That's more like it!" Abby said loudly to be heard over the beat. Tim took her free hand, the other being one of the first of their group to hold a glass, and pulled her out on the floor.

Parke was saying something quietly to Ziva, and she nodded, obviously in agreement of whatever he just said. He then turned to Palmer, and he agreed as well, though he blushed three shades darker crimson than the walls that gave the club its name. He soon cleared his throat and took the beer that was being handed to him. They all knew he would probably nurse that one and only beer for the night, being a total lightweight, but Tony was definitely surprised when his hand went around Ziva's waist in a smooth motion that had her turning into him.

Parke started talking to Ziva in Spanish, and Ziva replied back in the same. Tony suddenly got what was going on. They were establishing roles. By the interactions, it was starting to appear that Ziva and Parke were brother and sister. Their almost matching skin tones helped create total alternate personas, and their ability to both fluently speak Spanish set up a story for anyone watching close enough. Tony leaned back against the bar facing Jethro who about had him trapped against it. He had a Long Island in his hand, and Jethro had a beer in his.

"The last time I had a Long Island," he began, "We were just about to go home together for the first time."

"Mmm…" Jethro said. "I definitely remember that. Sitting at that tiny table back off to the side behind the bar near the bathrooms."

"Think I might want to go home with you again tonight," Tony said with a smirk.

"Oh? You think?" Jethro said, leaning in to kiss him, that bright smile on his face.

Tony nodded. "Oh yeah. Definitely. Wanna dance with me while the floor isn't too crowded?"

Jethro listened to the music a moment and shrugged. It was a bass-heavy , but it was slower than most anything else they would probably hear for the rest of the night.

They joined the rest of the people on the dance floor, trying to stay close but not too close to where Tim and Abby were already wrapped around each other. They danced for twenty minutes together, and then took up a table close to the bar when the music cranked it up another few notches. The rest of the group started mingling around the room, and then came back to the table to check in.

"I have an idea," Abby announced. "Feel free to totally reject it, because you know I trust your gut more than science itself, but I was thinking that Ziva and I should go get refills, and I should say something about how we should go check out Synthinity, and then Ziva could say something about how she heard someone tried to dose the DJ, and I can be like, no way, and she can be like, yeah, and I heard he was some kinda cop, and see if we get a reaction out of the bartenders."

"What do you think?" Tony asked. He felt the idea had promise, but was missing something.

"Not yet?" Jethro said. "Let's watch and see if anyone important comes up to the bar, and then go for it."

"Got it," Abby said, winking at Ziva. "Wanna turn some heads?" she asked, reaching her hand out to Ziva.

"Mamita es loca!" Ziva said, being pulled out on the floor by Abby. All five of the men stopped and watched as they danced together on the floor, getting plenty attention from everyone around them. Tim finished his beer in one long drink, and then choked as Abby and Ziva were so closely wrapped around each other that they could have been kissing. They were all stunned by the hot factor unraveling in front of them.

"That…" Palmer finally managed to get out, but nothing followed. Tony nodded.

" _That._ " He reached his glass up to tap it with Palmers behind Jethro's back, and as soon as Tony was done taking a drink from the glass, Jethro headslapped him. "What?! You're staring, too. The only difference is you're not drooling. And I am totally blaming that on short skirts and a Long Island iced tea. Damn! Where do women learn to do that?"

"Hell, women?" Parke said, his eyes still glued to the show. "If you and Gibbs keep your hands in each other's back pockets any more, I think that one bartender is going to have to take a cold shower."

"Oh, really?" Tony said, scanning the bar as discreetly as possible for the one Parke was referring to.

"The one in the black shirt," Parke said, still watching the ladies, raising his beer to his lips.

"Damn it, Jethro! Are you _sure_ you won't try dancing with me?" he said, looking at him with playful eyes.

"You'd have to get me damn near tanked, and this beer is where I stop tonight."

"Hmmm… I wonder if I could slip you something," Tony said with a wink that got Jethro to chuckle.

"It would have to be pretty damned powerful."

"Oh, I'm sure I could slip you something pretty powerful," Tony whispered in his ear, using the distraction unfolding on the dance floor to slip his hand between Jethro's leg and palm him once.

Jethro turned back to Tony to whisper in his ear. "I really don't think you want to follow through with that right here."

"This coming from the man who had me screaming at the top of my lungs this morning with my agents asleep in the next room?" Tony whispered. "Oh, while he had his entire hand in my ass?"

Jethro took a deep breath and tried not to let his eyes roll back into his head. He turned to whisper to Tony again. "We're not going to make it through the night if you don't behave."

"I'm not here to behave. Actually, I'm here to misbehave," Tony said, not even bothering to whisper.

Tim suddenly left the table, obviously not listening to them. His attention was stolen by a couple of guys who were trying to dance up on Abby and Ziva, and Palmer was right on his heels. Palmer managed to take Ziva's hand in a very convincing manner, and Tony sighed in relief that he pulled it off. He pulled her against him, and she laughed. He bent over the more than a foot it took to whisper in her ear, and she nodded, leaning against him while looking up at him. Tim had made his way between the guy who was trying to dance with Abby, and she smiled at him. Tony was glad to see Tim wasn't pissy about her stunt. She slipped her arms around his neck, and he picked her up, a hand on each side of her ass and spun her around. Tony chuckled, and he and Jethro shared a smile.

"Thought it would be _easier_ if I didn't have to pretend to be here with Ziva," Parke said quietly. "Now I'm regretting it. Every time I go out on the dance floor, someone else is practically humping me. I don't remember clubbing being so… risqué? Then again, I was never really a clubber. Elly has some interesting stories though! Wow!" Parke took back another drink from his glass.

"Oh?" Tony said. "Pull up a chair and spill."

Parke laughed. "I can't tell all of them, but there's a couple I'm sure he wouldn't mind getting out."

They were talking for about fifteen minutes when suddenly Abby ditched Tim on the floor to grab Ziva from Jimmy. The guys walked back to the table, and Parke got up to join the women at the bar. Tony looked at Jethro and smiled, then looked past him.

"Showtime. Our girls are getting refills, and a well dressed man has come from the back room to talk to the bartenders."

Jethro leaned in to whisper in Tony's ear.

"Parke went with them?" he pulled back, looking at Tony's expression with a fake smile of his own.

"Yeah. He can read body language with the best of them. He's a good attachment. Now we just have to wait and see."

Parke joined Abby and Ziva at the bar. The bartender looked up at him. "Can I get another Corona please? And I have their drinks."

"You don't have to do that," Ziva said, making sure to use the contraction.

"Nonsense hermanita. You've come all this way to see me, the least I can do is make sure you're well hydrated. The two of you definitely gave people something to think about out there earlier," Parke said, giving Abby a long once over, ending with a wink. She winked back.

"Could really use a more energetic beat though," Abby said. "You guys wanna split and go check out that new club that opened over across town? I think it's called Infinity or something?"

"Synthinity!" Ziva said excitedly. "I heard about that place. A friend of mine was there last night, and apparently someone drugged the DJ. Almost killed him."

"Yeah, I heard about that, too," Parke confirmed, nodding. "Apparently he's some kind of cop or something. The place is crawling with feds."

Parke smiled as he looked up to take the drink from the bartender. He scanned the counter and saw that the well dressed man had paused, looking down at the small notebook in his hand blankly from where he was doing a bottle count.

"I heard he is some kind of, like, government agent himself, and that they're really trying to find the guy." Ziva tried to look confident as she was sure she was butchering the language, but Abby squeezed her arm reassuringly under the bartop.

"How did I not hear about this?!" Abby asked excitedly. She turned and took the drink the bartender handed her. She smiled at him, and then went back to Ziva and Parke.

Tony came up behind them, putting a hand on Abby's shoulder. "What didn't you hear about, Ms. Social Butterfly?" he asked, then looked at the bartender. "Can I get another Long island?" The bartender nodded and took his glass.

"You hear of that new club Synthinity that was supposed to open this weekend?" Abby asked.

"Oh, yeah! I wanted to check them out, but I figured opening weekend would be packed. You know how Jethro is with crowds."

"Yeah, well apparently their DJ was drugged last night."

"Whoa? What?" Tony asked, looking at Ziva and then Parke.

"I heard he's actually an agent of some kind that was just working for the night to help a friend, and that he and his friend were both drugged," Ziva said, sipping from a bottle of water.

Tony shook his head in disbelief, which gave him the chance to notice that the nicely dressed man behind the counter was frozen. He took the Long Island from the bartender who took Tony's card after handing Parke's back to him. He couldn't seem less interested in the group in front of him if he tried. When Tony got his card back, and they all went back to the table together, they huddled, smiled and laughed their way through talking about the weird reaction from the other man.

"He knows something," Tony said softly.

"Yeah," Jethro said. "Watched him from the moment you all turned away, and he took off, dropping his notepad without stopping to pick it up."

Tim started playing on his phone. "I wish I could call Elly and have him run the trace properly."

"Trace?" Abby asked, hanging on him and looking at his phone.

"Yeah. The owner's cell phone is listed on his LinkedIn account, and I bet if we looked, that would be him."

"Is Elly not capable of it right now?" Ziva asked confused.

"No!" Both Tony and Jethro said at once.

"I am sorry. I thought you said they were okay."

"Sorry, Zee. They are, physically. Things happened though that they're going to need some time and space to figure out."

"Oh, you mean because their feelings were revealed by the drug?" she asked.

"Seriously? Even Ziva knows?" Tony asked.

"Yes, Tony. Everyone knows," Tim said.

"Don't worry, Tony," Abby reassured him. "I didn't know until you did last night."

"Really?" Jethro asked. Abby nodded, sipping from the small straws sticking from her glass.

"Do you think we're done here tonight?" Parke asked.

"Hell no!" Abby said. "I'm getting my drink on, my dance on, and eventually…" she whispered in McGee's ear, and he turned bright red.

"Yeah! Trace will require a computer!" He put his phone away and let Abby drag him back out on the floor.

"I guess that means I'm staying," Palmer said, looking happy if not quite sure of what to do with himself.

"Then come on!" Ziva said, hopping down from her stool and dragging Jimmy out on the floor with her.

Parke laughed, and looked at Tony and Jethro.

"Go home, Greg," Tony said with a smile. "We have some direction, that's all we came for tonight. I appreciate you coming out."

"Are they really okay, Boss?" he asked.

Tony sighed. "Physically. They may need a little mental reassurance here and there, but it's a touchy subject."

"I get it. I'll keep my ears open," he replied. "Have a good night. If you need me, call me."

"Did Jimmy ride with you?" Tony asked.

"No, he followed me."

"Okay. Thanks." Tony turned his attention back on Jethro. "Now that work is done for the night, let's _work_ on making that bartender jealous as fuck." Before Jethro could respond, Tony was exploring his mouth intently. Jethro reflexively pulled Tony closer to him. Tony did one better though, and sat in Jethro's lap, wrapping his legs around the older man and the bar stool.

Abby stared over Tim's shoulder in shock. "Holy shit!" she murmured. She let go of Tim to go find Ziva, and then pulled her away from Jimmy. "Turn and look at Tony and Gibbs!"

"Wha- OH. Wow." They both stood huddled while they watched the two men making out.

"I don't know if I want to stay and watch, or if I want to drag Tim out of here and jump him in an alley."

"Stay and watch with me. Dion will not be home for hours."

"Oh! Whoa, is he? Wow. Go Bossman!" Abby whisper shouted.

Tim and Palmer had come over to stand with them to see what they were staring at.

"Oh my gosh," Palmer said. "Um, anyone else wonder if maybe Tony's been drug- OH WOW." Palmer turned around, turning bright red.

"I think someone should go check on that very real possibility that they have _both_ been drugged," Tim said.

"I'll go!" Abby said jumping forward. Tim's arms went around her waist, holding her in place. "I think it should be the health professional amongst us," Tim said, delegating the task with a gulp.

"What? No way! I'm not going over there. Call them. See if that… _peels_ them off of one another."

"Oh, hell no! If anyone makes that stop, I'm going to kill them!" Abby said, not taking her eyes off the scene across the room.

"I will not even waste time finding a paperclip!" Ziva said in Abby's defense. "Freeze! If you are not taking a video, you had better put that phone away!"

"You both know that if this is the result of them being slipped something, you're going to feel horrible that you didn't stop them," Tim said. "Come on, Jimmy. I'll go with you."

"Damn it! I hate when he's right." Abby sighed, disgruntled.

"In this case, so do I. Let's join them." Ziva sulked as she followed Tim and Jimmy.

The group approached the table tentatively.

"Um, guys?" Abby said.

Tony finally pulled out of the kiss, seeming to realize where they were. He climbed off of Jethro's lap, picking up his drink and chugging it.

"Wait!" Jimmy said, then winced.

"What?" Tony said, realizing the entire group was staring at the two like they had just watched them murder someone.

"We were worried that maybe you'd been slipped something," Tim finally said.

"Uhhhh…" Tony said, looking at Jethro, and then back at the group.

"You know, because you're not usually so…" Tim said, trying to find the words.

"All up on each other like a porno in public?" Abby supplied.

"Might not have put it that way," Tim said, looking at her.

"I'm just calling it like I saw it," Abby said with a sassy smile. "Not that we have any problems with it."

Tony looked at Jethro again, and then shook his head. "No. Not drugged. We are however going home! Goodnight!" Tony grabbed his jacket from the back of his chair, and then dragged Jethro out of the club.


	29. Chapter 29

Shane was excited to have the long upcoming weekend off to go see Greg and their chosen family. He had just gotten off the phone with Jackson, and they were looking forward to surprising everyone. They even decided to share a motel room so that they wouldn't inconvenience anybody once they got there.

Penelope's internship had ended the month before, sending her home to Michigan. He knew he should probably call her while he had the chance, finally finding some privacy on the porch of the bunkhouse, but he was drawn to the photo album instead. He picked up his backpack and pulled out the book, and decided to start flipping through it from the back this time.

He already knew what he would find, so the smile was on his face before he even got the page open, the memories so vivid he didn't even really need the photo. It was his favorite picture. Nona's arm was around Greg, and they were rooting him on during one of the few school basketball games he got to attend. He had made a three pointer, bringing the team up from behind with only a few minutes left on the clock. Someone else from the youth center that had tagged along had gotten the picture of them celebrating the shot. Nona's eyes shone with pride and joy, and Greg and her together looked like family. That's how he preferred to remember her. That's how he preferred to remember his childhood.

He closed the book, and pulled out the small flip album that had been sent to him a month prior. It had been wrapped in brown paper, a rough hemp string tied around it, and inside the front cover, a man's handwriting had inscribed "From the Family". His fingers ran over the ink with a sacredness that made him shudder as warmth trailed down his spine. A note of explanation was included from Greg that had touched him dearly, and Shane pulled it out from the back of the album where he had kept it tucked in an empty photo page.

_Little Brother,_

_Last night, the Boss stopped by with this. During the team dinner, a few different people managed to capture some great images of our new family. Abby got some especially amazing shots, and she sent them to Tony. He got the brilliant idea to ask around the group to see who else had taken photos during that evening and over the next few days as we visited with Jackson. He had prints made, and he put them all together for you and I in matching albums. I've added more shots to both books._

_I'll admit it, I cried when I read the inscription. For so few words, they mean more to me than I ever thought words could mean. It's still sinking into me what I've stumbled upon here. These people will be in our lives forever, and of that, I have absolutely no doubt. Even as I write that, the utter amazement and awe that comes over me makes me wonder if I'm alive. To know that they embrace us completely, and care so much about us, that they see that light that Nona always said draws family to one another, makes me feel invincible._

_I can't believe we did it, Shane. I can't believe we found our happiness. I can't believe we finally found a family that is willing to love us as we are, and who understands without assuming they know. I can't believe that I have finally found people I trust. People I feel safe with. People who I would trust with you and Tiff, and that I know will protect us like a family is supposed to. It's home, Shane, and I know it will be for the rest of our lives._

_I love you, little brother. Take care of yourself, and come home whenever you can._

_-Greg_

The porch light was dim, but he re-read the letter a dozen times before he put it in the back of the album with a wide smile on his face and a mist in his eyes. He flipped through the book, enjoying the grins on the faces in each picture.

There was a photo of him talking to Jackson about the park, both of them animated in their discussion of a shared stomping ground. No one would mistake them for family is they saw them together, but by the end of that week, he knew that Jackson was the grandfather he had never had.

There were photos of the group sitting around eating, and of wide mouth laughter being shared at this joke or the other. There was a photo of Tony sitting on the ground against the chair between Gibbs' legs, and Gibbs leaning forward with his hands on Tony's shoulders as they looked at each other, eyes bright and smiles wide.

One of his favorites was Greg and Elly, arms around each other in a hug that hid the sling Greg was wearing at the time. He also loved the one that he and Greg took together as they laid in the circle in the back yard, drunk as hell.

Then there was a group photo that Ziva had gotten almost everyone to crunch together for before they had heard the news about the fallen FBI agent. The only people missing were Tony and Gibbs, and it was intended to be a special shot for her to frame as a gift for them. Shane wondered if that shot was the inspiration for Tony to send the album.

There were photos from a team outing that Greg had added to the back of the book that still made him laugh. The laughter shook tears free from his eyes. Looking at them made him feel unbelievably relieved, because he knew by those photos that Greg was just as happy with his life as he had become with his own. The photo of Greg, Elly, Tony and Dorney scrunched together, trying to make serious faces, and then the series of shots afterwards when they burst into drunken laughter after failing miserably, made Shane feel like he knew the men much better than he did. Somehow, with their limited interaction, he knew that Greg was right- these people would be in his life until he died.

He finally closed the book, slipped both albums into their plastic bags, and then into his pack again. He hoisted his pack on his back, and headed into the cabin to get some rest. It was well after midnight, and he was looking forward to a good night's sleep in an actual bed.

_Just a few more days guys! I'll be home in just a few more days!_

* * *

Jethro had Tony's legs pinned to the couch, his cock deep in his throat as his tongue swirled around the thick veins before pulling back to breathe and lick the head. Tony could only groan, and then whimper, and then groan again as Jethro took him deep once more. He tried unsuccessfully to thrust up into Jethro's mouth, and earned fingerprints that he knew would be dark blue in his thighs for his efforts. Jethro pulled back again, only this time because he heard a phone chime. He realized it was Tony's, so he went back to the task at hand, renewed by the relief that it wasn't a call from dispatch.

He bobbed his head as his lips tightened around the flesh in between them, letting his mouth water to help slick the slide. For a brief moment, he remembered the first time he had felt the urge to suck Tony off, and smirked at the idea of how Tony would be the only person who would ever know what it would feel like to get a Leroy Jethro Gibbs blowjob. Tony had definitely reassured him over the past couple of months that he was not only good at it, but exceptional, and he admitted to himself that knowing that fed the enjoyment.

As soon as Jethro let his fingers tease Tony's balls, the younger man gasped, and then made that animalistic sound that let Jethro know he was about to come. He loved that sound. He released Tony's cock from his mouth and stroked him fast and hard. The flesh was hot and heavy in his grip, and his fist was soon covered with the overflowing sticky liquid of Tony's release. There was also a stringy glob down his bare chest from where it shot, and he wore it with pride as Tony panted hard through the aftermath of the orgasm. Jethro stroked him with long slow strokes now, watching Tony's expression with joy. He loved being able to make Tony feel so good, especially when he had just made him feel out of this world twenty minutes earlier, and multiple times through a very long day.

Tony's eyes snapped open, looking back at him. He reached forward and ran his finger up Jethro's chest, capturing the cum there, and brought it to his mouth. Jethro's eyes widened as he watched, and then groaned as Tony licked his fingers clean. He couldn't believe how after months of watching Tony slurp his own goodies, it still turned him on so intensely. He let his head fall to Tony's lap as he turned to sit on the floor instead of kneel. He was surprised when the sun came up to find himself in the same position.

* * *

Elly spent all day on Sunday sleeping, yearning to get back to the place where his dreams inevitably led him; to where he could be with Ned, lost in a memory. He woke up twice, his hand already on his phone, and forced himself to put it down before he made a big mistake. He was dying to simply hear Ned's voice, but the source of reassurance he sought was also an aphrodisiac for him, and that was the last thing he needed when he had already gotten off multiple times since dawn.

This time though, he woke up with not only the sexual heat, but horrible nausea, and he realized that he had gotten sick while high on the drug. The side effect made its way into the flashbacks, and finally began tempering the joy of the dreams. He got up and took a cool shower, and it helped relieve the raging hard on and his agitated stomach.

After making some chicken nuggets in the microwave, he did something he hadn't done in years. When he was a kid, his therapist has given him a special notebook that he could write in during his sessions for twenty minutes before they talked. He was allowed to write anything he wanted, but she had encouraged him to write about what was bothering him. As he got older, he had turned to free writing and listing things that were frustrating him. He wouldn't usually read over it afterwards. Simply getting out what he was feeling was a safe pressure release. He found it also helped him get all of his ducks in a row mentally.

With how confused he was feeling, he decided it couldn't hurt to revert to an old tried and true methodology. Instead of a notebook though, he opened up a blank document on his laptop, and turned his font white to match the page so that he couldn't see the words.

_He isn't ready to make a decision this big. He can't be ready. It's not fair to try to make him ready. I mean, if we took our time, if we went through this one day at a time, then yeah, I think he might be able to handle it all if there was a slow bleed of information that let him know what he was getting himself into. I'm actually pretty sure he would be willing and able to deal with everything, ya know, if he had the time. Dumping it all on him at once though, that's gotta be too much, right? Though, meeting him and getting to know how weird he is, was very overwhelming at first. I never thought when I first met him that we'd get to be as close as we are. He was strange, but as we talked, well, I guess I felt I had found a kindred spirit in his quirks. And once he asked for direction, when he flat out said, Hey! I'm weird! Can you help fix me? I was suddenly angry with myself and the world for making such a unique soul feel like he was broken. I want to protect those oddities now, even if I just keep them for myself. I want to celebrate his gentleness, his respect for life, his need to clean everything he sees when he's stressed, and the way he mixes ketchup and mayo to dip his fries in. I want to have to tickle him to get him out of bed in the morning for work when the alarm just isn't cutting it after keeping each other up all night, and I want to lay under the stars with him, listening to him tell me about his dreams, and knowing that when I tell him mine, he gives a genuine damn._

_Changing teams though? Being out at work though? Can I/he/we handle all of the things this is going to throw at us?_

_You know what? Fuck it. I'm not going to let anyone, or anything else dictate at what speed we have to take this. Are we ready to jump into bed together? No, well, not emotionally. Are we ready to admit that we want to pursue a relationship? Yes. At least I am. And I think he is. I deserve the happiness I think we can have together, and I believe he deserves it too._

_Tomorrow, I'll come in early, and when he gets there, I'll pull him aside, and talk to him face to face so that I can look into his eyes and tell him that I want this. And if we have to lie to Vance and say we're not together while we try to figure each other out, at least we will be able to say in a polygraph that we have never had sex. I'm pretty sure he'll wait the two months out with me, and if that doesn't say something, I don't know what does!_

Elly smiled to himself, feeling anxious, excited, and empowered. He closed the laptop, not bothering to save the document, and then put the plate in the sink with the rest of the weekend's stack. He turned on a playlist on his phone, selecting Ned's request at the club to kick it off, and then tackled the dishes. He cleaned up the kitchen, gathered a load of laundry, and took the phone to the bedroom to figure out what he wanted to wear to work the next day for his big talk with Ned. He decided on a blue and white striped shirt, and navy blue pants with a navy belt.

When he finally turned off his jams and crawled under the covers, he froze, wondering if he should send a text to Ned. He considered it as he set his alarm, and then decided to send another simple, "Goodnight." He rolled over with an elated smiled on his face, and fell asleep so quickly that he missed the fact that he didn't receive a text back.

Ned had waited all day long for a phone call from Elly. He spent an entire hour around four o'clock staring at his phone with his arms crossed against his chest, refusing to give in and call the other man first. He was getting seriously aggravated, but more than that, he was brokenhearted. He thought for sure he would call by now. He was tired, but he had been drugged with a lot more apparently than Elly had. He couldn't understand why he hadn't contacted him. He had finally given up, made some dinner, gotten through a third round of cleaning the bathroom, scrubbing out the washing machine, and wiping down every surface in the kitchen when he gave up and went to bed.

_Guess he realized what he was getting into and decided it was better to not move forward. I can't blame him. The team means a lot to him, and he's probably afraid Vance is going to send him back to IT or to the cold case team or something. I'm not too excited about going to Gibbs' team though either, and I was more than willing to if that's what it was going to take… Not that I don't really like everyone on the team, but I don't think I want to learn from Gibbs like I thought I wanted to. Doesn't matter now. Haven't heard from the prick all weekend, so I guess we're going forward with business as usual._

_Honestly though, I don't know if I can._

Ned was startled as he stared into the darkness of the room when he heard the phone chime next to him. He picked it up, and saw Elly's text of "Goodnight" and stared at it in disbelief.

" _Goodnight_?!" he practically squeaked. "I've waited all fucking day for that cocksucker to call me, and tell me that he wants to define what we're feeling, and start a relationship, and the little shithead sends me _goodnight_?! What in the hell is he thinking?!"

It had been a long time since Ned had felt that angry, and even longer since he had felt that baffled. His theater professor in college was a wise old woman with a big heart, sharp tongue, and a soft spot for Ned. During his senior year, he was angry all the time about everything. She took him aside one day, and they talked about why he was so mad. He listed off a dozen things he had blown up about that week, and she asked him why he had been so angry at those things. None of them were big enough, or bad enough, to require so much anger. After a bit of whittling, he told her about how his family had found out he was gay that summer, and how they had turned their backs on him.

It was then that she taught him the most important thing any professor had ever taught him. She said, _"Life is too beautiful to be angry all the time, Sweetness. You need to start redirecting your energies. Only be angry at things worth being angry about. The rest isn't worthy of all of this energy you've been expending. If you're angry, go to the source, and let your anger be known. If you can't, then find a way to channel it to help let it go. Otherwise, it's going to haunt you and bleed over into all of the other parts of your life that don't deserve it, and it wins. You're better than that. Don't let them win."_

"Only be angry at the things worth being angry about." _Damn it Glenda! This_ _ **is**_ _worthy of being angry about! I think I love him, or at least I did until three minutes ago when he text me good-fucking-night after I waited all damn weekend for his sorry ass to call me! He could have come over! He could have emailed me, or text me, or sent a fucking singing telegram. He could have had the boss tell me that he would talk to me on Monday instead of over the weekend, that he wanted to make sure the drugs weren't affecting our judgment, or that he was going to need some time to clear his head, but no, he told Tony that he'd call me soon. Here it is, twenty-four hours later, and I've gotten two one word text messages from his sorry ass._

He closed his eyes, willing the traitorous tears to stay back, but they slipped out of the corners and down the side of his face anyway. He hiccupped and then the sobs wracked his chest as he fought against him, making him choke.

_I'm not crying. I don't love him. I don't remember the way his hand was in mine, and I don't remember the spark that shot up my arm when he took it, and I don't remember the trust that shone in his eyes when he told me about Tyson yesterday when we woke up together, and I definitely don't remember the way those blue eyes make me feel. I don't remember that at all._

* * *

Monday morning came too quickly for some, and not quickly enough for others. Elly was up, dressed, caffeinated, and out the door by 0600. He had woken up at 0400 to hit the head, and he hadn't been able to go back to sleep because he was so excited. He was anxious to get to work and catch up with Ned.

Ned however had cried himself to sleep, and had restless dreams where he remembered blue lights illuminating the club and shining on Elly, turning him into a zombie as he looked away from him. When he woke up, he tried to tell himself that Elly had just let him go to fix a song or something, but in the flashback, he got the distinct feeling that Elly had stepped away from him during an intimate moment. No matter how legitimate the reason most likely was, or even how short the break from Ned was, he was left with an overwhelmingly bereft feeling when he woke up that was even deeper than the one he felt when he fell asleep the night before. It renewed his anger, and he decided to skip half of his morning routine in order to get to work early enough to give Elly a piece of his mind.

Jethro had gotten to work at his usual time that morning, his coffee cup from home in his hand half full. He had a couple of forms to finish, and then he was meeting Vance for their Monday morning catch-up. Tony had left separately so that he could pick up their dry cleaning, and he was also going to swing through the drive thru for some more coffee for the both of them.

Parke had woken up with Tiffany when she finally started having morning sickness, and tried not to take it to heart when she told him to leave her the hell alone. She never had liked being taken care of when she was sick, but he felt he should at least try once anyway in case being pregnant changed those needs. He regretted it, and was eager to get out of the house, only to get stuck in standstill traffic because of a horrible accident on the Beltway. He called Tony, and found out that he was stuck in it too, so they talked for a few minutes, joking about whether they could make it to each other's cars and back by time the accident was cleared and they could move again.

Ziva was in the office a few minutes earlier than usual to type up an email she had spent the day before drafting, editing, debating over, and then finalizing. She had made a decision about what she was going to do, and she realized it was probably one of the hardest decisions she had ever made in her entire life. She had also decided that she was going to try to live with Dion for a month as a trial run. She had not lived with anyone for a very long time, and she wanted to make sure she could do it. She would keep her apartment, and that way if they weren't quite ready yet, she could go back to living alone while she and Dion took some more time. He was ecstatic she had given even that much, and when she told him about her decisions, he was more supportive than she could ever have imagined anyone being other than perhaps Gibbs.

Tim and Abby had come home to Tim's place from the club Saturday night, passed out, and then spent the entire day Sunday packing Tim's apartment. Abby had coordinated with Tony, and they were planning on spending the next weekend moving them in as long as no one got the Bat Signal.

Palmer came in to find Ducky staring at the wall above his small desk at nothing in particular, a cup of tea in his hands that had grown cold. When he asked if he was okay, Ducky nodded and smiled sadly at him. He wouldn't talk about it though, and that had him worried enough that he planned a trip up to see Gibbs on his break to make sure he checked on his friend.

All in all, it was a Monday, and as Mondays tend to be, it was full of unexpected obstacles.

Elly was sitting at his desk, ready to bubble out of his skin when Ned came in. As soon as the brunette entered the bullpen though, after Elly could only so much as get out a "Hey!", his phone rang. He held up a finger, and answered it to find Tony on the other end, explaining about the traffic he was wedged into with no hope of release for a while yet. He assured him he could hold down the fort, and then warned Gibbs that Tony wouldn't be back with the coffee before his meeting with Vance. Gibbs groaned and looked at his watch as he got to his feet, gathering his materials for his meeting.

As soon as Elly hung up with Tony, he looked at Ned who looked back with daggers in his eyes. Elly froze, suddenly paralyzed with confusion and fear.

"What's-" Elly started.

"Don't even-" Ned interrupted, and then Ned's desk phone rang. "God _damn it!"_ He answered the phone with a deep breath, thinking of Glenda's words. "Dorneget."

"Agent Dorneget. It's Evelyn. You and Agent DiNozzo are needed in MTAC immediately sir. Agent Garnier and Lieutenant Stephens are in trouble."

"Shit. On my way!" He jumped up, grabbed the notebook on his desk and a pen, and took off running for the stairs. "Can someone try to get Tony patched through to MTAC please?" he yelled after him at Elly.

Jethro watched him run up the stairs, and started after him.

"Dorneget! You got this?" he asked.

"Yeah! I'd feel better if I had the Boss though!"

Jethro looked over the railing. "Critten! You get Tony on the line _now,_ and get him fed into MTAC!"

"Already on it Agent Gibbs!" Elly yelled across the bullpen.

Ned took a deep breath as the retina scanner verified him, and then he entered the dark room, looking up at the screen.

"Stephens! Garnier! Talk to me!" Ned said, barely able to see anyone on the feed.

"Oh, thank God!" Garnier said, gasping for air and then snorting a runny nose.

"Where are you?" Ned asked.

"I'm not really sure. We took off running, and climbed into the back of a truck, and hid until we could slip out of the cargo once they stopped for the night. I don't know. We're lucky the tablet will connect. We're in a cellar of some sort."

"Evelyn? Where's the signal coming from?" Ned asked, taking out his notepad.

"Three miles south of Kadanai."

"Did you hear that Rod?" Ned asked, looking up from where he was notating it in his notebook.

"Yeah. At least that's something. Just far enough away."

"Where's Lieutenant Stephens?" Ned asked.

"He's here. He's not doing so great, Boss."

Ned blinked when he heard himself addressed by that name, but shook it off immediately.

"What do you mean he's not doing so great? Talk to me. Tell me what's happening, Rod."

"We found the home base for Yellow Triangle. We literally stumbled upon it by accident."

"Okay, keep going," Ned said.

"We were following these two guys we know who tend to get their hands in on every shady deal in the desert. We figured they'd eventually meet with someone we might be able to work our special brand of questioning on, and find out some information on whether or not the Yellow Triangle guys are close to being up to trouble. We use them as informants though. Those contacts we shouldn't have that we were talking about? They're amongst them. They didn't know we were following them since our meeting with them last week, and they led us right to the damn building they're putting the crap together in. It used to be a hotel. Hell, Ed's even stayed there before.

"We were going to go in, corner our guys, get some information out of them, but we walked in, and that's when we found out it's not a hotel anymore. It's been converted to an apartment building of sorts for the organization. Shit started happening quick. There were so many of them, and only two of us, and shots were fired, and then suddenly we were being sprayed with something. Ed was closer. He got the worst of it.

"I don't feel so great, but Ed's really bad. He's got a realhigh fever, and he has flu-like symptoms, shaky and sweaty in that creepy clammy way. I'm all sniffly, and I don't feel so steady on my feet. We didn't have any way to wash it off of us without contaminating an entire village's water supply, so we stowed away in the back of a truck, wrapped ourselves tightly with cloth we found in there, and tried to contain our germs to ourselves. The truck crew stopped hours later for a night's rest in another village, and we got out, found a water pump not near a mainline, and rinsed as best as we can.

"I don't know who's crude cellar this is, but it doesn't appear to be used. There's no supplies in here, and half of the roof is caved in. We're crammed in a small eight by eight area, with only rations and our canteens that we filled at the water pump, and very basic first aid equipment that we keep on us. As soon as Ed laid down, he stopped talking. He frankly scaring the shit outta me."

"Don't worry, Rod. We'll get you help. Evelyn! I need for you to get me a location of where Davidson and his team are, and we need it yesterday."

"Yes, sir, Agent Dorneget."

"Scott. I need you to connect me to the 223rd Army Decontamination Unit stationed in Kabal. Tell them we have a code orange, and to get me the C.O. immediately."

Ned started making notes on his book, scribbling and then writing another. He nodded, drew an arrow, and then had another bubble, then another, and then a big triangle, which he scribbled out furiously.

"Is Stephens conscious at all, Rod?" Ned asked, looking up at the screen.

"I don't know if I'd-" Rod held up his hand while he bent over and coughed into his lap for a couple of long deep coughs. "If I'd call it conscious, Boss. It's more like he's in and out, fever pitched, you know? He's awake, and his eyes are open, but he's not really with us."

"I understand. Are you coughing up blood, Rod?"

"No sir, not yet. Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"I'm thinking a number of things, and focusing on all the good ones. Try to do the same," Ned said, taking another deep breath. "Evelyn? Any luck."

"Coming- got it! The team is eighteen miles northwest of their current position, and I already have connections going through to each of our four to try to get a response. As soon as someone recognizes our signal, we'll have them up."

"Agent Dorneget! I have Colonel Michael Russel coming online for you from the 223rd."

"Go ahead," Ned said, swallowing hard again. He really wished Tony was with him suddenly, and he held his breath as the screen split and turned blue on one side, waiting for the feed to connect. He felt a presence next to him, and looked over to see the Director.

"Keep going, I'm right here if you need me," he whispered, then took two steps back to be more in the shadows and let Ned continue. Jethro moved out of the shadows even further back to stand next to him, and together they watched the rest of the scene unfold. They had come in two minutes behind Ned after Jethro had burst into Vance's office, letting him know that Dorney was just called into MTAC without Tony. They went to join him and see if he needed assistance, and they were both watching in shock and amazement at how well the younger man took control. It was only when Vance realized it was Colonel Russel that Dorneget would be speaking with that he decided to let him know they were there for him.

Ned took a deep breath, and suddenly a uniformed man appeared. He was pulling on a jacket and turned to look at the camera, obviously in a rush to move out. His men were already assembling in the room behind him.

"Who am I talking to?" the Colonel barked, looking over his pack at the monitor, his eyes squinting.

"NCIS Agent Ned Dorneget," Ned said, surprised at how steady his voice sounded. "We've been working a remote op outside of Kabul with Agent Rod Garnier and First Lieutenant Ed Stephens."

"Ed?" the Colonel said, suddenly stopping in his tracks and staring at the screen, his hand raising to silence the men behind him. "What happened?"

"They've been exposed to some kind of contaminant, sir. They've stumbled up on a site of an organization they were tracking known as _[The Yellow Triangle],_ or The Yellow Triangle. An altercation happened, shots were fired, and the rebels defended themselves with a liquid contaminant that has the Lieutenant barely conscious and suffering from extreme flu-like symptoms including a high fever. His teammate on the op, NCIS Special Operative Rod Garnier has also been exposed, but is developing different symptoms. Sever cough, disorientation, dizziness."

"Tell him I'm getting feverish, too, Boss!" Rod said before starting a coughing spell.

"I heard. Agent Garnier! I need the coordinates for the location of your altercation before you can't think anymore."

"Yes sir, Colonel. Longitude 34 degrees, 55 north, by latitude 62 degrees, 30 east. It's an old motel building that has been taken over by the group. There are a lot of locals around, and the village is about half and half sympathetic to each side. Use caution."

"Thank you, Agent. Do you have their coordinates, Agent Dorneget?" the Colonel asked somewhat quieter, writing down the information he was receiving in a notebook.

"Approximately. They are in an underground cellar or bunker-"

"Longitude, 32 degrees, 22 north, latitude, 65 degrees, 45 east," Evelyn called out. "And I have Davidson listening in as well Agent Dorneget, and have given him a brief update on the situation."

"Might as well bring him up, Evelyn. Thank you," he said. "Colonel, I'm bringing on Master Sergeant Rickie Davidson. He and three of his men are set to be dispatched to locate Agent Garnier and Lieutenant Stephens. They can help provide treatment until you are able to get there, as well as transport and protect them if need be. I need your recommendations, sir."

"Davidson, Colonel Michael Russel here with Army Decon. Are you able to bring full biohazard precautions? Suits and all?"

"Yes, sir! We are prepared and can arrive in less than half an hour and transport them back to our squat until helivac can arrive."

"Good man. What do you have in the way of antivirals and antibiotics, son?" Russel asked, still frozen and holding up a hand towards the men behind them, stilling them as well so he could hear the voices he was connecting with.

"We have the major six, sir, enough doses for ten men of each. They just arrived yesterday."

"Very good. When you get there, I need you to hit Ed with both the streptomycin and the influenza antivirals, and hit Agent Garnier with the streptomycin, flu antivirals, and whatever version the "cillin" they sent you. Agent Garnier, can you hear me?"

"Yes, sir," he said, a wheeze to his voice that no one liked.

"You allergic to any medications, son?"

"Of all things, aspirin, sir."

"That's not a problem today. Hit him with an epi if you got one, too. The others won't do him any good if his lungs seize up first. We'll have helivac back at the squat in less than two hours. Whatever you can get your hands on to drink, suck it down Garnier! We're coming for you." The Colonel's eyes looked straight at the screen, and Ned felt like they were looking into his, so he stared back.

"Agent Dorneget, what authorization point are we at with this mission?"

"They were on a recon level sir. They had no idea they were getting this close. As of right now, as far as The Yellow Triangle knows, they were two guys that walked into the wrong building looking for room at the inn."

"I have two options for you. The first is that we go in today, burn the building and everyone in it to the ground, and watch the roaches scatter, possibly taking contaminated materials with them. They may already be doing that if they were stupid enough to release their weapons on our men though. The second option is that we wait to plan a more strategic entrance of the building, take out the rebels, and ascertain what they were attempting to do. I'm not read in on the mission, so I leave that decision in your hands."

Ned didn't hesitate. "We wait. At this point, Davidson, when you are able to transfer Garnier and Stephens into the care of the Decon Team, pick up where they left off in gathering the intel we need for the mission. Rod?" Ned asked.

"Yeah, Boss. I'm still alive."

"That's the best news I've had all day, Rod," Ned tried to joke, though there was genuine relief in his voice that killed the humor completely. "Are you feeling up to staying alive to tell Davidson everything you know so far?"

"Hell yeah, Boss. I told you- I'm this close to going home to the Bayou. They ain't taking me out now!"

"We're heading out," Colonel Russel interrupted. "Two hours at the squat."

"Thank you, Colonel," Ned said, glad to have the man off his screen and on the way to help.

"We're dispatching as well," Davidson said. "Hang in there, Garnier! We're on the way!"

"Davidson!" Ned shouted, stopping him before he could disconnect. "I want _immediate_ contact when you have them secured in your truck on the way back to base."

"Yes, sir, Agent Dorneget. We'll take care of 'em."

"I know you will," Ned said. Davidson's connection broke as well, and he was left with just Rod on the screen.

"Rod?" he asked. "Do you want me to stay on with you?"

"Will you?" the older man asked.

"Yeah. I'll stay," Ned said, swallowing the lump in his throat. "Do me a favor and drink down as much of your water as possible. Can you do that for me?"

"Yeah. Sounds like a good idea."

"Is it cold water at least?" he asked.

"It's kinda room temperature, but it doesn't taste as funny as some of the stuff I've gotten outta those pipes before. I'll take it."

"You said you were getting feverish?" he asked.

"Yeah. I already took all of the Tylenol in my first aid kit trying to keep it back. We were in the truck for six hours, took half an hour to wash off and find this place, and we've been in here for three hours trying to get a signal. Popped it like candy, one an hour until it was gone. It hit Ed like blasting jelly though. I mean, that shit hit him, and then it was like twenty minutes later he was already feeling bad. I gotta tell you, I've seen a lot in my time brother, and I'm scared shitless of this stuff."

"Keep drinking your water, Rod."

"Yes, Dad," Rod joked poorly, choking as soon as he tried to drink.

"Hey, Tony was telling me about how you and Ed ended up in the tank. Is it true you ran through a wall with it, and then hijacked a jeep?"

Rod laughed. "Oh, yeah! We had one hell of a time. See, we knew we had a fine hair's chance of getting out alive anyway, so we figured that while we had the time, we were going to have some fun, and of course do as much damage to those bastards as possible. So, we set this weapons store warehouse to blow, and then as we squeeze out the back, there's this tank, and we got into it, and ended up driving it _through_ the compound, taking out buildings, people jumping out of the way of this big ass panther, and then as the building explodes behind us, we take it through the twenty something foot wall that they had built around the place. Wish we would have had the tank going in, because let me tell you, climbing that wall was a _bitch_. And Ed, the show off, was able to get right up the thing like a some kinda fucking monkey, and here I am, trying to find some kind of handhold, not seeing where he had just put his hands. I swear to this day the prick had suction cups, and just wasn't sharing!"

Ned chuckled, eager to keep everyone's minds off the fact that Stephens very well could be lying there dying, and the man joking with them could be right behind him. He realized though that he had yet to actually see the Lieutenant, and that he probably should.

"Hey, Rod. Do me a favor and aim your camera and a flashlight at Ed."

"Okay, but I gotta warn you, it's not pretty, Agent Dorneget."

"Call me Dorney, Rod. Everyone else does."

"Dorney? Really? Whatever floats your boat, I guess."

Ned smiled and shook his head, and then his smile fell when he saw the utterly creepy way that Stephens' eyes were open and barely moving, obviously not focusing on anything. Even in the faint light from the flashlight and tablet, he could tell that there was a wet glaze on his entire face, and double on his eyes.

"Hey, uh, Dorney?"

"Yeah, Rod?"

"I know you want me to drink all this water, but do you think it would hurt anything if I rinsed his face off for him?"

Ned struggled not to show the cringe he felt inside.

"You know you're not allowed to touch him, Rod. I wish you could."

"But can I pour some over him?"

Ned shook his head no slowly, struggling to find the words while still being compassionate. His encyclopedia mode wanted to kick in, and he could almost hear Parke's voice in his head reminding him to balance reason with compassion because they were both just as important in situations like this. "No, because if it goes in his eyes, up his nose, or in his mouth, you could choke him, or risk spreading the fluids in a way to contact you. Trust me, I wish I could do more than rinse his face, but I have a strong suspicion that you two were hit with two different things, and you don't want what he has, Rod. _We_ don't want you to have what he has."

"Hey, where is DiNozzo anyway? He finally letting you loose on your own in there?" Rod said, forcing himself to look away from Ed and to drink more of his water.

"He's actually stuck in traffic. Accident closed down the Beltway. Over a thousand cars are stranded in standstill traffic. Radio said it was a thirteen car pileup with three fatalities."

"I'd take a traffic jam right now. Even a Monday morning traffic jam. It's still morning there, right?"

"Yeah," Ned said with a smile.

"Yeah. See, traffic jams don't really bother me. You turn up your music, you drink your coffee, you just wait it out. You're forced to slow down and think, breathe, you know? And everyone else gets stuck in them too, so if you're late, you just go, Hey man! I was just stuck in that horrible jam on the highway! And everyone looks at you all sympathetic and understanding, and they go, Oh, I heard about that! Or, So was I! Wasn't that crazy? And meanwhile, you got to take your time and look at whatever scenery there is, or people watch, and generally do something else besides be at work. Nah, I don't mind traffic jams."

Ned smiled from ear to ear, thinking about Glenda's wisdom.

"I get that. You have to reserve your anger and frustration for things that are worth it. A traffic jam that hundreds of other people are stuck in simply isn't worth the energy you'd waste being mad."

"Exactly! See? You get it! Oh, wait. I hear something. There's a vehicle approaching. God, I hope it's them. That epi pen is starting to sound pretty nice right about now. Feels like an elephant is trying to park his fat ass on my chest." They waited in silence, and a moment later, the door to the cellar opened.

" _Garnier? That you?"_ a man's voice said from the background.

"Carmento! I've never been so happy to see you, man! You got that hundred you owe me?" Garnier said to the man, his voice sounding much weaker than it had a few minutes before.

"I thought it was two?" Carmento said with a cheery voice, hopping down to take a look at Stephens. He was in a dark green plastic suit with a gas mask on.

"I'm feeling generous. I'm going to give you a special discount for you coming to save my ass."

Another green clad figure joined them in the hole. He saw the tablet. "You still on with NCIS?" the familiar voice of Davidson asked.

"Yep. That's my pal Dorney on there," Rod said, succumbing to the exhaustion he felt now that he knew he was in good hands.

"Agent Dorneget?" Davidson asked, trying to look into the tablet.

"Yes, Davidson."

"I've got 'em from here, sir. I'll update you when we get back to the squat if that's okay with you."

"Perfect. Take care of them for me."

"Thanks for staying with them, sir."

"Definitely," Ned said. The screen went blank after a large hand took the tablet from Garnier, and the room was dark now that the screen wasn't lit. Ned exhaled, gathering his thoughts. He forgot he wasn't alone when suddenly a quiet male voice began speaking next to him.

"You know," Vance began, startling Ned to look at him. "When Agent DiNozzo said you were really picking up speed in here, I was pleased. What I saw just now though has me damn near speechless."

"Uh, thank you, sir, I think?" Ned said, his mind more on the op still than what was being said to him.

"Tony said he felt more than comfortable letting you take the reins, but I didn't realize to what extent," Gibbs said, joining the other two men. Dorney jumped, not realizing that Gibbs had been there the whole time. "And you're right, by the way. We are too different."

Ned nodded, feeling more humbled by Gibbs' recognition than Vance's.

"I, um, if you can excuse me," Ned said. "I need to go check on a couple of things really quick before Davidson makes contact again." He nodded once, and then left the two older men standing there without waiting for a response.

"I think what has me most impressed," Gibbs said quietly as soon as the door closed, "Is that he was able to do all of that after being drugged this weekend, and trying to work through the consequences of its effects on his personal life."

"I had completely forgotten about that during the entire situation. It didn't come to mind for even a second," Vance said, looking at the door and shaking his head. His eyes met Gibbs' again. "What do you mean the consequences on his personal life?"

"Not my team, Leon. You know the kind of drug they were given though. I'm sure you're going to have a meeting with Tony soon enough to explain it."

Evelyn could barely hear what was being said, but she was able to make out enough. She froze, looking out of the side of her eyes at Scott who was turned to watch the two men. She realized she needed to remind them of their presence, and she put on her best fake smile and looked at Scott.

"I should be able to take it from here for a while if you want to go grab your break while we have a chance," she offered.

Scott looked at her with a critical stare, and then shrugged, locked his unit down, and headed for the door. As he left, Evelyn got to her feet, shaking.

"Um, sir? Can I have a word with you? Actually, with both of you?"

They looked at her, and came over to where she was standing, wondering what she could possibly need from them with Dorney running the op. She swallowed hard, and took a deep breath, and reminded herself that if Tony and Gibbs could have the courage to let the entire Navy Yard know they were getting married, she could have the courage to do what she could to protect them.

"Evelyn?" Vance asked. "What can we do for you?" He saw the way she was shaking, but she maintained eye contact with him a long moment, and then looked at Gibbs, who for some reason, after terrifying her for going on two years now, felt much more comforting.

"When I came in this morning, Scott was having a rather… _loud_ conversation in the hallway with Agent Daniels from Agent Balboa's team, and Chris Leach from accounting about your and Agent DiNozzo's marriage, Agent Gibbs."

"Christ," Gibbs whispered, rolling his eyes, and then making eye contact with Evelyn again. She took her tenth deep breath, and then looked at Vance.

"He said he was planning on discussing it with HR, sir, and I wanted to tell you before they started asking questions. That's not the only thing," she said quietly, closing her eyes a moment and swallowing, before looking at Gibbs again and gritting her teeth. "Though Daniels was adamantly defending the two of you, Chris and Scott were using some language that I find _very_ offensive, and honestly frightening. I'm not comfortable working with him alone in here."

"Evelyn," Gibbs said quietly, taking a small step towards her, feeling protective suddenly. "That sounds like more than throwing a few "fags" and "queers" around."

"He was saying how- how we should all be rounded up and shot, Agent Gibbs," she said, her fear breaking through to the surface, bringing tears with them that she did her best to swallow back. "That it would be what God would want." She wiped at her eyes furiously, and Gibbs suddenly realized what her fascination with his and Tony's relationship was.

 _Dorney's right,_ he thought. _We're becoming the Navy Yard's poster child gay couple._

"Evelyn, would you be willing to testify about what you heard to an HR board?" Vance asked.

She took a breath that got caught in her chest. And then nodded emphatically as she met Gibbs' eyes. _If they can do this, I can do this,_ she thought.

"I-I-I admit, sir," she said, looking back at Vance. "I'm terrified of doing so. My partner and I aren't out of the closet to anyone outside of a very, _very_ close group of friends and a little bit of family. She's stationed on the _Justice_ currently, but even with the repeal of DADT, the crew she's with… well she doesn't think they would be very welcoming."

"They're due into port July first, aren't they?" Vance asked.

Gibbs nodded, his eyes still locked on Evelyn, and she nodded as well. He was in shock that she was willing to take this step for them. He knew it had a lot to do with her own safety, but a couple of weeks ago, she might have just stayed safely in the closet, even more determined to hide her relationship.

He felt so many different things running through him that he had never let himself feel about things like rights issues, and culture shock, and hiding and being open with your sexual preferences. He'd never really thought all of those things applied to him, because he had never thought an actual relationship would come of his encounters with a man, but they suddenly meant so much. It was like being hit with a heavy dose of reality. These were issues that had affected him all along, he had just chosen to ignore them because it felt safer. He felt like he had been a coward all this time, and he vowed to himself, Tony, Dorney, Elly, Evelyn and her partner to be brave from here on out.

"Gibbs?" Vance said, interrupting his thoughts. "What do you want to do?"

"Well, I _want_ to go deck him. That's not going to do any of _us_ any good," he said, making eye contact with Evelyn again. "That sounds like a threat to me, Leon. I'd like to treat it as one."

"Get McGee up here to run Evelyn's board. The two of you go to my office and write it up. I'll have security pull the tapes and see if we have any sound, and as soon as you have it written up, I'll pull Agent Daniels for an interview on the matter."

"Sir-" Evelyn began.

"If anyone asks, you had a family emergency, and you're taking care of it. When I get the report, we'll do a threat assessment, and I'll let you know where we're going from there. In the meantime, I'm going to have him and Leach escorted to interrogation rooms one and two."

Evelyn nodded, and picked up her belongings. Gibbs went to a phone on the counter, and punched a couple of numbers.

"Tim. I need you up here to run MTAC for a while."

"Sure. On my way, Boss," Tim said, hanging up. "Gibbs needs me in MTAC for a while," he called to Ziva.

Ned looked up at him. "Why? Is Davidson back?" he asked. He looked down on his monitor, researching the different illnesses that may have been thrown at them, and running through the possible ways it can be distributed.

"I don't know. He said he needs me to come run MTAC for a while, so I guess they don't have anyone to run the boards."

"That makes no sense," Dorney said. "Both Evelyn and Scott were just up there." Ned got to his feet, picked up a stack of printouts and his notebook, and followed Tim to the room upstairs, completely ignoring Elly.

As they were coming in, Vance, Gibbs and Evelyn were leaving. As they passed each other, Ned looked at Evelyn with concern, noting her eyes. She smiled sadly at him, and then Gibbs leaned over to whisper in his ear, squeezing his shoulder.

"Under no circumstances are you, Elly, or Tony to be left alone with Scott. Am I clear?" Gibbs pulled back to look Ned in the eyes and waited.

"Crystal," Ned said, feeling a cold chill run from head to toe. He knew Scott was bad news, but to have Gibbs say that _none_ of them should be alone with him made him feel like he was going to piss himself more than when the Colonel came on screen asking who he was. Gibbs nodded his approval, and squeezed his shoulder one more time before he pulled away.

"Take care of him in there, Tim," Gibbs said, giving him a look that told him he meant much more than what he was saying. Tim picked up on it right away, and despite being eager to find out what was whispered, ran over to the boards to make sure he didn't miss an incoming signal.

Ned followed, though much more slowly. His mind was racing. He pulled out his phone and opened up a text.

_Gibbs just told me that none of us are allowed to be left alone with Scott from MTAC. He and Vance just escorted a teary-eyed Evelyn out of the room._

He sent it to Elly and Tony, and then went over to whisper to Tim what he had been told. Before Tim could fully react, two things happened at once. Davidson was asking for a connection, and Scott came back to the room.

"Where'd Evelyn go?" Scott asked with a smile, a cup of coffee in his hand as he returned to the station he was assigned.

"I think something happened at home. She left here crying with the Director," Tim said. "Dorney, I got your guy coming up."

"Thanks."

"Agent Dorneget?" a voice said seconds before an image finally displayed.

"Davidson. How'd it go? How are they doing?" Ned asked.

"They made it back here in one piece each sir, still breathing, and Rod is still fully conscious, if not more than when we found him. We administered the doses Colonel Russel told us to, and the epi pen is doing wonders for him. We also have him drinking some chicken broth. I wish I could say more for the Lieu. He's having it rough. We were able to bag his clothes and get him into something hopefully a little less toxic, and then sponged him down with water as cold as we can make it. His fever is bad. There's a good chance we're looking at brain damage if he survives this," Davidson said, adding the last part much more quietly than the rest.

Ned closed his eyes, and nodded.

"We're dousing him with rubbing alcohol. That's supposed to help. It's an especially hot one here today though, sir. When the decon team gets here, they can get him to a hospital, and maybe they can deep freeze his ass or something. He's at 104.3 and rising. He was at 103.7 when we picked him up." Davidson's voice was as quiet as he could make it while still being heard on the receiver.

"Can you try creating a layer of cold packs around him, packing them in close, wrapping him in a light cloth, then wadding up paper and putting another layer of light cloth around that? Create a three inch or so paperball wall between the two thin layers of fabric, and it will help insulate the cold and keep it in. Make sure his wrists and feet are getting iced and alcoholed as well. The veins are closer to the surface there than anywhere else on the body. Cooling those crucial parts, as well as the head and heartzone can cool the rest of the body."

"Carmento! Diaz! Get over here, now!" Davidson relayed the instructions to them, and they set off immediately to get to work. "Anything else you can think of, Doc?" Davidson asked.

"You have any Tylenol?" Tim asked from the board.

"Yeah? Who's that?"

Tim got to his feet, and came to stand next to Ned.

"Agent Tim McGee," he introduced himself. "How much Tylenol has he had so far?"

"He hasn't been responsive for a few hours now, and apparently it was gone long before then. What are you thinking?" Davidson pulled a large plastic first aid kit into view of the camera and started opening it up.

"Is he swallowing at all?"

"He's not going to swallow a pill, though we did have luck with some water."

"Okay. You need to take two of the pills, and crush them into an extremely fine powder. Use a rock and a plate, whatever you have to. You want this stuff at least as fine as powdered sugar if not softer."

"I can do that," Davidson said, taking one of the little packets out. Without even opening it, he sat it on a table, picked up a nearby hammer, and started tapping on it repeatedly.

"Once you get it super fine, dip a cotton swab in it, and stick it up one nostril, and dust it around in there. Then cover his mouth with your hand, and hopefully, he'll snort it. It goes into the bloodstream a lot faster that way. Don't do more than two, and make sure you tell the decon team what you did."

"You ever do this before, Agent McGee?"

"Once in college, but with a different drug. We were doing an experiment on better ways to introduce anxiety medications, and were working on prototypes for nasal inhalers."

"Snorting Xanax? How'd you end up being an Agent?" he asked as he pounded the pills.

"My undgrad was in biomedical engineering. My masters is what led me here. If he's not inhaling it, you can try dusting it in his mouth and trying to get him to swallow more water."

"Got it. Alright. I'm going to give this a try. Wish me luck. I'll update you via email here when they get picked up so you know to start riding Russel's case. And then my team is going to decon ourselves, and we'll start working with the information Garnier has given us."

"Davidson," Ned said, his voice suddenly stern.

"Yes, sir?"

"What's Booker's status right now?"

"Uh? Sir?" Davidson asked.

"I know that Lieutenant Stephens was excited to hear that Booker was one of the attachés to the assignment, and I assume that it's mutual. He's got to be taking it pretty hard right now."

"He's taking it like any friend would, sir. He's angry, he's worried, but he's a Marine, and that means he's focused."

"I get that. Make sure he isn't too focused. Remind him to protect himself out there when you go after these jackholes."

Davidson smiled at the term, and it took the sting out of the demand. "Will do, sir." Ned smiled and nodded back. Davidson reached out and turned off the connection to the tablet. Ned looked over and saw that Tim was already back at the console. He didn't look at Scott, but walked directly to Tim.

"I'm going to head downstairs and work on some research. I hope Tony's made it out of traffic. This morning has been, like, totally nuts."

"Hey," Tim said as Ned turned to walk away, making him turn back. "You seem to really be fitting in up here. You liking it?"

"It's my future, but if I'm not careful, Vance is going to make it my present, and I'm not sure I'm ready for that."

"Yeah you are," Tim said with a smile.

"No, I'm not," Ned said, stepping back towards Tim. "Until I can look the men and women I'm sending into danger in the eyes, and tell them I've been there, I'm not ready." He saw the approving nod and smirk that Tim gave him, and nodded back. "I'll be downstairs if you need me."

Ned walked out of the room, his heart pounding hard. _Can today get any weirder?_ He wondered.


	30. Chapter 30

When Tony came rushing into the bullpen, Parke sighed in relief. He had arrived fifteen minutes earlier, and had been stuck in the unnerving silence while Elly stared at Ned every minute on the minute. He wore a hurt and confused expression on his face as he waited to see if the other man made eye contact with him. It was awkward and painful to watch, and Parke realized something had happened between the two of them that was the exact opposite of what everyone wanted for them.

He knew Elly felt bad that he couldn't get Tony's cell phone signal to bypass the MTAC protections, but that wasn't his fault. The system was built especially to do that. He also knew that wasn't what Ned was angry about almost right away by the lack of attention he gave the apology that Elly tried to lay on him, and how he had cut it off by picking up the phone and dialing it.

He listened as his teammate relayed to Ducky what had just happened in an ultra-quiet tone meant to be heard by no one outside of their small area or less. He could tell Elly was straining to hear, and he began typing the gist of it to him since he was closer and could hear better.

Dorney was just getting off the phone with Ducky, who was rather quiet and solemn, even for discussing treatment of a biohazard attack, when Tony threw his stuff behind his desk and moved to stand in front of him.

"We need to talk," Ned said, getting to his feet and walking towards the back elevator without waiting. Tony followed, unsure of the look on Ned's face. They locked themselves in the lift, and Ned looked at Tony. "Ed and Rod have been exposed to an experimental biohazard contaminant by The Yellow Triangle."

"What?!" Tony exclaimed. "Slow down. Say that again?"

"Tony," Ned said softly. "It's not good."

"You're serious."

"Even I'm not dumb enough to joke about something like this."

"Not what I was implying. What are… Start from the beginning?" Tony listened, his eyes growing sadder and sadder as Ned told him what had happened and how MTAC had gone.

"I-" Tony cleared his throat and tried again around the large frog he was choking on. "I don't know what to say. I'm torn between knowing two men I have worked closely with are possibly dying right now, and how impressed I am with how well you're handling this."

Tony sank down the wall and sat, his knees bent and his hands hanging over them, his head forward and down.

"Boss?"

"That's not the only problem we've got, and I'm… Jethro just called me to explain the text you sent me. You should probably know that Evelyn overheard Scott saying that he'd like to round up all the gays of the world and kill us during a conversation with Chris Leach and Agent Daniels. Apparently Daniels has our backs, but Leach is a dick, and Scott is going to be ripped apart by Vance any minute."

"Oh, my God. That's what Gibbs was talking about." Ned slid down the adjacent wall, and sat on the floor next to Tony. "That fucking prick."

"You were right," Tony said softly. "We _are_ encouraging other people to step out and be vocal. Evelyn admitted that she was terrified to tell us because her partner of eight years is an officer on the _Justice_ that strolls into port in a week or so, and she works with a homophobic crew."

"Wow," Ned whispered. "I'm pretty sure hell just froze over."

"What? Why? Because of Evelyn?" Tony asked, somewhat confused.

"Nope, because both you and Agent Gibbs have told me that I was right already today. No one ever tells _me_ that I'm right, especially not the two of you!" Ned smirked at Tony, and Tony couldn't help but chuckle back.

"What did my husband-to-be tell you that you were right about?" Tony asked, emphasizing the point for his company.

"He told me the other day that you had said he and I wouldn't get along in MTAC, and I told him you were right, that we're too different. Once I found out he had been in the room for the whole thing earlier, one of the first things he said to me was that I was right- that we are too different."

"Whoa. How about that?"

"I have _never_ felt like I belong anywhere like I felt in that room earlier. Poor Rod. He… I asked him if he wanted me to stay on with him until they got there, and he asked me to. And when he showed me Ed… God Tony, he looked so terrible. I know that's not what you want to hear, but you need to hear it. And he wanted to just wipe his face off, you know, because it was so sweaty, and I had to tell him he couldn't." Ned realized the adrenaline of the morning was wearing off, and he was starting to feel all of the emotions Encyclopedia Ned wouldn't let him feel. The tears betrayed him and started slipping over his eyes, and he wiped them off again and again, only to find them replaced by more.

Tony watched him silently, wishing he could fix the pain, but he knew that this was Ned's breaking in period. It only got worse, and all he could do right now was be there for him as he talked.

"And I don't know how Colonel Russel from Army Decon knows Ed, but apparently he does. As soon as I mentioned his name, he was frozen and made his entire team freeze too."

"Wait! Russel? I didn't realize he had taken over the 223rd. Colonel Michael Russel?"

"Yeah?"

"Ed saved Russel's son when he was wounded in Iraq five years ago. Carried him a hell of a long way while he was unconscious from a headwound according to the legend. Story says that Private Russel was working IED when his dog tripped one, warning him. A large rock had been on it or near it though, and it shattered, hitting the Private and taking his Corporal."

"Oh, man! It killed the dog?"

"Yeah. Ed was torn up about it as bad as Private Russel. He'd been out on a scouting mission, as we know is what he does best, and came across them. He didn't give up on Russel, putting him down multiple times to perform CPR and tighten the bandages as he carried him back through the same field the IED was in, and then to a local village. I've never asked him about it or seen the report, but the legends say it was somewhere between two and five miles."

"Damn. It's so senseless." Ned swallowed hard, and closed his eyes, shaking his head. "Nothing makes sense anymore, Tony. Nothing."

"Eventually, the only thing that makes sense is the way the people around you stick together because you're the only ones who really understand the depth of how senseless the world really is."

"Yeah, the people around me," Ned said softly, trailing off.

"You okay, kid?" Tony asked, feeling that protective fatherly feeling suddenly, not the Boss and agent feeling.

"I guess I will be. We should probably get back."

Tony knew that was his queue to let it go, and got to his feet, reaching his hand out to pull Ned up.

"Hey," Tony said quietly, making Ned look up at him from where he was dusting his ass off. "Thanks for doing everything you could to take care of them today. I should have been there for you."

"You had no way to. Elly tried really hard to find a way to bypass the MTAC security to get you through, but the protections are too strong."

"Oh, Abby and Tim wrote them together years ago, and then they're updated hourly with new codes by the IT gremlins. You don't have a prayer of getting past those. No one does. I don't think anyone but Tim, Abby, and the people with the codes of the hour have a shot."

"Oh, well, make sure you tell him thanks for trying, because he was busting his ass."

"I'll be sure to do that."

Ned reached out and flipped the switch and the door open button before Tony could ask him anything about Elly, then left him standing there alone. Tony went back to the bullpen with a shrug, and motioned for Parke and Elly to come together so he could tell them about Scott and Chris. As they were standing there talking, Balboa and security escorted Scott out of MTAC.

Everyone in the bullpen stopped to watch him as he made a scene, and the curious glances were nothing compared to the icy cold death stares received from every member of Tony's team, who all glared openly, daring him to even look their way. When Tony looked up, Jethro was coming down the stairs from where Daniels and Vance were standing next to one another, also staring at the scene unfolding across the catwalk. Daniels looked at Vance and nodded, and then took off down the stairs.

Jethro looked around the bullpen. He realized all of Tony's team was watching him, as was Ziva who apparently had been completely left out of the loop.

"Conference room," he said, moving through the bullpen and around the bend, both teams eagerly following him. As soon as the door shut behind them, Jethro started talking.

"At 0800 this morning, Evelyn, the MTAC Control Supervisor, was approaching MTAC for her shift when she came across a huddle of Scott Walker, Chris Leach, and Andrew Daniels talking in the hallway about our engagement. They didn't realize she was there, and she overheard Walker and Leach using derogatory language that upset her. She froze, surprised to hear them saying that kind of crap, and then Daniels rebuttled. She continued listening, and Walker then stated that he wished he could kill all of the gay people in the world because God would want it that way."

Ziva's reaction was horrified, and the rest of the group's rage was reignited.

"Agent Daniels went directly to HR to report it, and after the situation in MTAC earlier, Evelyn managed to get herself alone with me and the Director to report what she heard. She is filing a threat charge and whatever else HR is going to allow her to file on top of what Daniels already filed."

"If Daniels heard the threat, why did he not take Walker down right away?" Ziva asked.

"As he put it, there are a lot of assholes out there that believe this way and don't think there's anything wrong with saying it. Was it a direct threat? Probably not. Is the guy deranged enough to one day try to cause harm to someone? Most likely. Daniels was reporting it as the violation of the protected groups intimidation clause."

"He's filing it on your behalf?" Parke asked.

Jethro made direct eye contact with Parke, and Parke froze. "Oh! Oh. Wow. Who would have thought?"

"Whoa!" Dorney said. "Really? Holy cow! People are coming out of the woodwork around here!" He was slack jawed and amazed as he looked down at the tabletop. "The two of you, me, Evelyn, Daniels-"

"Me," Elly said, and everyone in the group could hear the audible swallow as he admitted it aloud for the first time, even if he didn't say the exact words. Ned's eyes met his, which stared right back, and then he remembered he was mad at him and looked away and up at Tony.

"Oh! So Evelyn… I get it," Parke said.

"She really can't let that get beyond this group," Jethro said quietly. "Her partner's safety may depend on it."

"Wow. I'm sorry. I'll make sure I don't chew that toe again," Ned said, using the expression he and Parke had come up with a month ago for when he was putting his foot in his mouth.

"She might welcome someone to talk to," Jethro suggested to him.

"Me?" he asked, confused.

Jethro shrugged. "Why not?"

"I don't know? I guess I just never really thought of myself as the type people would want to talk to about this kind of stuff. I'm not exactly very open about it myself."

"Yeah you are," Tony said. "When you know someone well enough to learn they aren't a bigot, you're not afraid to tell them anymore. She's taking the same kind of leaps by doing this, and she could probably use someone to commiserate and celebrate with."

Ned looked around the room, realizing everyone's eyes were on him, and he saw more than one head nodding. He shrugged. "I guess I could stop in, if you don't think she'll mind that I know."

"I don't think she'll mind," Jethro said.

"I guess I'm going to go then," Ned said, getting to his feet and walking to the door in a daze.

"You got a minute?" Tony asked Jethro, signaling the rest of the group to follow in Ned's footsteps and leave. Jethro watched until the door closed, then looked at Tony, who sighed.

"I've got about two hours until I need to go meet Keith," Jethro said, moving to lean against the table, looking at Tony.

"You ready for that?" Tony asked.

"Compared to everything else going on around here today, that will be easy," Jethro said with a chuff.

"Tell me about it."

"Your kid really is a prodigy," Jethro said. "Did you proud this morning."

"Yeah, he did. He still is. I love my team, Jethro. I'm not looking forward to where this week is going to probably lead it."

"I know. And for what it's worth, I'm sorry about Ed and Rod."

"Thanks. You saw them. How were they?"

Jethro swallowed, but looked Tony in the eyes. "Rod's not going to be in the field anymore after this."

Tony nodded slightly. "And Ed?"

Jethro shook his head. "I really don't know. He was pretty bad. If he makes it, he's going to have a hard recovery ahead of him."

Tony's eyes closed and he swallowed deeply. "Thanks," he said. Jethro nodded, knowing that honesty was important right now, no matter how much Tony may not like what he's hearing.

"I was thinking," Jethro started quietly. "It's up to you, but you've got a lot on your plate. Would you want us to go after the dirtbags that drugged your guys? Keep them out of the line of fire?"

Tony looked up at the hesitant way Jethro was asking and smiled. "I appreciate the offer, and if my guys get in too deep, I'll take you up on it. They deserve the chance to go after the creeps that did this though. With how much this is screwing with their lives, they need this. I need this."

"Objectivity?" Jethro asked, knowing Tony wouldn't need more.

Tony nodded. "The moment you see it going too far, I give you permission to call me on it."

Jethro sighed in relief, hoping he didn't have to, but grateful Tony knew what he was concerned about, and that he was willing to give him the ability to protect them.

"I can't believe those jackasses…" Tony said quietly, trailing off.

"Scott and Chris?" Jethro asked, making sure he was reading Tony correctly.

"Yeah! Really? Who in the hell thinks that way? And who in the hell says it to a couple of people he barely knows, _in a building full of federal agents_?! Come on! Who's that stupid?"

"Apparently Scott and Chris."

"I'm going to sneak into interrogation and see what's happening. I think watching Balboa and Vance tear into that jerk might be just what I need."

"I'm going to sit this one out. Restraint is wearing thin."

Tony smirked. "Now I really want you to come with me!"

"Not happening," Jethro said, turning to walk out of the room. "Besides, _came_ with you four times this weekend. I'm good for a few hours."

Tony stood in shock, staring at the door Jethro just walked out of, trying desperately not to think about the more intimate details of the past couple of days. As much as he wanted to reminisce, if he was going to go watch the interrogation, it was probably best if he didn't do it with a hard on.

* * *

Dorney walked into MTAC to find McGee at Scott's place, and Evelyn back in hers. He sat in the third seat at the counter of computer boards, and sighed. Both of the others turned to look at him. He looked Evelyn in the eyes, noticing how blood red they were.

"That took a lot of courage," he said softly, talking past Tim to Evelyn.

"Thanks," she whispered.

Ned turned to Tim. "Can you give us a few?" he asked shyly.

Tim blinked, but nodded and got up.

"Thanks," Ned said quietly, and then took his place to sit closer to Evelyn. He watched the door close, and looked back at Evelyn with a weak smile.

"So everyone already knows?" she asked with dread and defeat in her voice. She swallowed hard, and Ned shook his head.

"Only those of us who would be in danger with that nutjob running around, and our teams."

Evelyn understood, her eyes widening a moment, and then nodded.

"I don't think," Ned began, choosing his words carefully. "I don't think Gibbs and Tony know exactly how important it is, what they're doing, being so open about their relationship. I've been terrified to let _it_ get around. With them being out, it seems so much safer, ya know? Like I have these… knights in shining armor. They both knew when I was invited to join Tony's team that… that I'm gay. It wasn't a factor, but Tony told me right away about their relationship, and how they were keeping it a secret. I was so… honored? I think that's the right word. Honored, to be let in on the secret. But, when they decided last week that they weren't going to hide anymore, that they were going to just put it out there, I was happier than I've probably been in years. I guess I figured that now, if anyone messed with _me_ , they'd have to mess with _them,_ too."

Evelyn let out a shaky breath. "Me, too. I, uh." She swallowed hard, took another deep breath, and thought about what she wanted to say. "I feel like, if they can do it, then so can I."

"Exactly!" Ned said with a bright smile. "It's still not going to be easy, but it's so much easier when you have someone to support you."

"Yes, it is," Evelyn said, managing a weak smile of her own.

"I guess I just wanted to tell you that I appreciate that you came forward today. That you spoke up. I've always felt like Scott was a threat, but knowing just how many people have our backs, especially Tony, Gibbs, and the Director, it's the best feeling in the world for someone like me who has never had anyone in that position for me. And I wanted you to know that we all have your back as you move forward with this. We'll all be right there with you, wherever this leads."

Evelyn swallowed back tears that started prickling at her eyes again. "Thank you," she whispered. She wiped her eyes, losing the battle with them, and then chuckled. "Sorry. I can't seem to stop crying. It's so scary, but at the same time, it's so relieving to finally have people I can trust with this information. Rachel will probably kill me, but I think she'll be proud of me, too."

Ned smiled as reassuringly as possible at her. "Is that your partner? Rachel?" he asked.

Evelyn nodded. "Yeah." She smiled brighter than he'd ever seen her smile, despite the tears that still ran down her face. "She's my everything, my very own hero. Even though I haven't seen her for months now, she's the first thing I think about in the morning, the last thing I think about at night, and whenever I'm down, I just think of the way she can lift my spirits with a smile and a hug, a few words. She's amazing."

"I know what that's like," Ned said, and then he sighed, his expression falling as he thought of Elly and how stupid he was being. He needed to talk with him.

"You okay?" Evelyn asked.

"Yeah. Just gotta go fix things with Elly," Ned said, freezing as he realized he just outed his teammate.

"Elly? As in Agent Critten?" Evelyn said, her jaw dropping. She chuckled. "Wow! Really?"

Ned let his head fall back as he grinned, turning red. "Shit," he whispered.

"Oh! You're in trouble now!" Evelyn joked as she wiped her eyes. "I'm telling you outed him!" she said playfully.

"Trust me, we were outed as much as anyone could be outed this weekend." Ned wasn't sure why he felt the need to divulge the details, but he knew his situation was safe with Evelyn. "He was DJing this weekend at this club, and someone drugged us."

"What?" Evelyn asked, suddenly serious, all traces of laughter gone.

"Yeah," Ned said with a sigh. "Half of D.C. knows now."

"Whoa. Are you guys okay?" she asked, leaning forward in concern.

"Yeah, well, we are physically. We have a lot to talk about, but we haven't yet. Talk that is. We need to, but the timing hasn't been right for it." As the words left his mouth, Ned realized that was the heart of the matter. The timing wasn't right. That's why Elly hadn't called him, and that's why he hadn't called Elly. He remembered the exuberant look on Elly's face when he greeted him that morning, and how eager he'd been to talk to him, and he realized he was being an insecure idiot, as usual.

"You should. If he makes you feel like Rachel makes me feel, then you need to do whatever you can to hold on to him."

"I'm going to," Ned said with a smile, realizing that he was. He was going to have to get over it, talk to Elly, and fix things before they became unfixable, because Elly really did make him feel incredible, and he was definitely his happy place. He wasn't going to let some miscommunication ruin things this early.

"Good."

"Have you been able to tell Rachel what is happening here?" he asked.

"No. I'm about to send her a secure email. Not exactly by the books, but I think it's only right that she know."

"I agree, and I don't think anyone else will have anything to say about it either," Ned said with a smirk.

"I had no idea that the Director and everyone would be so supportive," Evelyn said, looking down at her hands as she thought. She looked back up into Ned's eyes. "It's still absolutely terrifying, but I have to admit, it's liberating. I'm still in shock. More people found out I'm gay today than I've told in my entire lifetime. Even my parents don't know. They wouldn't be happy. I don't think they would anyway. Doesn't matter I guess. We never see each other. My brother knows, and he's pretty good with it all, and my aunt knows. Maybe four or five friends know."

"How long have you and Rachel been together?" Ned asked, feeling confused.

"Eight years," she answered.

"And only seven people in the entire world know that you've been in love with someone for eight years? How is that possible?" he asked, realizing that sounded far less compassionate than he meant it.

Evelyn shrugged. "I guess we just got really good at hiding it because of DADT, and now that it's over, it's just been a way of life for so long…"

"Do you think you'll be more open with people now?"

Evelyn thought for a moment, her head tilted to the side. She straightened and then looked back at Ned. "I really don't know. I guess I don't have a choice now."

Ned smiled. "If you ever, ya know, want someone you can just hang out with that knows, I'm around," he said, feeling an unusual pride swelling up inside of him.

Evelyn smiled at him warmly. "Thanks," she said with a nod.

"If you need anything, let me know?" Ned said uncertainly. "I may not have the solution, but we can probably find it together."

"I really appreciate that," she said. "And I may take you up on it."

"Good," Ned said, unsure of what else to say. "I should probably get back downstairs and research all of the icky creepy crawly diseases that Ed and Rod may have. Not exactly my idea of a good time, but it needs to be done." Ned got to his feet, and Evelyn got to hers as well. They hesitated for a moment, and then Evelyn threw her arms around him in a tight hug. He hugged her back, and for a moment, he felt like it was more important than anything else he had done in that room all day, and that was saying something.

* * *

Tony watched as Vance sat across from Scott, his hands folded on the table, his eyes glued to the younger man's. He wished he could see them, but just watching from the back of his head was unnerving because of the eerie way he sat perfectly still. Balboa leaned up against the wall next to the two way window and stared as well, just as silent.

"What?!" Scott finally shouted.

"Give me another minute. My blood hasn't quite stopped boiling enough to begin questioning you without throwing you through a wall." Vance's voice was even scarier than the stillness he'd been sitting in, and Tony found a satisfying glee in it.

"I'm allowed to have my opinions!" Scott said, much quieter than his previous comment, but with even more heat.

"What opinion is that?" Balboa asked as he started to circle the table in a slow, predatory way that Tony approved of.

When Scott remained silent, sitting back and crossing his arms over his chest, his face turning red, Balboa stopped behind him.

"You were plenty vocal earlier, but now you don't wanna share?" Balboa leaned down on the table so that his mouth was near Scott's head. "Funny how opinions work. Yeah, you have a right to have them, but there are consequences to having them, to expressing them, to acting on them."

"I didn't say I was going to-" Scott started, and then stopped himself, turning away from Balboa.

"You weren't going to what?" Vance said, his voice still cold and threatening.

Scott grit his teeth and swallowed, then opened his mouth, his eyes staring back into Vance's. "To carry out God's will."

"God's will? Why don't you tell me a little more about what you _think_ is God's will?" Vance said, his tone inviting Scott into the spider's parlor. Scott took the bait as if possessed to do so.

"My God wouldn't want these abominations ruining His good Earth with their sinful ways. Treating His gift of love with such defamation…"

Tony didn't hear what he said next, startled by the hand on his arm. He turned to find Ziva next to him, and he nodded at her. She nodded back, and her glare returned to the man in the next room. A voice from behind him startled him even more, and he realized Parke was with them too.

"Put his ass in jail. He'll find out about _"unholy acts_ "."

Neither Tony nor Ziva could restrain snorts of amusement. Parke moved to stand on Tony's other side with a smirk, and Tony reached up to squeeze his shoulder. Tony watched as Parke tilted his head, trying hard to hear the words being spoken on the other side of the glass.

"And who exactly do you believe are the abominations?" Vance asked.

"Uh oh," Tony whispered. "Here it comes."

Scott looked like fire could spit from his eyes, and he struggled to keep his mouth shut. It only took a moment for his resolve to weaken, and the words came thundering out.

"His wrath is reserved for the wicked, and the most wicked are the faggots parading their perverse idea of love around us! Corrupting the innocent children, teaching them their vile ways and recruiting for their demonic causes! They masquerade as loving people, try to use cunning language to win us over to their dark side, try to conform us into believing they are worthy of love or even sympathy, but they are the wolves in sheep's clothing, warned about in sacred scripture!"

"Shit," Parke whispered.

Tony looked at him, and Parke shook his head, squinting his eyes, and his lips parted.

"And what do you believe _your_ God would want us to do with these wolves?" Vance asked, surprisingly calm.

"If they are not willing to change their ways, they should suffer the wrath of God, merciless and angry! They should be removed from the world! They should be drowned in the depths of the sea, for only there is the darkness dark enough to swallow their souls. They should be hung from the trees so that people can see what happens when one chooses to walk the path of the wicked, to sneer at God's call for righteousness!"

"So you believe we should kill all of the gay and bisexual people in the world?" Vance asked to clarify.

"God would want it!" Scott shouted, his face blood red.

Parke left the room suddenly, and Ziva and Tony watched as he walked into the interrogation room. Tony looked on in confusion, and both Vance and Balboa were just as surprised to see him. He smiled and nodded at them both, and Tony looked at Ziva for a moment before they both turned back to the scene unfolding in front of them.

"Been watching your revelation," Parke said quietly, his tone almost friendly. Vance wasn't fooled though, and he raised an eyebrow at him before turning his death stare back on Scott.

"And?" Scott said, his face losing a little of his redness, reassuring everyone that a stroke wasn't in his near future.

"Those are some pretty powerful words," he said, moving to the other side of the table. "What tradition were you raised in?"

"Lutheran," Scott answered, weary of the lighter discussion. "I've come to see the light of the Word is better revealed in the sermons of my Apostolic brothers though."

Parke nodded. "When were you born again into the faith?" he asked nonchalantly.

"When I was eighteen, nine years ago this summer. It was a beautiful day when I learned of my salvation."

"It's always comforting when you learn the beauty of grace, the joy of a second chance."

"Yes, it is. I atoned for my sins, and God put me on the path of righteousness, shone light on my darkest ways, and I had no choice but to move forward and carry His message with me."

"What brought you to that place?" Parke asked, still not looking at Vance or Balboa, who Tony noticed was more and more confused with every word. Tony was beginning to see where Parke was going though, and he was intrigued.

"I'd found myself in a place of what I thought was no return, and wandered into a church one Sunday morning, wanting nothing more than forgiveness from my Creator, my Lord and Master. The words of the Reverend Theodore shook my soul loose from the devil's grip, and I found myself weeping in joy from the release."

"Release from what?" Parke asked, his eyes and voice exuding nothing but genuine interest.

"Of my sinful ways! Of all of the pain that I had been inflicting on myself, of all of the struggles I had been suffering from within."

"What kinds of struggles though? Maybe they're the same ones I'm having," Parke said quietly, and Tony knew it was a trap. Vance did too, and Ziva nodded once, waiting for Scott to take the bait and try to save Parke's soul. Tony noticed that Balboa went deathly still, and he knew it was finally sinking in why Parke had busted in on them.

"There are unnatural, ungodly urges I had, and I prayed every day to be purged of them. I would go to bed at night, haunted by nightmares, plagued by memories…" Scott's voice broke, and Tony watched in fascination. "…full of pain, and I was full of anger, and I wanted to take that anger out on others. I wanted to make it so that other people knew what I was feeling, and the only way I could see that happening, was by inflicting pain myself. I could hear Satan's voice, ringing in my ears for hours every night, telling me how to make the pain stop, telling me that it would all come to an end if someone, anyone understood it the way I did, if they felt it the way I felt it."

"What did it feel like?" Parke asked. Scott's reply was now as eerily calm as Vance's had been earlier.

"Like my body was being ripped apart; like all of my breath was lost in a scream no one would ever hear."

"And who was ripping your body apart?" Parke said so gently and quietly that it seemed to be ethereal.

"He…" Scott stopped, suddenly lost in the memory. Tears began running down his face, and Tony marveled at how quickly Parke had gotten to the root of the problem. That was all any of them needed to hear, but no one could move. "He'd come in when she wasn't enough for him. When she failed to be the wife he needed her to be, to fulfill his needs. He said I'd have to pick up her slack."

"Your father?" Parke asked in that same hollow voice.

Scott shook his head the slightest bit. "No, he was gone. She'd remarried. She chose the monster, and he filled me with the demons."

Tony heard Ziva's angry inhalation, and he watched Parke's cool and calm eyes.

"And what did the demons tell you to do?" Parke asked.

"To… to…" Scott shook his head the slightest. "I couldn't. I wouldn't. He was so young, and he trusted me. I couldn't do that to him."

Tony watched the tears that came pouring out of Scott's eyes as the man doubled over in sobs. "I wouldn't do it…" rolled off his lips over and over again in a whisper, and Tony felt a deep pity for a man who had been tortured by his own demons, and had managed to deny them, only to turn them into something new. He had to give him credit for not following in his molester's footsteps, and he understood now why he was full of so much hatred.

"You didn't do it because it was the wrong thing to do," Parke said, crouching next to the table to look up at the crying man, handling him with kid gloves. "You didn't want to inflict the pain you had been through. You didn't want to have that kind of control over someone like your stepfather had over you. You're not that monster. The thing is, you're confusing that very evil act that he performed on you, with a very loving sexual exchange between consenting adults. They are not the same thing Scott. I hope one day you'll understand that, but until then, I'm going to give my professional recommendation that you're relieved of this position while you seek treatment. You need help. I think God would want you to seek that kind of help. The demons aren't gone, Scott. They're just hiding. You've scared them, but they can sneak up on you when your pride starts getting in the way, and I don't think any of us want that, especially not you."

Scott nodded, looking more like a lost child than a grown man, and Vance got to his feet, motioning for Balboa to follow him out of the room. Parke took the seat Vance had just vacated, and Tony and Ziva left the observation room to meet the two men in the hallway.

"Your kid is something else," Vance said, running his hand down his face.

"Yeah. I had no idea that was going to happen." Tony was as shocked as the rest of them. "I wish he'd take his board certifications."

"You should tell him that," Vance said. "It would mean a lot coming from you."

"I don't think he wants to claim the "doctor" title. Being at the ground level like this is his camouflage. No one expected that for a reason. We tend to forget the kid's a psychologist because he's so busy being an agent." Tony's eyes met Vance's, and Vance nodded.

"I won't underestimate him again," Vance said.

"Neither will I," Balboa said. " _Goddamn_ that was horrible. I've never seen anything like that. He knew just what to say, how to get right to it all…"

"He saw what I was too angry to see," Vance said. "The man is ill. If Agent Parke can get him to seek treatment, we'll drop the threat charges. However, until he admits to needing and accepts help, he's a danger. If he refuses treatment, we'll press the charges and ask that the courts require him to be treated."

"I'm sure we'll all agree to those parameters," Tony said, meeting everyone's eyes for a moment and receiving nods.

"Okay. Go tell your team and Gibbs. I'll go talk to Evelyn." Vance walked past the group and towards the bullpen, leaving the three behind. Greg came out of interrogation, closing the door gently behind him. He saw them standing there and sighed.

Ziva broke from the group and stepped forward to hug him. He hugged her back, and Tony watched the uncharacteristic exchange. He suddenly flashed back to the other night at the club, and he realized that his teams really were starting to come together as a family, and that maybe the brother and sister rouse that the two had pulled off might have helped solidify those actual places in their lives.

When they broke apart, she smiled up at him. "I am highly impressed."

"Thanks," he said with a smile.

"And I am very proud," Tony said, smiling at him. Parke's cheeks turned red, but he smiled and nodded back at Tony, and once again, Tony felt more like a father with his team than the boss.

* * *

Jethro had allowed himself to think about the situation with Scott for a short while on the way to meet Keith, but soon had to turn it off. He couldn't deal with the confusion of that mess when he had a case and Keith to worry about. He shook his head, and put it out of his mind for the time being.

As he walked into the VA hospital, he realized he was actually nervous about going to the meeting. He didn't do the talking about feelings thing so well, and he tried to remind himself of who he would be in the room with. He took a deep breath and gathered his senses, then made his way to Keith's office. The door was open, and he smirked when he saw that Keith was pacing nervously.

"You're early!" Keith greeted when he turned again and saw Jethro standing in the doorway.

"Yeah, need to talk to you about something," he said quietly.

"Come on in. Feel free to close the door."

Jethro shut the door behind him, and turned back to Keith.

"We probably won't be able to get anyone on Austin's murder unless we deal with someone in the gang to get a lesser sentence, and even then, we can expect a lot of pointing fingers that we can't trust." He didn't hesitate, knowing that there was no way to dance around the situation.

"Oh," Keith said, folding his arms across his chest and looking down at the desk in front of him.

"You knew Austin better than anyone. I need to know what you think he would have wanted. Should we let him go as a cold case, or should we move forward and possibly get someone out of jail sooner than they should be."

Keith's eyes rose to meet Jethro's. "He'd want justice, but his idea of justice. Letting anyone off in the gang he was working so hard to bring down, even just a little, would be injustice. He wouldn't want to see them get off light so that someone's name would hit his file. Unless you can get solid evidence to back up whatever name you're given, I think he'd want you to let it go."

Jethro nodded. "The van that was confiscated has _too much_ evidence to be clear about anything. We can place half of the gang in it at one point, and there's a dozen different blood spatters, each matching a different person. We wouldn't be able to get past a jury with any forensic evidence. I don't think we have much of a chance of a case, and I don't want to see any of these bastards walk free because he suddenly found a conscience."

Keith shook his head. "Then don't," he said adamantly. "Austin wouldn't want that either."

"Then we'll put that in his case and close it."

Keith nodded.

"You ready for this?" Jethro asked, his tone changing to something more familiar as he nudged his head towards the hall.

"Hell no," Keith said with a chuckle.

"Well, that makes two of us kid." Jethro smiled and shook his head.

"We still going?" Keith asked, an eyebrow raised.

"Hell yeah, we are! If we can't face that room, we can't face anything else."

"Too true!" Keith said. He pulled his keys out of his pockets and began locking up the desk and filing cabinet behind him. When he was finished, he came around to where Jethro was standing still by the door. He took a deep breath, looked Jethro in the eyes and nodded once. "Let's do this."

Jethro cocked his head and smirked as he turned to open the door. They walked down the hall side by side.

"Do I have to actually talk?" Jethro half-joked, leaning towards Keith, but not looking at him.

Keith leaned back, doing the same. "If I do, you do."

Jethro straightened again and nodded. "Damn."

Keith laughed, and it echoed down the hallway. Jethro grinned, glad to feel the break in tension. He could feel their resolves strengthening as they approached the door to the meeting room. A few other people were walking in, and Jethro felt out of his league with how comfortable and nonchalant they seemed. He felt anything but.

He put on a brave face as he led Keith into the room, and was relieved to see coffee sitting on a side table. He headed straight for it, and Keith was right behind him. They grabbed cups and filled them, both trying hard not to look as tense as they felt, and then found seats at the large square made up of four wooden tables that filled most of the room.

Jethro was surprised as he saw how calm everyone was, and how there was no one pushing them to put on some kind of silly name tag, or sign in on some kind of sheet. He appreciated that, and he once again reminded himself who else was in the room with him. They were people just like him and Keith, veterans with a demon on their backs that they were trying to shake. As he took in the demeanors of the people around him, he couldn't imagine any of them putting up with anything too frivolous. When he looked at Keith, he saw him relaxing, and wondered if he was figuring out the same thing.

"Hello, everybody," a deep male voice rang out. A pleasant but serious looking man had entered the room, closing the door behind him, and he smiled at people as they greeted him. No one was too enthusiastic for Jethro's taste, and no one sounded too depressed either. Simple, "Hey Sam," and "Hi Sam," greetings sufficed, and he settled a little more.

Sam looked around the room as people took seats, and smiled and nodded at Keith and Jethro, but otherwise didn't draw any particular attention to them. Jethro noticed a pleasantly confused look on Keith's face, and he realized the younger man knew or at least recognized the group's leader. That made him feel even better, and he decided that the whole idea wasn't a mistake after all.

"So, how is everyone?" Sam asked, genuine concern in his voice as he looked around the room.

"Tired," one man responded, leaning back in his chair.

"Heard it's been a rough week for you. You feel like updating us?" Sam asked.

"Maybe later," the guy said with a shrug.

"Okay, just let us know. Oh! Hey! Tamika! Aren't we celebrating today?"

A tall, slender woman who sat opposite Keith smiled and nodded. "One year," she said.

"That's great! Congratulations." Sam's voice was joined by others, and each one was just as genuine as the one before.

"I, uh." An older man cleared his voice, and then he got up and walked the length of the table to stand next to her. "I have something for you. Maddie told me to make sure you got it." He handed the woman something that Jethro couldn't see, and saw her eyes tear up as her palm closed around the man's. "She is so proud of you. She'll be able to tell you herself when she gets back next week, but she wanted to make sure you got it." Tamika got to her feet and hugged the man tightly, then smiled at him and sat back down.

Jethro was confused, but then looked at the overwhelmingly tender look on Keith's face, and it all fit together. The one year wasn't how long it had been since she'd had an episode or flashback. It was a sobriety coin clutched in the woman's hand. He noticed how Keith suddenly looked down, slipping his hand casually into his pocket, and he wondered if maybe he had his own there, close for comfort.

The weight of what they were doing suddenly hit Jethro. It was heavy on him, and he knew that Keith needed support like this in ways he could never imagine. He was suddenly very glad they came.

Sam had begun talking to Tamika again, reminding her that the battle wasn't over, but that if she ever needed anything, to let any of them know. Solemn nods came from everyone around the table. He turned his attention back to the group at large. "Anyone else wanna get anything off their chests before we torture the new guys?"

Keith and Jethro looked at each other, and Keith chuckled, tossing his head back.

"Come on! You didn't think we'd just let you off scot free, now, did you?" Sam's smile was comforting.

"Guess not," Keith said.

"Anyone? No one? Okay. Let the torture begin." Jethro noticed a couple of smirks around the room and more than one exchanged glance, but most people made it a point not to stare at the two too closely. "Let me just start by saying, whatever the reason you've decided to come in here today, we're glad you did. Second, we have a few rules. Tends to make things easier when we all know where things stand, where the boundaries are, and what's appropriate.

"The first rule, is that anything that is said in this room does not leave this room. Things will be said that may not be pleasant, and we're all dealing with our demons, but if anything needs to be addressed outside of this room, I will deal with it personally with an individual. Rest assured I will never let anyone come to harm, but we're all on the same side. We all come in here with the same goal, and that's to be able to live stable, healthy lives, and overcome the obstacles of PTSD and addictions that often accompany it."

Both Jethro and Keith nodded in agreement to that, Keith a little more adamantly.

"The second rule is that you do not have to share anything in a meeting if you don't want to. We do hope that at some point, you'll feel comfortable enough to want to let us know what's happening in your lives, but for many people, just listening is all they can do for a long time, and that may be all they need. We respect that, we appreciate that, and we won't begrudge anyone that time or that need."

They both nodded again, this time Jethro a little more strongly.

"The third rule, is that we don't know it all. No one does. Everyone's story is different, everyone's situation is different, and we all have different coping mechanisms, different strengths, weaknesses, faults, experiences. If someone asks for an opinion, then, and only then, do we make suggestions. There may be times where I will ask someone if they are open to suggestions. If they say no, we respect that."

Jethro and Keith nodded, exchanging glances.

"Fourth rule is that we leave all military rivalry and rank outside when we come in. Simple enough, and for obvious reasons." Sam smirked, and Jethro smirked back.

"The last rule is that we all come into this room sober. We may be hung over, we may be going through withdrawal, but if you can't blow a breathalyzer, don't come in. Feel free if you need, to call me and we can talk, maybe even meet, but a lot of us are struggling to maintain our sobriety, and it's hard to be around friends and family drinking at a bar or party, but it's so much harder when someone we've been placing our trust in is drunk or high around us. Not to say that we won't be there to support you, just not in this space."

Both men nodded, and Keith let out a deep breath. Jethro knew that this additional accountability would probably be helpful for him, but it was also going to be a struggle. He watched Sam's face as he observed Keith's exhalation, and Jethro noticed out of the corner of his eye that Keith had begun tapping his foot in that way that always made him think of Elly. Sam's smile was genuine, but not too soft, and Jethro decided he was growing on him.

"Okay! Now let the fun begin!" Sam's smile grew, and Jethro heard snickers coming from around the room. "If you're feeling comfortable enough, names are always a great place to start. I'm Sam. And just for full disclosure, I'm Dr. Samuel Roland. I'm a psychiatrist, yadda yadda. I work outside of the VA network for my own well-being, but I've found it actually helps to lead a group like this when you don't have any patients at the table. Any takers on the name sharing?"

Keith inhaled and looked around the room. "I'm Keith Brokowicz," he said, then looked at Jethro. Jethro's fingers went slightly tighter around his cup, and he glanced at Keith.

"I'm Jethro Gibbs," he said. It felt weird to him to just say his name. He had gotten so used to putting 'Special Agent' in front of it, and he decided he kind of liked that with this group of people, that didn't matter. "Most people just call me Gibbs."

"Okay, so Keith and Gibbs. Anything else you want to share at this time? How you got here, why you're here, where you served, what you do now…?" Sam's voice trailed off, and Gibbs looked at Keith, wondering if that nervous energy he was tapping out was going to explode out of him. Keith looked at him and shrugged.

"Uh, served in Iraq, as a medic, shortly after 9/11. Germany before that."

"Landstuhl?" Sam asked. Keith nodded. Sam smiled. "I did my first tour through there, _and_ then my last tour there."

"Really?" Keith asked.

"Yup. Worked in more of the mental health sectors, obviously, but it's both some of my best and my worst time with the Air Force." Sam shared a smirk with someone who snickered across the table from him, and Jethro knew they had swapped stories in the past.

Keith nodded. "I actually work in this building, which is probably why it has taken me so long to get down here."

Jethro appreciated how the nods and smiles that people gave Keith were understanding, but not overly sympathetic. It was yet another thing that was surprising him about the whole experience.

Sam nodded his approval at Keith's courage. "Kind of nerve wracking to walk into these meetings when you _don't_ have professional ties. Kudos to making it through, no matter how long It's taken you."

"Seven years," Keith said quietly, realizing just how long he'd been dealing with this. He looked over at Jethro and swallowed. Seven years and as much as he liked his doctor, he'd felt completely alone until the week before when Jethro was there to pull him out of his flashback. Keith grew really still, and Jethro realized he was going to need a minute to process. Sam noticed too, and he turned his attention on Jethro. He didn't mind taking it for the time being if it meant Keith had a minute to let his thoughts get to where they needed to be. He briefly thought of their exchange in the hall, and he knew that if _Keith_ could talk some, _he_ could talk some.

"Gibbs? Anything?" Sam raised an eyebrow at him, and he shrugged his head to the side.

"Currently an NCIS agent, served in Desert Storm."

"Couple of us from that time in here," Sam said.

"Yes, sir," one man said under his breath, and Jethro noticed an older woman nodding.

"Guess you can say that's how I got here," Jethro said with a shrug. "I was lucky enough to have people looking after me when I got back. Met Keith last week, figured he could use the same. Won't always be able to be there with my work schedule, so here we are."

Keith gave him a small smile, and Jethro shrugged, fighting one of his own.

"Very nice," Sam said with a nod. "Do you mind if I ask you a couple of questions? You don't have to answer anything you don't want to."

Jethro shrugged. "Sure."

"I know when I came home, the reality of PTSD was really just becoming mainstream. It was obviously harder for Vietnam and Korean vets who didn't find, we'll say… validation, for their situation when they were discharged, but it still wasn't great. What types of resources did you have?"

Jethro thought about it. "I was already seeing a doc because of the reasons I came home." He stopped for a moment, considering if he should continue, and then decided he should, if not for Keith, for his own wellbeing. "My wife and daughter were killed, and the Corp required it." He didn't make eye contact with anyone as he continued until he was well beyond that statement, but he was feeling surprisingly proud of himself for disclosing it. "When I was discharged, I went to work for NCIS, and there was an educational thing going on in the agency. My boss at the time had taken it, and he was able to get me through the worst of things."

"Did you find a particular technique helpful?" Sam asked. He asked more with the tone of a friend, full of genuine interest, and Jethro knew he was collecting the information to help find out how best to help his patients and the other people in the group. He wasn't sure how to explain it though, so he tossed his head, struggling to find the words.

"He does this thing," Keith said, suddenly piping up again. Everyone's attention shifted to him, including Jethro's. Keith turned to Jethro, his eyes wide and almost excited. He turned back to the group and to Sam, and started explaining.

"When I first met Gibbs, I had a flashback, and he had started asking me a series of questions to try to keep me, you know focused on being present in the here and now. He asked me, um, first it was what I was seeing. And then it was what I was smelling, right?" He asked, turning to Jethro for confirmation. Jethro nodded, and Keith continued. "Then it was hearing, and then it was what I was feeling. Like, physically feeling, not emotionally. I'd felt the way the floor always turns to sand under me when I'm on my way out." Sam nodded nonchalantly, but Jethro noticed the way he had begun twirling his pen, and he knew that he was taking it all in with great interest.

"By on your way out, you mean when you feel like you're disassociating, slipping into a flashback?" Sam asked.

"Yeah. For a long time there, the flashbacks had stopped. I'd get vivid memories and anxiety sometimes, but no flashbacks. I had sobered up and everything. Then a friend of mine died a couple of years ago, and it all came rushing back, and I do mean _all_."

Keith stopped himself, realizing how everything had just suddenly started pouring out of him. Jethro smiled at him, proud of him, and Keith let out a big sigh. Jethro noticed a few other nods and smiles in the group, all approving or remembering when they first had let everything just tumble out finally. Still, at no point was anyone's smile too sympathetic, or too cotton candy syrupy sweet. He felt like he could safely leave Keith in the hands of these folks if he needed to, but he found he didn't mind being with them either.

"When I start feeling like things are slipping away from me," Tamika said quietly, looking up at Keith and Sam, and then the group at large. "I start doing deep breathing exercises, but I ask myself very similar questions. For me, it's more like, Am I feeling this now, or was I feeling this then? Am I seeing this now, or was I seeing it then? It sounds like the same thing almost." She smiled shyly at Keith and gave him a one shouldered shrug, and Keith nodded back with a smile of his own.

"It essentially is," Sam said. "You're trying to reconnect with reality, with the present time and place. For those with full flashbacks, it's often the first stage of defense."

"Helps with the hyper-vigilance, too," the man who had also been in Desert Storm said, making eye contact with Jethro, who nodded back.

"That's one of my worries," Jethro found himself saying. "I _still_ have people trying to kill me on a regular basis, so being hyper-vigilant makes sense; my safety depends on it. What happens when I finally retire? Am I going to constantly worry about what's around the corner? Will I always overreact when I hear an odd noise in the house? My fiancé and I are thinking of adopting. If our daughter tries to sneak out the window, am I going to chase after the guy she's sneaking out to meet with a bat, or just shoot him from an upstairs window?"

"Sniper?" Sam asked calmly.

Jethro nodded with a smirk, trying to fight the heat rising in his cheeks as he realized how much he had just given away.

"Hell, I'd shoot him, and blame it on the PTSD!" Everyone laughed with the older man who had brought up the hyper-vigilance.

"Knowing my luck he'll be a spy anyway, so why not?" Jethro said. Everyone chuckled again. The conversation turned to hyper-vigilance and anxiety, and the group talked about various situations they had been through. Jethro found himself chuckling alongside Keith as they joked about some things, but he also took what everyone said to heart.

After the meeting, he said goodbye to Keith, letting him know that he'd try to make it back the next week with him, then headed to the office. His mind swirled with the odd experience he'd just had, but the fear he had voiced for the first time took front and center.

He considered how often he found himself feeling like others in the group had described. He almost always felt stiff, rigid, on high alert, even when relaxing. It suddenly dawned on him that he really hadn't felt those things so strongly over the past few months. As he considered it, he thought of how Tony was the only person in the world he could completely bring his defenses down with. He was safe with him- safe enough to put away the last remnants of his PTSD- and yet he hadn't realized it.

Even with all of the insane chaos that work had been for them lately, when it was just him and Tony, he felt like he could leave it all behind. He couldn't ever remember being able to do that. Even when they were in the office, just around each other, he felt more relaxed. He decided to watch for it, and make a mental note of when he felt he could let his defenses down, and when the shields had to be raised. He hoped it helped ease that worry that this was still haunting him. If he could find a happy place within Tony that would free him completely from it, it would be just one more amazing aspect of their relationship.


	31. Chapter 31

Tony had grabbed coffee with Jethro to explain what had happened with Scott, catching him right after telling the story to Tim, Ziva, Elly and Dorney. When Jethro left to meet up with Keith, Tony came back to his desk, only to be assaulted by the vivid chatter of FBI Agent Courtney Gleason, who was babbling her head off at Elly about the database.

When he sat down at his computer, he looked up to notice that Elly didn't look excited at all. He was being as attentive as possible, but as soon as Courtney's attention was on her phone, trying to bring up some notes, he exchanged a very obviously sad glance with Dorney, his bottom lip being worried between his teeth. Dorney was giving him a sad and panicked look back, glancing between him and Courtney.

Tony didn't like it at all, and he exchanged a look with Parke that appeared just as worried and panicked as the other guys'. Tony opened an IM window and sent a message to Parke.

TDiNozzo01: _What's going on in here?_

GParke01: _I think Elly and Ned had a fight. They've both been moping all day. We need to get Courtney out of here._

TDiNozzo01: _We can't. We promised to let them play in the same sandbox so the FBI would back us in the Stafford case._

GParke01: _Not for good, just for the day. I keep getting these horribly heartbroken vibes from Elly, and Ned keeps looking like he's going to gut Courtney whenever Elly isn't looking. I think he's afraid Elly's going to give up on him and go after Courtney._

Tony's phone rang, and he winced as he saw the director's number.

"DiNozzo," he answered. "On my way, sir."

Parke watched in disbelief as Tony got up, leaving him alone with the trio. "Sorry," Tony mouthed silently to him as he got up.

Parke wanted to reach for Tony to make him stay. He watched him heading for the stairs towards Vance's office and groaned. He opened an IM window to Dorney.

GParke01: _You won't get away with it. Don't think it._

"Oh, yes I would!" Dorney said under his breath as he got up and practically stomped out of the bullpen towards the break room. He needed to get away. He couldn't take watching the way Courtney was all over Elly, even if Elly wasn't responding to it.

He looked at the vending machine and decided to pick something out. He chose Starbursts and smiled, thinking of all of the times he and Elly had shared a pack. Ned's favorites were the orange, and he hated the lemon. Elly's favorites were the lemon, and he hated the cherry. Ned had even gotten some for the apartment, and they went through the entire one pound bag that night watching a movie.

He contemplated getting another pack for Elly, and then decided to share his instead. He smiled, running the idea through his head. He could pick out Elly's favorites, and go put them on his desk, possibly breaking Courtney's concentration. He opened the pack as he headed for the bullpen, and sat at his desk, picking the ones out that Elly liked. When Courtney leaned in much closer than necessary to look at the screen with Elly, the jealousy flared again. He picked up a yellow Starburst, and tossed it gently towards Elly's desk, trying to get it to land in front of them.

Parke watched in fascination, trying to figure out what was going on, and then he saw the yellow wrapped candy bounce off the top of Elly's keyboard and hit Courtney in the face. She sat back, startled, but not at all hurt. Elly looked confused, trying to figure out what had just happened. Suddenly Ned burst out laughing.

"I am _so_ sorry!" He could barely breathe, the exhaustion of the day taking him down. "That was _so_ not supposed to happen!"

Courtney smiled at him. "You could have at least thrown the red ones! Everyone knows the yellow are the worst!" She picked up the candy from where it landed on the desk, ready to throw it back at Ned. Elly reached up with a bright smile and grabbed her hand before she could. He took the candy and turned towards Ned.

"No, Ned knows they're my favorites," he said. Ned turned pink, unable to stop smiling, but also unable to stop looking at Elly. "We always share. He hates the yellow, I hate the cherry, so we only have to fight over the orange and strawberry."

"I'm still finding wrappers under my couch cushions," Ned said, feeling himself turning brighter red.

"Then you shouldn't have made me sleep on the couch!" Elly said with a chuckle, stopping as he realized what he was giving away. Ned was laughing though, and he watched him warmly. He wasn't sure what was going on, but he suddenly felt like maybe, just maybe, everything was going to be alright.

"I didn't know you were going to rob me of all my Starbursts in the middle of the night!"

"Well if you didn't snore like someone was jackhammering the bedroom floor apart, maybe I could have slept, and I wouldn't have been up eating all the Starbursts!" Elly felt himself turning as bright red as Ned, his smile so big it hurt.

"Yeah, and that's from the _couch!_ " Ned said, loving the way Elly was blushing. "Can you imagine if you were-"

"Okay, guys!" Parke called. "I'm stopping you both right there before I find out way more than I need to know!" Parke was worried that the floodgates were about to open, and he watched the way that Courtney sat in shock as she put the two and two together. He smiled at her and shook his head. "And _that_ is why coworkers shouldn't date."

Elly was in a much better mood by time he turned back to Courtney and her work. She was somewhat more subdued, and Parke watched the three of them intently for a few minutes before going back to write up his report on what had happened in interrogation. He wasn't convinced the banter had fixed the problem between the two men, but he felt like it was a good start.

Dorney noticed that Courtney was much quieter than before, and he smirked to himself. He hoped that she had learned her lesson, but then decided that wasn't fair. She hadn't known, and now that she had, she was laying off. He could respect that. He looked at the pile of candy on his desk.

"Heads up!" he called, tossing both a cherry and a lemon at the two this time. One landed in a cup of pens, and Elly fished it out. The cherry one landed on the keyboard. Courtney picked it up and smiled at Ned, who nodded, then turned back to his work.

GParke01: _I really thought you were going to chuck that straight at her._

Dorney chuckled.

NDorneget01: _No, I think she got the point._

GParke01: _I think everyone got the point._

Parke looked over at Ned. Ned smiled softly at him, then looked over at Elly to find him smiling at him. They both went back to their work, trying to pay attention to what they were doing. Only after ten minutes, when the nature of their projects really sank in, did they stop casting glances at each other and focus.

* * *

Tony sat in a chair at the conference table with Vance across from him. It was the first time in a long time that he felt nervous in front of the other man. He had just spent the past half hour explaining what had happened at the club, and subsequently the following day. Everything was out in the open, from Elly and Ned's exposed feelings, to the drug's acceleration of that, the discussion they'd had the next day, and the group scouting mission to Burgundy.

"I'm going to have to hang a rainbow flag on my door that says something like 'straight ally' after this one," Vance said. "You and Gibbs have really opened the closet door, and let _everyone_ out. I had no idea we had such a problem around here that everyone has been so afraid to be discriminated by coworkers, or worse, by management. I thought when DADT was repealed, we might get a few people coming forward or being more open, but it's like the D.C. Pride Parade just marched through my bullpen."

"Eh, I can't see any of us in drag, and what PRIDE parade is complete without drag queens?" Tony said, shaking his head vehemently. Vance surprised Tony with his laughter, and he smiled.

"Anyway," Vance said, turning serious. "There are no actual rules against Senior Field Agents dating subordinates, but it is generally frowned upon. This causes any trouble, and we'll have to shuffle people around, and we've already done enough shuffling in the past few months to deal a new hand."

"Jethro said that he would be fine with having Dorneget move over to his team. Of course, that was before watching him in MTAC earlier. I don't see them playing nicely together in there," Tony said with a grimace.

"I can see what you're saying. They're both suited for the position, but there's only one position to be filled at a time. I have to say that your progress reports of Agent Dorneget's progress weren't doing him justice."

Tony shook his head. "We haven't had a need to let him take the reins like I heard he did earlier. I've been letting him do whatever he's felt comfortable doing, and he's steamrolled me in there before, but only for a couple of minutes at a time. From what I hear, he's off and running. I wish I could have seen him this morning. I'm going to try to get the taping of it when it becomes available tomorrow."

"Do that. I was especially impressed at how easily he handled being on with Colonel Russel. Man makes me want to run home to Jackie sometimes, and your kid took him on like a pro."

"I heard! I also heard that as soon as he told Russel that Ed Stephens was involved, Russel made the world stand still to hear the information."

"That's true. From what I hear, he has a lot indebted to Lieutenant Stephens."

Tony nodded. "That's what I hear as well, but I don't know the official details. Last word was that Ed's fever was out of control. We're probably looking at severe brain damage if he makes it. What's so weird is that the bug did that to _him_ , while Rod is doing so much better. He's not doing great, but he's not on his deathbed."

"Do we have a diagnosis yet?" Vance asked.

"No. We're waiting for a call in MTAC for the update, but an official diagnosis will probably have to wait until they get situated at a bigger hospital."

"They didn't look good," Vance confirmed, "but Agent Dorneget seemed to handle it pretty well. He was obviously distressed for his operatives, but kept a clear head, was compassionate, and he gave safe instructions. The real test is going to be when he works with the team Davidson is leading, getting them infiltrated into the headquarters for the rebel group, and taking them down. Giving those orders is never easy for any of us, but for a first-timer, it's often the breaking point when you're instructing people to take lives."

Tony nodded as he let that roll around in his head a minute. He knew that it was going to be the hardest thing Dorney had been up against so far, and he needed to make sure he was prepared for it. He decided that they needed to talk about it, and soon.

"As far as the case of the drugging," Tony said, changing the subject. "I'm going to make sure that Jethro is read in on the case as often as possible, and I've given him permission to call me out if he thinks we're losing objectivity."

Vance raised an eyebrow at him. "Okay, if that's what you want."

"And when we finally catch the bastard, we're going to go after him for attempted murder of two federal agents. The amount that was in each of the glasses they were given was enough to kill a person. If they hadn't been sharing a glass, they probably wouldn't be here today."

Tony was surprised by how quickly Vance's expression went from being relaxed to vehemently angry.

"That changes things a little," he said.

"I know how much fancy footwork we're going to have to do in order to have the guys investigating their own attempted murders. I'll make sure we wear our dancing shoes."

"Knowing that my agents were drugged, and knowing that someone was trying to kill them, are two different birds," Vance said.

"Not sure yet if the overdose was accidental or intentional," Tony reminded him.

"I don't care. Do what you have to do. Bring him in here."

"Parke has been working on getting the case together while Elly works on the database and Dorneget works on the op. Right now, they don't know that we went to Burgundy. I want them cleared by Ducky first, _head to toe_ , before I let them know about our lead."

"I hear you loud and clear. First thing tomorrow morning, I want them in to see Dr. Mallard, separately, to tell their stories and get checked out. Then, when they're cleared, lay it on them, and bring the bastard in."

"Trust me," Tony said, getting to his feet. "I'm already fantasizing about tearing his head off in interrogation. I may have to have someone in there to keep me from killing him."

"I volunteer for that duty," Vance said. "Just bring him in, and I'll let you rip him apart."

"I've gotten… They're really important to me," Tony said quietly. "I may only have fifteen years on them, but they feel…"

"Like yours?" Vance asked just as quietly, a smile forming on his face as he finally calmed down.

"Yeah," Tony said, smiling back.

"It's funny. I've seen the same thing out of Gibbs towards Ziva, McGee, Abby, and even lately, your agents. Never saw it towards you though." Vance smirked, and Tony chuckled.

"Well, that would be a good thing, because it would be really creepy otherwise."

"I'd think so! At the same time, you've always meant the most to him. I get it now."

Tony wasn't sure of what to say to that, so he simply shrugged.

"Let me know what Rod and Ed's conditions are when you find out," Vance directed, his tone back to that of the boss, not the friend.

"Will do," Tony said, turning to leave the office and escape the awkward conversation, only to realize he was escaping to the bullpen, which had been even more awkward when he'd left it. He watched his team as he approached, and saw that some of the tension between Elly and Dorney had seemed to evaporate into thin air, but now Gleason was being ultra-quiet.

Tony sat at his desk with a glance at each of his agents. He opened his IM with Parke from earlier.

TDiNozzo01: _What happened?_

GParke01: _You missed it! Ned threw a Starburst to Elly, and it bounced off the desk and hit Courtney in the face!_

TDiNozzo01: _Seriously?! Is she okay?_

GParke01: _Yeah! It was awesome! He lofted it to land in front of Elly, but it bounced up, and then Courtney stuck her foot in her mouth, saying the yellow ones are so gross, and Elly went on about how the lemon were his favorites, and how Ned knows that, and blah blah blah, and next thing you know, they're talking about Ned's snoring, and Elly sleeping on the couch._

TDiNozzo01: _Oh! So Elly was mad because Ned made him go sleep on the couch when he was snoring? Wait. No, that doesn't make any sense._

GParke01: _Yeah, I don't think it had anything to do with that. This was more like a peace offering of sorts. Gleason's been all down about it though. I think she was like, really into Elly._

TDiNozzo01: _Yeah, it's rough when you find out the person you're interested in isn't even interested in the same gender as you._

GParke01: _Luckily, I've never had that problem._

TDiNozzo01: _I have. It sucks. We'll leave it at that._

GParke01: _Yeah, that sounds like the kind of conversation you have with a beer in your hand. Speaking of which, are we going to tell them yet about our fieldtrip to Burgundy?_

TDiNozzo01: _Tomorrow. They have to get checked out before they're going to be allowed in the field again, and if we tell them now, they'll want to jump up and go. What have you found?_

GParke01: _The guy's kind of weird. He's not really into the scene, he's not a particularly good businessman, and from what I'm seeing on his social media, his taste in music kinda sucks, and it's nothing like what they play at the club. He was definitely going into the business for the money, and then the building, as we know had a lot of problems._

TDiNozzo01: _How's his finances?_

GParke01: _The club is barely breaking even. One bad weekend is going to start the descent into the hole. He'd do better if he changed the type of clients he wanted to attract. A change in music style to a more jazz-like scene would probably fix it for him, but he'd have to do a total advertising changeover, and reengineer the business._

TDiNozzo01: _You've been reading message boards, haven't you?_

GParke01: _Maybe. And I might agree with them._

Tony chuckled lightly.

TDiNozzo01: _How are his non-business finances?_

GParke01: _He's not made any unusual purchases. No plane tickets, no train or bus tickets, no hotel purchases, no major withdrawals. However, he has a steady stream of money coming in as deposits, but without a warrant I can't get to where they're coming from. It's about $2,500 a month, and it's not related to Burgundy directly. I'm wondering if they could be some kind of advertising kickback that he's funneling through to keep the IRS off his tail._

Tony stopped to consider that, raising an eyebrow.

GParke01: _Or we could go really sneaky, and say it's hush money of some sort._

TDiNozzo01: _That wouldn't be the smallest hush money deposit I've seen, but what would he be keeping secret? You said he was a little off? Would he have the balls to blackmail someone?_

GParke01: _I doubt it, but then again, I would've doubted that he'd have had the guts to poison our guys if I hadn't seen his reaction the other night. I'd like to send the photo to the Synthinity staff to find out if any of them saw him there that night, but if it ends up not being him, I'm concerned about them spreading the word that he's a suspect, and the defamation of character issue._

TDiNozzo01 _: I'll bring it up with Christopher tomorrow when I call him, but only him. Can you send me the guy's info?_

GParke01: _Harry Slight is in flight to your inbox!_

Tony rolled his eyes, and suddenly Dorney's phone rang, making everyone jump.

"Yeesh! That's loud!" Tony said.

"Sorry, was cleaning it earlier, and must have hit the volume button," Dorney said sheepishly. "Dorneget," he answered. "Yeah, we're on the way." He got up, and Tony joined him.

"They ready to update us?" Tony asked, coming around his desk, meeting Dorney in the middle of the bullpen before walking towards the steps with him.

"Yeah."

They were at the stairs before Tony decided to break down and ask, "How did things go with Evelyn earlier?" He watched the smile break out on Dorney's face.

"It went pretty good. She seemed to be really grateful to have someone to talk to. Can you tell Gibbs I said thanks for suggesting it for me?"

Tony smiled. "Sure, unless you get the chance to tell him yourself first." Dorney nodded apprehensively, and Tony wanted to give him a hard time, but they were at the MTAC door, and with what they were about to do, he decided it was best to let it go.

They scanned in, heading into the dark room to find Colonel Russel on the screen.

"Agent Dorneget," he greeted.

"Colonel Russel. I'm joined by Supervisory Special Agent Tony DiNozzo."

"Agent DiNozzo," Russel greeted with a nod. "We just got Lieutenant Stephens and Agent Garnier in the air. They're on their way to Germany. We simply don't have anything closer that can really get into this thing and pick it apart. Our initial blood workup here is showing that there are various things in Stephen's system, and it's highly probable that they were both hit with a weaponized version of pneumonia or tuberculosis."

"I need for you to expand on the multiple things in Ed's system, Colonel," Ned said calmly but firmly, pulling a pen and notebook from the inside of his jacket pocket.

Tony saw the way that Russel didn't bat an eye at the way Ned spoke to him, and that made him raise an eyebrow at Ned. He really couldn't wait to get his hands on that morning's recording.

"He has multiple cells coming up on the slides that appear to be pneumonia, another unidentified bacterium, and specifically, meningitis. The meningitis cells are the most substantial. My fear is that he'd been infected sometime over the past month and didn't know it. That would've meant his immune system has been working triple-time to keep it down, hence why he succumbed so quickly to the dosing."

"Was Rod tested for meningitis?" Ned asked, looking up at the screen from his notes.

"His bloodwork doesn't show any so far, but we've taken cultures and will watch them."

"What about the clothing that they were wearing?" Ned pressed. "Were you able to get any of the infectious material off of them?"

Russel nodded. "We did manage to get some, but not much. They had scrubbed as hard as possible with the water, and that means the breakdown is compromised. As of what we've unraveled so far, we're looking at a clear, almost gel-like substance, and though this is highly speculative at the moment, we were smelling something sweet on both men. The substance may be made with a sugary base."

Tony looked at the screen, about to say something, when Ned beat him to it.

"You're thinking that the material the terrorists are developing is meant to be distributed on some kind of food product or in a drink?"

"Very well could be," Russel said grimly. "Like I said though, that is still highly speculative. We're still breaking down the substance we pulled from inside the hem of Ed's sleeve. It was the most viable trace, and it definitely smelled sweet."

"Must be strong if you were able to smell it through the suits," Tony said, looking confused.

"Scent is a very important indicator of how a poison travels. We have a chamber that we use to place a material in that can trap gasses, test it for any kind of contaminant, and then it is released," Russel explained, surprisingly calm. "If they have this crap broken down to the point that they have been able to already start assembling it in the form it will be distributed in, we're going to have to move soon."

"When you left Davidson's team, did they indicate what their next plans were?" Ned asked.

"There wasn't time for pleasantries, but Davidson did tell me that they were moving out as soon as they could scrub down. I imagine they'll be receiving their orders shortly."

"We'll be in touch as soon as we know the building is ready for decontamination," Ned said, surprising himself as he sounded so authoritative. What surprised him even more was how well Colonel Russel simply accepted it.

"If I find out anything from our cultures that can help those two, I'll try to conference you when we patch through to Landstuhl."

"We'd appreciate that. Do you have an ETA for them?" Ned had his pen poised over his notebook, eagerly waiting.

"They just left twenty minutes ago. They probably won't be there and checked in until midnight your time."

"Thank you, sir. If I happen to hear anything first, I'll let you know right away," Ned said.

"Thank you. Let me know what you need. This is our highest threat level right now."

"I will. Thank you, Colonel," Ned said, and with a nod from the man on the other side of the screen, it went blank.

Tony turned to Dorney, raising an eyebrow at him. "You ready to handle Davidson's group? The four of them have been told to follow our direction. That means they're in our care."

Dorney nodded as he sighed. "Yeah. I'd like to see where they're at and what their plans are."

Evelyn switched the screen before the order was even given, and a spinning circle was up, the sign that connection was pending. It only took a minute before an unfamiliar face came on the screen.

"This is Diaz. Sarge is driving, so you got me."

"Nice to unofficially meet you," Tony greeted cheerily to match the demeanor of the man on the screen. "Agents Tony DiNozzo and Ned Dorneget." Tony gestured towards Dorney as he introduced him.

"Ahh! You're the guy that stayed with Rod and Ed earlier!" Diaz said with a grin and approving nod. "He told us a little about your conversation."

Ned turned pink, grateful that the dark room most likely hid it well. "Was he able to tell you where to leave off on their investigation into _[The Yellow Triangle]_?"

"Yes. It's almost like starting fresh though. He told us that they weren't ready for what they found, and that they have no idea when their informants might have gotten involved in the process. For all they know, the information they were given could have been tainted or plants. He wanted you two to know that. Said that you have people on US soil that could be in danger if the info was bad, and that if I got the chance, I was to twist some guy's balls named Rahllan for verification."

Tony nodded. He didn't like the sound of that.

"Dina Ta'anari," Ned said. "She's who to ask about. She's the main contract out of a three person hit."

"Dina Ta'anari," Diaz repeated. "Got it. Other than that, we're heading out to the village right now. It's late enough that if we tread softly, we can sneak in and be in place by morning for surveillance. As for tonight, infrared and night vision will help us get a handle on how many people we're up against. After that, we're going to try to find some information on the tenants from the villagers. Talk of yesterday's shoot out will probably be good gossip. We can help spread the word that they were planning on checking into what they thought was a hotel for the night, and that they ended up ill. We're really hoping that the villagers will take the hint and vacate before we have to come in and do any damage. Those that have been down this road before most likely will get the hint and hit the sand."

"What actions are you prepared to take?" Tony asked.

"Whatever you folks tell us to do. I'm suspecting that once we get a head count, a better handle on the situation, and hopefully the layout of the building, we'll be able to infiltrate and do a tactical take over. We've brought the big truck, and we're prepared to take prisoners for questioning. However, if there are signs of illness within the compound that a gas mask can't protect us from, we will not be infiltrating. With Rod and the Lieutenant being exposed via liquid contaminant yesterday, we're afraid that will most likely be the case. We'll have to resort to alternative measures."

"Such as?" Dorney asked.

"That's for you folks to decide, and us to carry out." Ned nodded slowly and looked at Tony, and Tony kept his expression as still as possible, looking up to the screen with a nod.

"Let's report back at 1800 hours your time tomorrow, and we'll see what you've found out. Until then, stay safe and cover your asses." Tony's voice was sure, but he suddenly felt anything but.

"That's the plan, sir!" Diaz said. "1800 tomorrow."

The screen went dark, and Tony turned to Ned. He sighed and motioned towards the auditorium seating, choosing one at random to sit in. Ned sat next to him, looking over at him.

"When you picture this alternative action, what are you seeing?" Tony asked quietly.

"I have a lot of things running through my head. I see the tank from the story you've told me running through the place, and I see it being incinerated like the hut from the original op in March. There's a number of things."

Tony nodded. "And when the time comes, and you have to tell Davidson's team to follow through, most likely taking the lives of everyone in that building, putting _their_ lives in jeopardy to do so, are you going to be able to?" Tony's eyes met the shining reflection that was Ned's, and saw the sadness that suddenly filled them.

"Yeah. And I'll admit, that scares me."

Tony saw the resignation in Ned's eyes, and he ached, but he was also proud of him.

"You need to think about this tonight. You need to decide if you're going to be able to give that order tomorrow without hesitance, without giving them a reason to doubt you, without letting your expression show that you're uneasy about it. You may be hesitant because of your own inclination not to let a life be lost, but what they are going to think is that you're hesitating because you don't trust the plan. That _cannot_ happen.

"It's okay if you're not ready for that yet. No one is expecting you to be. You're made to be in here- no one will ever deny that. All we need to decide is whether or not you're giving the orders tomorrow, or if I am. One way or the other, we'll both be here. Think about it tonight, and tomorrow morning, we'll talk again before we come back in here."

Ned nodded, feeling dazed suddenly. He hadn't really thought about it as an option, and now that he had been given one, he was feeling the full weight of what he was going to be asked to do.

"It's getting to be that time," Tony said softly. "Go home. Do what you have to do to clear your head, and focus on this decision. It's not a light one, and it will be especially rough for you. No one is going to think less of your abilities no matter what you decide."

Ned got to his feet, nodded at Tony, and slowly headed for the door. Once he got through to the other side, he stopped, unsure of what to do. He took the few steps to the balcony railing and looked over at the people below him. His eyes settled on Elly as he talked to Courtney about the project, a little of his animation and excitement returning. Ned smiled, blinking slowly as he watched him. He really wanted to talk to him, but Tony was right. He needed to clear his head of everything and focus on this decision.

He made his way to his desk, and gathered his things.

"Heading home?" Parke asked. Elly and Courtney stopped to hear his response.

"Yeah. Got a big day up there tomorrow, and I need some sleep." He made eye contact with Elly as he went past his desk. "Goodnight," he said with a smile.

"Goodnight," Elly replied, watching him leave.

Elly leaned back with a sigh and considered the exchange. They hadn't said anything to one another all day to clarify where they stood, and Ned's unexplainable burst of anger that morning had him baffled. The jealousy he'd shown towards Courtney made it even more confusing. He decided to try to text him later and figure out what he could.

* * *

Jethro came back from his meeting with Keith, and found his team trudging through cold cases. Tony was coming down the stairs from MTAC, and he smiled over the banister at him. About ten minutes later, both of their teams were racing for the elevator doors. Tony and Jethro opted for the stairwell door without bothering to consult one another first.

"Goodnight, guys," Tony said over his shoulder as they left the group standing and waiting for the lift. "We need to stop and see Ducky," he added, turning to Jethro.

"Okay?"

"Need to set up appointments for checkups on Parke and Critten tomorrow morning. They can't go after their attempted murderer without them. Need to make sure there is nothing in the world that can keep this from sticking." Tony yawned as they made their way down the stairs, and pushed open the door.

"Been a hell of a day," Jethro said, taking in how tired Tony looked.

"You can say that again. I want to hear all about it, but when we're home and in comfortable clothes, with something in Styrofoam containers to eat."

"I can make that happen," Jethro said, reaching up for Tony's neck and squeezing it gently as they walked into autopsy.

"Awesome," Tony said. "Hey Duckman."

Ducky was sitting at his computer, reading over an email when he heard them enter. He turned around to face them, trying to give them a smile.

"Hey Duck," Jethro said, taking in the lethargic movements of his friend, and the forced smile.

"Anthony! Jethro! What can I do for you?"

"Just need to make sure you're clear tomorrow morning for field evals for my guys. They seem to be doing fine physically today, but I'm not quite sure about mentally, so I want to make sure they get seen." Tony also noticed the strange behavior and stopped to watch Ducky's reaction closely.

"Yes, that shouldn't be a problem. First thing in the morning is probably best, while Mr. Palmer has meetings at school about his dissertation."

Tony nodded. "That works out perfectly for us."

"You okay, Duck?" Jethro asked, cutting to the point.

"Ah, yes. I will be. I'm simply dealing with the fallout from a decision." When both men simply stared at him, he sighed. "I have decided to stop seeing Candace."

"Why?!" Tony blurted out.

"Yeah. What he said," Jethro said, moving to pull up a stool next to Ducky.

"We'd had a discussion recently about what we wanted to do when we retired. Candace has dreams of travelling the world, while I want to stay here with my family, spending time with them, working until I no longer am able to do so in at least some capacity. It's not fair to her to continue keeping her from getting started on those dreams. I'm afraid I hurt her feelings badly, and that's not what I wanted to do at all. I feel dreadful."

"You dumped her," Tony said, grabbing a second stool and sitting across from Ducky. "I hate to say it, but I'm _kind of_ the expert on dumping women. How did you do it?"

"Methodology, or how did I say it?"

"Both."

"Over the telephone last night. I told her that I had been thinking about our conversation, but that I really had no intentions on retiring anytime soon, and that she might want to look for someone who wanted the same future she does. We don't have all that much longer to make these decisions, and the lifetime they affect is much shorter than it used to be." Ducky sighed heavily.

"You basically told her to go find someone who wanted what she wants because you don't. That could be a lot worse, and knowing you, you would have said it nicely, but you could've gotten bonus points for doing it in person," Tony said with a grimace at the end.

"You're right though," Jethro said. "And it sounds like you genuinely care about her and want her happiness."

"That's the problem- I do, and right now, she's anything _but_ happy I'm afraid."

"That will pass," Tony said. "And there's no reason the two of you can't stay friends. It doesn't sound like you botched it up that badly." Tony saw the raised eyebrow from Jethro and tossed his hands up. "What? It's true! Break ups suck, but sometimes they need to happen. There's no good way to end a relationship. It's rarely a good experience for anyone involved, because to some degree, you give a damn about the person. If you want to stay friends, check up on her tomorrow. Maybe an email. That will give her a chance to ignore you for as long as she wants, and if she wants to make contact with you, she can. Just one email, and whatever the reply is, take it."

Ducky sighed. "I may. For now, I'm going to go home, pour a glass, and play something to soothe the soul."

All three men got up from their perches, Tony and Jethro moving their stools back towards the tables. "We're heading home to pretty much do the same, I think," Tony said. "Have a better night, Ducky."

"Thank you both. You do the same."

As Tony and Jethro made a break for the garage, Jethro pulled out his phone.

"I got the Chinese. Want dumplings?" he asked.

"Yeah, that sounds good. See you at home," Tony said, getting into his car.

He made his way to the house, his mind racing with everything that had happened that day, and he couldn't seem to focus on any one thing. It all flew by so quickly. He pulled up to the house thinking about Dorney in MTAC. On the way into the house, he thought about Scott, and Parke's addition to his interrogation. By the time he trudged slowly to the bedroom and stripped out of his clothes, he was thinking about Ed and Rod.

He jumped in the shower, suddenly overcome by the willies, and rinsed off the day. Before he could get out, he was thinking about Elly and Ned, and what Parke had said was going down in the bullpen in his absence. He laughed aloud as he imagined Gleason's expression when the Starburst hit her, and the response he got startled him.

"What's so funny?" Jethro asked, already home with the food. He'd been standing in the bathroom doorway, waiting for Tony to finish in the shower so he could get in next. He thought wistfully about how lucky Tony was to be able to turn off his awareness enough that he didn't realize he was there. He also considered getting under the water with him, but as tempting as that sounded, he was starving, having skipped lunch and breakfast.

Tony shook his head as he rinsed off the last of the soap and opened the curtain.

"Dorney and Elly must be fighting or something. Tensions were high in the bullpen today. Then Gleason comes in, and you know how that's going. Well Dorney got jealous, and he decided to do the equivalent of throwing pebbles at the window. He threw candy at Elly's desk, only he missed and hit Gleason in the face. I didn't see it, but when I got back to my desk, Parke was IMing me all of the details. They really are kids."

"No wonder you get along so well," Jethro said with a shit-eating grin, moving past Tony, dropping a quick kiss on his lips. Tony narrowed his eyes, twisting his mouth in a rueful smile. He turned and smacked Jethro across the ass, and the older man laughed.

Tony left him to go throw some clothes on, and Jethro let the water run over him, taking the frustration of the day with it. He took a deep breath and reminded himself that he was home with Tony, and the rest of the world could go away now. Keith, Scott, Chris, Evelyn, their teams, even Ducky all went to the furthest corners of his mind, and Tony took front and center. He was so proud of him, and so grateful for him, but most of all, he was so happy to be with him.

He got out of the shower and dried off quickly, suddenly wanting nothing more than to be sitting with Tony on the couch, going over the day together, talking wedding plans, and eating dinner. When he made it downstairs, Tony was sitting on the couch with a couple of beers on the table, and open take-out in front of him. They smiled at each other, and Jethro collapsed backwards onto the couch with a sigh.

"You can say that again," Tony said under his breath before he loaded a piece of chicken into his mouth.

"Today was unreal."

Tony nodded, picking up his beer to wash down his chicken.

"I'm sitting here," Tony said after he swallowed, "trying to think about all of the things that happened today, and it's overwhelming. Spent an hour and a half in a traffic jam from hell, came in to find out that Dorney had been Super Agent in MTAC, that Ed and Rod are infected, that Scott and Chris both want us all dead, that Scott was abused as a kid, that Evelyn is outing herself for us, that _Daniels_ is outing himself because of this crap- that one really surprised me." He shook his head slowly and sighed. "And Vance and I talked about this weekend. He said there's no rules that would require Dorney and Elly to change teams, but if he sees it being a problem, he's going to ship Dorney off to your side of the bullpen."

"That's going to be interesting," Jethro said with a shrug.

"Yeah," Tony said. "Especially since they've been together three days and are already arguing so bad that it's obvious in the bullpen. As soon as we make it through this op, I'm going to have to talk to them. Too much was happening today to stick my nose in it."

"I'm worried about Ducky," Jethro admitted, leaning forward finally for his food. Tony looked over at him.

"Yeah. Me, too."

"They'd really hit it off. Sounds like he made the right decision, but it still isn't pretty."

Tony nodded. "He cares a lot about her. It's obvious. Sometimes that kind of care means letting someone go so they can be happy elsewhere. I just hope she doesn't stalk him or anything creepy like that."

"She's not your ex-flings," Jethro said with a chuckle.

"God! I hope none of them are stalking me anymore. I'm done with that. I can't do it anymore. It's bad enough we have contract killers after people we care about. I don't need people from my past doing it too. That reminds me, we got word today that our intel on said contract killers may be tainted. It came from informants that have ties to The Yellow Triangle."

"Damn it," Jethro said, stabbing a piece of beef with his chopstick. He suddenly flashed to the moment where he was in the meeting earlier and said something about how he still has people trying to kill him on a regular basis. He smiled and chuckled, considering how Tony must have been wearing off on him if he said something like that.

"What's funny?" Tony asked.

"Just something from the meeting today. I brought up…" Jethro shook his head, not sure how to progress into the situation without betraying anyone's confidence in the group, and expressing his worries. He shrugged. This was his Tony after all. There wasn't anything he couldn't tell him.

"During the meeting, someone brought up a grounding technique, and someone else said they use it to help with their hyper-vigilance. I told them that I _still_ have people trying to kill me all the time, so I'm not planning on letting it go anytime soon, but that if we adopt, I may need to, otherwise I'll end up taking out our daughter's boyfriend one day when they're sneaking around."

Tony raised an eyebrow further and further with each part of that statement. "If you don't take him out, I'm planning on it! And who says our daughter will go sneaking around?"

"Come on, Tony. She's going to be _ours._ If she's anything like either of us, she's going to sneak around," Jethro smirked and rammed his shoulder into Tony's arm playfully. Tony chuckled.

"Our daughter. That still sounds so awesome. We should start looking into information on what this will take. We only seem to want it more and more. I have a feeling we're going to move forward the morning after the wedding!" Tony snickered, and Jethro grinned from ear to ear as he ate.

"We could probably do that, as long as we do it quietly. I propose that we don't do any research at work."

"Good call," Tony agreed. They sat in silence for a while, letting their thoughts turn over in their heads again and again. When they finished eating, Jethro cleared the coffee table, and took the empty bottles.

"You want another?" he asked.

Tony shook his head no. "Thanks, but I'm good." Jethro nodded his understanding.

A minute later, he was on the couch with Tony, who reached for his hand, entwining their fingers as he wiggled into a comfortable position against him. He smiled, taking in the moment, enjoying being with Tony in the silence. His thoughts wandered back to his revelation earlier that when he was around Tony, he was able to relax for the first time since he came home to bury Shannon and Kelly.

"I'm not hyper-vigilant around you," he said quietly.

"What?" Tony asked just as quietly, not sure he'd heard him correctly.

"The one thing I've never been able to shake is the hyper-vigilance. I may not have flashbacks anymore, but I'm constantly aware of everything around me, and I feel the physical ramifications of that. But around you… I don't feel like that. I don't feel like something is hiding in the shadows. I can… let go. Relax."

His voice came out so quietly that Tony was straining to hear him. The soft words hit Tony like bricks, and he carried their weight gladly for Jethro. He'd figured out early on that Jethro was calmer around him, more relaxed, but he had never realized why he was wound up to begin with.

"I'm really honored that I can do that for you," he said gently, awestruck.

Jethro wrapped his arms around the younger man against him, holding him close to him. He breathed Tony in and smiled. He was a survivor, and he knew that he could probably get through anything life threw at him, but with Tony next to him, he would get through it happily, enjoying the ride.

* * *

Tuesday morning, Elly was waiting in the bullpen, determined to corner Ned when he saw him. He'd tried texting him and calling him the night before, but everything went unanswered, the calls going straight to voicemail. He'd barely slept, and he was feeling high strung. He tried to remember to approach the discussion with that in mind, reminding himself to calm down over and over again.

He sat behind his desk, arms crossed, reading some research on Existence. The dreams he'd had when he did manage to sleep the night before were vivid, and he couldn't believe that the two of them could have been like that one day, and yet have days like yesterday. He sighed and waited.

Meanwhile, Ned was sitting in the parking garage, trying his damnedest to get up the courage to go inside. He'd gone home the night before trying to think about whether or not he was ready to give the orders he would need to in MTAC. He'd been sitting on the couch, lost in thought, when an email came through to his phone from his brother. It was a reply to his "get lost" email he'd sent a couple of weeks prior. He knew he couldn't deal with it right then. He had much bigger things to worry about.

He desperately tried to concentrate on Tony's question and the tactical he was sketching out in a notebook, but knowing that email was there, the little green light blinking at him every minute to remind him, was driving him up the wall. He reached for the phone and turned it off, flipping it over to sit face down on the coffee table. He got up, took his notebook and his soda to the kitchen counter, and pulled out a stool to think and work.

He went to bed with a decision made that he needed to be the one to give the orders. Of that much, he was sure. He fell to sleep surprisingly easy, despite how much was on his mind. He was so worn out by the day that deep sleep came quickly, and that meant the dreams did too. There wasn't a minute of the night at the club that he didn't remember vividly anymore.

Now, he was staring at the string of texts he'd read once he got up that morning. They were from Elly, and each one conveyed a desperate interest to talk about what was going on between them. Ned was eager to do just that, and he'd come in early to try to make that happen.

The idea of seeing Elly had him on fire from head to toe though. His dreams, his memories, came flooding back to him, and he was embarrassed as well as aroused. Making out with Elly while everyone was around, having him on the floor behind the DJ tables, palming him through his jeans while Christopher stood right there, Tony on the other end of the phone… It wasn't like him at all. That just made it even more arousing. He made a decision that it was definitely going to be more like him in the future.

He'd never gotten off at work, or even considered it, but he was afraid if he went up to the bullpen without relieving some of the tension, he'd be a tent all morning. He contemplated if he was in a private enough place to get away with it, and decided he wasn't. He got out of the car, slipped his jacket off as casually as he could and draped it over his arm. He took the door to the stairs, knowing that with his luck, he'd get on the elevator and a swarm of people would get on with him before he got to the bathroom.

When he opened the door, he immediately noticed the utility closet. He hesitated a second, and then went to the door and cautiously opened it. As soon as he found it was empty, he slipped inside and quickly pushed the door closed behind him. He searched the ceiling for any kind of camera, and was glad when he didn't find one. He noticed the roll of brown paper towels that, unbeknownst to him, Tony and Jethro had used the other day to clean up with. He grabbed a large wad of them, and leaned against the door, making sure to keep anyone who may try to open it from doing so.

He unbuckled his pants, fumbling through it, suddenly frantic as the memories swam through his head. He couldn't believe he was doing this, especially in a filthy janitor's closet, but he fisted himself as he thought of Elly tripping and landing on him, kissing him and grinding down onto him. It didn't take more than two minutes for the tension to explode behind his eyes into a blinding surge of orgasm. He gasped for breath, trying hard to stay on his feet as the door held most of his weight.

The paper towels in his hand were soaked through, and he realized he didn't have any hand sanitizer. He grimaced, wrapped more paper towels around the ones in his hands, and stuck them deep in a trash can. He made sure he was dressed, and started looking at the different bottles of cleanser on a cart in the room. One was clear, and he used a paper towel in his hand to spray it, testing his theory. He was happy to find it was vinegar and water, and sprayed his hands down. Some more paper towels were added to the trash, and he sighed, gathering himself.

He felt infinitely better, and much more relaxed. He also had a strange surge of confidence. Today was going to go right. Elly was ready to talk to him, he now knew how the other man saw him, having remembered everything from the club finally, and he was ready for MTAC. He nodded to himself, and opened the door, taking the stairs to the bullpen. He stopped by the bathroom to wash his hands properly, and looked in the mirror, glad to see that he wasn't still flushed from his release.

Whistling, he headed for his desk. He was greeted by Tony and Elly, noticing that Elly was looking at him with an expression he figured matched the one he had shot him the morning before. A tiny voice inside said that now he knew how he had felt, and the bigger voice within beat it down with a hammer.

"Morning Dorneget," Tony said with a smile. "I was just telling Elly that the two of you are scheduled to go see Ducky this morning for checkups from this weekend, and then this afternoon, once we have the op lined up, we'll go after the bastard that slipped you two the Existence. Parke has more information for us."

"You have a lead?" Elly asked, looking confused and pissed.

"We think so. Why don't you go see Ducky first, since I'm more worried about your lungs. That will give Dorney and I a chance to go over what we have to go over, and hopefully he can squeeze his time in before we're needed upstairs."

Tony tried to keep his tone light. He hadn't thought about the chance that Elly and Ned would be hurt or angry that they hadn't included them on what they'd been doing so far. He hoped that once he explained, Elly would understand.

Ned watched Elly as he rolled his eyes and pushed his chair back. _There goes my chance to talk to him this morning,_ he thought with a sigh and sat down at his desk. He pulled out his phone, a sudden idea coming to him.

_Lunch?_

He waited for a minute for his computer to boot up, hoping he'd get a text back, but nothing came. He stared at the phone, a twinge of dread running through him. He picked the phone back up.

_Had my phone off last night. Had to work on stuff for the op. Today's going to be rough. Hope we get a chance to talk._

Tony's voice drew his attention away from his phone.

"You want to take this upstairs?" he asked.

"Yeah," Ned said, nodding. "Let me get a few things."

He got into his backpack and pulled out the notebook he had been working with the night before. Two folders and another notebook from his filing cabinet went with him, and his favorite pen and a pencil. When he stepped out from behind his desk, Tony raised an eyebrow at him.

"The mountain has shrunk," he commented. Ned rolled his eyes, a shy smile forming across his lips and blood rushing up his cheeks.

"We're down to specifics now," he said with a shrug as he and Tony headed up towards the conference room.

On the way up the stairs, Tony looked over the balcony to find Jethro looking up at him. They both smiled at each other, and Tony winked. Jethro chuckled and shook his head as he turned back to his work.

Tony led the way into the room, and they pulled out chairs. Ned flipped open his notebook to the plans he'd laid out last night. Tony watched him closely, noticing that though he had some of his MTAC confidence, he was also nervous.

"You decided?" Tony asked.

"As long as I understand the plan inside and out, I won't have any problems," he said. "I've come up with every possible deviant I can think of, and if something goes wrong, we can use one of those for a fall back plan, and if something changes and gets off course, at least I've done enough research that I can guide us back on path, or find resources to move forward. I got this."

Tony stared at him a long minute.

"What?" Ned finally asked.

"You just look nervous," Tony said. Ned sighed.

"It's not really the op," he admitted. He didn't want to talk to Tony about this before he talked to Elly, but if Tony was going to doubt his abilities because of it, at least he knew he could tell him it in confidence. "It's Elly."

"Oh?" Tony said nonchalantly, trying not to push too hard, but eager for details.

"We still haven't talked since he left your house the other morning."

"What?!" Tony exclaimed, sitting forward in shock.

"Other than a few things here in the bullpen, no. He didn't call this weekend. All I got were a couple of texts that said, 'Goodnight', and then yesterday, when I came in, I was pissed, and then MTAC happened, and then Gleason was here, and we joked some about Starbursts, and sleeping on the couch, and my snoring…"

"Wait. He was sleeping on your couch?" Tony asked, trying to sound innocently concerned instead of nosy.

"We've been hanging out for weeks, but it wasn't _this_ yet. I didn't realize he's gay, or bi, or whatever he is, which is something _else_ I don't know because we haven't really been able to talk. I turned off my phone last night to concentrate on this and hide my from my brother, and when I woke up this morning, I had a stack of texts from him finally. I realized yesterday afternoon that things seemed positive on his end, and that something must have prevented him from talking to me this weekend. I felt stupid for being so mad, but ya know how it is when someone doesn't call that says they will. I was planning on talking to him this morning, but things started moving, and here we are. I text him right as he left the bullpen to see if he wants to get some lunch later, and I haven't heard back from him." Ned let a deep breath out, slouching back in his chair.

"I don't have too much experience in the not being called area. In fact, I'm probably the jackass most people were mad at for not calling, but I can see where you'd be pissed. He's probably pissed now for the same reasons. Just take it slowly, and maybe when we're finished in MTAC this morning, I'll send the two of you on a coffee run or something."

"That would be awesome!" Ned said, sitting up with a smile.

"Now tell me what you've got planned," Tony said, leaning forward to look at the notebook.

The two went over Ned's plans for the next half an hour, and decided on which ones had the best chances of destroying as much of the contaminant as possible and keeping the villagers from being affected. Tony was impressed that Ned had figured out a way to minimize casualties on all sides. He hadn't thought it would be possible, but he knew now not to underestimate the younger man's personal conviction. Ned had an aerial overview map of the compound, and he had a designated spot on each side for the team to launch their offensive, and again Tony thought of him standing over a full table map, moving pushpins and plastic tokens.

"I was thinking, the next time Jethro and McGee end up going to Afghanistan, I'm having them take you with them. Or Iraq, or wherever. It would probably do you some good to see the area, really experience being there."

"When _they_ go? Why wouldn't _we_ go?"

"I'm not comfortable there," Tony said honestly. "I'm fine in Israel, Europe, Russia, but Iraq? Afghanistan? Not my idea of a good time. I went to Somalia, as you guys know, and it was a nightmare. The environment is pretty much the same, the politics are just as screwy, but we had to get Ziva back. I think Jethro never took me to Iraq and Afghanistan keep me safe. I don't think my personality would serve anyone well in the region."

Ned nodded. "You think I'd be safe there?"

"Kid, no one is safe there."

* * *

Twenty minutes later, the two had rejoined everyone in the bullpen. Tony was debating whether or not to send Elly and Ned on a coffee run, or try to get Ned's checkup squeezed in before they were due in MTAC in half hour. He was about to send them off on their coffee run when suddenly Jethro stood up.

"Leyla! Talk to me!" he barked, grabbing his gun. "Tony! It's Leyla!"

Tony jumped up, turning to look to see what was happening and found Jethro running for the elevator. He grabbed his gun and badge, Tim and Ziva already on Jethro's heels. Parke, Elly and Ned did the same, intent on running after them.

"Jethro! Talk to me!" Tony shouted. Tim was on his phone, trying to get Abby as they ran down the stairs, and the cacophony of voices bouncing off the walls was overwhelming.

Suddenly Jethro's phone was on speaker, and Ziva was translating a man's voice on the other end. "Um, What did you do with them? Where are they?" she relayed.

Everyone winced as they heard Leyla scream and start sobbing. There was a loud crash, and the phone obviously had tumbled to the floor on the other end of the line.

"Keep her safe!" Leyla screamed. "Keep her safe!" There was more shouting on the other end of the phone as they ran towards the car. Tony, Jethro and Ziva all huddled together as they moved so they could hear the conversation on the other end of the line.

"Boss! She's at her house!" Tim shouted. Tony turned and grabbed Jethro's arm.

"I'll get Amira, you get Leyla." Jethro nodded, unable to do much else. "Where would she be?"

"School. She's in preschool at Walden."

"I got her," Tony said, turning to run to the car. He stopped when he saw his team. "Dorneget! I need you to stay here and run the op."

"Wait. What?"

"Go! I'll update you when we can!"

Ned stepped back, and Parke tossed Tony the keys to the team's Charger. Elly and Parke got in, and within seconds, both Jethro's team and Tony's team were gone, leaving Ned alone in the parking lot.


	32. Chapter 32

Ned walked back into the building in a daze. He'd told Tony that he'd wanted to be a field agent for as long as possible, that he wasn't ready to be in that room forever, and yet here he was being denied the chance to have his team's back in the field because he had to work an op. His stomach flipped as he realized who Amira must be.

"They're her godfathers," he whispered to himself, putting the pieces together. That weekend, when having dinner, they had told him who Leyla was, and that they were the godfathers of her daughter. He felt even more left out as he thought about how Tony was going to get her, and how he couldn't help. Then it hit him- he could.

He took off running for the building, up the stairs, across the bullpen and to Vance's office. He knocked on the door and stuck his head in without waiting for an answer, swallowing hard in fear.

"Agent Dorneget?" Vance said from behind his desk. "Come on in."

"We've got a problem, sir," Ned started, catching his breath.

Vance got up from behind his desk. "What's wrong?"

"Agent Gibbs just got a phone call from his friend Leyla, the one that has been helping Dina Ta'anari and her friends. Someone is at her house, attacking her and trying to get information."

"Did you say someone is attacking Leyla?"

"Yes sir," Ned said, swallowing again.

Vance's head turned sharply to look at the door. He instinctively reached for a toothpick, and remembered they weren't there per dentist's orders. He shook his head. "Why are you the one telling me this?"

"Because Agent Gibbs' team and our team just left. They went to get Leyla and Amira, but sir, it didn't sound good. I think Leyla's in serious trouble. Tony told me to stay behind to run the op, and I'm due in there in a few minutes, but if our guys on the ground can get the information we need about the disbursement of the germ, maybe we could do something like a trade off for someone from their group for the Qureshis' agreement to call off the assassins, or better yet, if we can get the information about the current location of the Qureshis that are still trying to find Dina, maybe we can end this once and for all."

"I like the second idea a lot better. Do you have a plan?"

"Actually, I think I do. I don't know if our squadron of four is going to be enough to handle it after being up twenty-four hours straight though."

"Nice of you to be concerned, but that's what they do. Let's go. Walk and talk." Vance headed for the door and Ned followed behind him.

"Tony and I had talked this morning about the best course of action being to teargas the building from all sides, and when the inhabitants of the compound run, we have a team there to detain a couple of them, and then take out the rest. Ten minutes after the teargas, we throw Molotovs or another incinerate in there, and set the place to burn, along with anyone who's managed to hide from the gas.

"The problem is, we don't know the identities of anyone in that building. If we have an informant or undercover in there, we can't just take the building out the way we did in March. As soon as we decided to take this route, I put a warning out to the other agencies that could possibly be in that position with an emergency pull order, and I've asked for a simple yes or no response if they have anyone we need to be careful with. So far, I've gotten no's from everyone but the CIA, and I have my contact there searching the books to make sure."

"You've got a contact in the CIA?" Vance asked as the retina scanner ran his iris.

"Yes, but that doesn't matter. The likelihood at this point is nil. If I get that confirmation, we can set the building on fire from all sides. If I get the Decon team in there, we can take prisoner whoever makes it out alive instead of killing them on sight. That would increase our chances of locating someone who has the information we need. We can use them to get us as close to the Qureshi as possible, and then put a stop to this."

"Get your confirmation," Vance said, turning to nod at Evelyn when Ned rushed to the empty computer Scott had previously sat at.

"Hey Evelyn," Ned said quietly, not looking up at her as he secured his connection to Claudia. "Any word from our guys yet?"

"Not yet. We still have eight minutes until they're due," she said, watching Ned bring up a chat.

"Thanks."

"No problem," she said, understanding by their urgency that the game had changed in some way.

Vance was dying to look over Ned's shoulder to try to figure out who his CIA connection was, but he opted to call Gibbs instead.

"Gibbs."

"Gibbs, are you there yet?"

"Just pulled up. EMS and LEOs are already here." Jethro the door, getting out. His team ran for the house, Jethro in the lead, flashing his badge. He barged past the LEO at the door, and froze. He handed his phone to Tim, and stepped slowly inside.

Tim took the phone, seeing the name on the screen, and put it to his ear. "Director? He'll call you back. Actually, I'll call you back." He flipped the phone closed and swallowed hard. Ziva rested her hand on his arm, and neither could take another step as they watched Jethro.

Jethro walked up to Leyla, who was lying on the floor of her kitchen where they had just had coffee a couple of weeks prior. He swallowed over and over, but he couldn't get the elephant off his chest as he saw her wide open eyes, and slightly open mouth. Two men looked up in paramedic uniforms.

"Sir? Are you family?"

Jethro nodded.

"Are you okay, sir?" the other asked, concern dripping from his voice.

Jethro blinked a couple of times, and then cleared his throat. "NCIS is going to be handling this. Our ME will be here soon. Don't touch anything."

Tim heard him, and looked at Ziva. "Call Ducky," he said quietly, then turned around and stepped out to find the scene controller to let him know they were taking over.

Jethro bent down next to Leyla, and the two men stood up looking confused, but giving him his space. "What did we do?" he whispered. He closed his burning eyes, grit his teeth, and stood up.

He looked around the room, trying to see if he could find her phone. It was nowhere to be seen. He knew it would've had to be close in order to hear everything they had heard, but her attacker must have taken it with him. He looked around for the knife, and saw it sitting in the sink. A glance told him that it had been taken from the butcher's block on the counter, and he figured Leyla had grabbed it first by the struggle they'd heard. It had been rinsed clean, which made Jethro stop and think.

He turned and looked at Ziva, who was waiting for him to reconnect with them before they crossed the invisible line between the living room and kitchen.

"Ziva. Look at this."

Ziva exhaled, ignoring the body of the woman on the floor, and stepped up to the sink.

"Could she have been cooking with it earlier?" she asked, looking around the room. Jethro shook his head. "Then she must have gotten him before he got her. He was rinsing his own blood off of it. His type does not worry about fingerprints."

Jethro nodded. "I wonder if she got him good enough that he'd try to find help."

"I saw a pharmacy a few blocks from here. I will go over there and see if they have seen him. He could not be very far."

"Have a LEO drive you," Jethro directed as Ziva turned to walk away.

"Boss?" Tim said, bringing in a box from the trunk that obtained the bare minimum processing kit. "Ducky's coming. Bringing the truck."

Jethro swallowed, unable to look behind him at the woman he cared so much about. He reached for the box, and Tim handed it to him. He sat it on the kitchen table and they began to take stuff out of it, beginning with gloves, which each one of them snapped on before they did anything else. Jethro ran his finger over his ring, and wondered what Tony was doing at the moment. He stared down into the box.

"I got this, Boss," Tim said quietly.

Jethro's eyes looked up into his, and he sighed. Tim's even composure was reassuring.

"I'm going to call Tony; find out what he's doing with Amira."

"I'll be here," Tim said, moving to take the fingerprinting kit out of the box.

"Make sure you scrape the drain of the sink. Bastard rinsed the knife." Jethro turned to walk away, not seeing Tim nod and then watch him go.

* * *

Tony had Elly in the passenger seat giving him directions. The school was halfway across town in Leyla's neighborhood. Parke was texting Malek in the backseat from Tony's phone.

"He says that he is sending the women to the secret place Leyla set up for them, and he is coming to NCIS."

"I don't know what good he's going to do there. Dina and Talia are safer if he stays with them." Tony met Parke's eyes in the rearview.

"I'll tell him."

"They're all welcome to go back to NCIS together, but they should _stay together_ whatever they choose to do," Tony said. "We still don't know if this is one of the guys we thought it was, or if this is someone different all together."

"Turn left," Elly directed. "It's going to be right up here on the right."

"I told him, Boss." Parke caught his eyes in the mirror. He leaned forward between the seats. "Tony, what are you going to say to Amira?"

"I don't know," he said, sighing. He'd been thinking about it the entire ride over. He didn't even know how Leyla was doing, but from what he heard on speakerphone, it wasn't good.

"Okay. Some suggestions. Don't say things like, we've got to go because someone is in trouble. Say things instead like, we have to go to stay safe. Until we know exactly what the status is on Leyla, ignore it, don't address it. She's four. She won't remember one day and hate you for not telling her the moment she saw you. Tell her that you're there to keep her safe, at least until we know what's going on with Leyla. Do _not_ tell her Gibbs went to take care of her. If she's not okay, or if she's gone, she'll never trust Gibbs again. Tell her we're going to go find Gibbs, and find her mom. Not find out how mom is doing, not find out how things are going, but simply find her, and only say that if you have to say anything at all."

Tony nodded, grateful for the direct advice. "Got it." They parked, and he let out a deep sigh. "You need to take your Boards, Greg. You two guard the door. I'm going in."

The three of them got out and moved towards the entrance together. Tony went in, leaving the others standing outside. He wandered through the halls, looking for the office, and a woman stopped him.

"Can I help you?" she asked.

"Yes. I need to find the office. There's been a family emergency, and I need to pick up my goddaughter."

"I'll take you," the woman said, giving Tony a skeptical look. "Who is your goddaughter?"

"Amira Shakarji," Tony said. The woman stopped in her tracks.

"Is Leyla okay?" she asked. Tony simply stared at her. "Oh, no. Is Amira in danger?"

"Possibly. We don't know yet."

"Come with me," she said, turning around and leading him down the hallway. Tony followed her, curious as to how much she knew. "Who are you?"

"Tony DiNozzo. I'm Jethro Gibbs' fiancé, and a federal agent with NCIS."

"Ahhh, yes. Makes sense now."

"How well do you know Leyla?" he asked.

"We've talked many times, but it's more that we have mutual acquaintances."

"And these acquaintances have had the epiphany?" Tony asked, thinking of Leyla's words of wisdom to send to Malek, Talia and Dina.

"Yes," she said.

"I need your help," Tony said, stopping. The woman stopped and turned to him, a hesitant look on her face. "Leyla has only given Jethro and I that phrase to pass on to people. In order to help her, I need to know what it means." The woman closed her eyes, and Tony waited for her to battle it out. "Please. It's the only way I can make sure Amira stays safe."

"The Church of the Epiphany," she said quietly. "It's a Catholic church downtown that holds Muslim prayer services on Fridays in its basement. The priest that runs the church upstairs works with people from the Muslim community, and an order of nuns and priests across the country, to help refugees find safe haven when fleeing their countries."

"That's very helpful," Tony said, nodding in understanding. "Thank you. Are you in contact with any of the members of the organization?"

"Not directly. I've made referrals, and Leyla has come to me to help her get a few kids into school here until they are shipped off to wherever they go. I don't ask questions for all sorts of reasons, but I find their cause noble, and do what I can to help. I'm Joan Trenton, by the way. I'm the assistant principal."

"Thank you, Joan," Tony said as they stopped outside of a classroom.

"I'll go get Amira. She's going to see you here and know something is wrong. It's better if that happens away from the other kids."

Tony nodded, and then considered that. _Shit,_ he thought. _I wonder if Amira was prepared by Leyla for these kinds of emergencies. When your mom is running a modern day underground railroad, I suppose you are. All of Parke's safe words aren't going to do a damn bit of good if she's already going to know by looking at me that something is wrong with her mom._

A couple of minutes later, and the door creaked open. Tony could hear different voices saying goodbye to Amira and 'Ms. Trenton', and then the gray haired woman led a subdued Amira by the hand out the door. Tony tried to smile at her. She had on a small backpack and clutched the dark bear that Jethro had given her.

"Tony?" she said, letting go of Ms. Trenton's hand to run the few steps to him. He picked her up and held her tightly. "Where's mommy?" she asked immediately. He hugged her tighter.

"I don't know, sweetheart. That's what we're going to find out, okay?" Amira nodded fervently. Tony turned to the woman in front of him. "Thank you for all your help. Do I need to sign her out or anything?"

"I'll take care of that. You just keep her safe."

"I will. I promise," he said. They shared nods, and Tony carried Amira down the hall since she obviously wasn't letting him go anytime soon. He felt like he was carrying gold, like nothing in the world had ever been so valuable. "You took Dirt to school with you?" he asked her, not sure what else to say.

"It's show and tell day. I told them about how Dirt used to belong to an angel."

"Oh. That's cool," Tony said, blown away by the simple statement and how much it hit home suddenly. He was now holding something precious that he was afraid might belong to an angel, too. As soon as he came down the steps, Parke turned to him.

"I still have your phone. Gibbs just called. You need to call him- right now."

Tony took the phone, trying to hold Amira in his arms. "Amira, these are my friends from NCIS. This is Greg, and this is Elly. They're going to help me keep you safe until we find your mom, okay?" Amira nodded, but she didn't say anything. "I need to sit you down so I can call Gibbsy, but you can hold my hand, okay?"

She nodded again, and Tony sat her down. She took his hand immediately, and he was surprised by how such a little palm, and such small fingers, could squeeze so hard. He also learned that she had long nails. He used his left hand to reach into his pocket and pull out the keys. He handed them off to Elly, and then the group walked towards the car, Elly in front of them, and Parke behind them. Tony started tapping the passcode into his phone, and then pressed Jethro's speed dial icon.

"Tony?" Jethro asked upon answering.

"Yeah. It's me. I have Amira. We're getting into the car now to go back to the office."

"Good. Tony…"

"Amira, I need you to let go for just a minute so I can go around and get in on my side. You okay?" Tony said.

Amira nodded, clinging to Dirt as Tony put her seatbelt on her. As soon as he closed the door, he went back to talking to Jethro in a whisper.

"Is she…?"

"She's gone, Tony."

"I'm so sorry, Jethro. I'd say a lot more, but I'm about to get back into the car with Amira, and I'm pretty sure Leyla prepared her for this. Me coming to get her already has all the bells and whistles going off in her head."

"Can you take her to our house instead of the office? I don't want to tell her there."

"Yeah. When are you going to be home?"

"Tim is processing the scene, Ziva is canvassing local drug stores because we think Leyla may have gotten a swipe in, and I'm losing my mind."

"Meet me at the house. You can stay with Amira, I'll send my guys to the scene, and I'll take my car to go meet Ziva."

"I-"

"That's not a suggestion, Jethro. I'll see you in fifteen minutes." Tony hung up the phone, and opened his door to the car with as much of a smile as he could muster. He wasn't happy with the way he had to leave things with Jethro just now, but Amira was waiting for him, and he didn't want to leave her any longer. Not to mention Jethro sounded like a worn down clock, and he had both professional and personal responsibilities to pull him off of this for a while.

As soon as Tony's belt was buckled, Amira took his hand. He smiled at her sadly, and looked forward to meet Elly's eyes in the rearview. He looked like he had seen a ghost suddenly, and Tony wondered what was wrong.

"Everything okay?" he asked.

"Uh, yeah."

" _Sure_. Okay. Well, change in plans. We need to go to our house, and then you two are going to go over to work- um. To work with Tim , and Ziva and I will catch up with you." Tony tried not to outwardly grimace as he caught himself before saying "the scene". He wasn't sure if Amira would understand the term or not, but both Parke and Elly's expressions both showed that they got the picture.

"You're going?" Amira asked. "Can I go with you? I can help!"

"No sweetie. You're going to stay with Gibbsy at our house while I go to work."

"But you're going to find mommy, right?" she asked.

"I don't know what we're doing yet. We'll know more when we talk to Gibbsy. He's going to meet us at our house."

"Okay," she said quietly, and hugged Dirt tighter.

They drove in silence all the way to the house, and every few minutes, Tony would look at Amira to find her looking more and more terrified. He knew better than to tell her it would be okay- it wouldn't be. She was about to get the worst news of her life, and he was about to have to support his husband-to-be as he broke it. He wondered what it would have been like if someone would have told him about his mom instead of finding her. He wished someone could have broken it to him gently, holding him tightly, letting him cry it out until he fell asleep. He was older than Amira though. He probably would have reacted differently than she was going to.

Tony opened a text on his phone to Parke and Elly, and he started explaining the situation to them as best as he could. He gave them the address, and told them that they were to follow Tim's lead until he got there. A few seconds after he hit send, a chime and a chirp could be heard from the front seat as both men's phones alerted them to their messages. Parke took his out and read it. He texted Tony back saying that he understood.

They pulled up to the house and found that Jethro wasn't there yet. Tony sighed and got out. He opened Amira's door and unbuckled her. She got out, clinging to Dirt, and took Tony's hand. Tony stuck his head into the car to find Elly reading the text.

Elly turned to look at him. "Got it. Call me if you need anything," he said, making eye contact that showed his condolences.

"Thanks," Tony said, and then closed the door to lead Amira into the house. He unlocked the front door and stepped inside. When Amira still didn't let go of his hand, he led her to the kitchen. "You hungry?" he asked. She shook her head no. "How about thirsty? We've got milk, orange juice, the blue Gatorade, water…"

"Blue?" she half asked, half said.

"It's my favorite. The light blue." Tony opened the door to the fridge, and the door was half-full with bottles of the blue beverage. Amira pointed to them, and Tony smiled, pulling one from its slot. He closed the door, and then led Amira back to the living room. He sat on the couch, and pulled her up with him, then slipped her backpack off as she finally relinquished his hand. He put it next to them on the floor, and then twisted the cap open on her drink. She sat Dirt in her lap, wedging him between her legs, and held the bottle with both hands as she took a gulp.

Tony smiled at her as she nodded her approval, and took another drink. She tried to reach forward to sit the bottle on the coffee table, but couldn't reach. Tony took it from her, slipped the cap back on, and then wedged it between them on the couch.

"Have you ever been over here?" Tony asked. "To our house when Gibbsy lived here by himself?"

"One time, but I was really little, and I don't remember."

"Really little? You're still really little!"

"Nuh-uh! I'm a big girl!"

"Oh, you are, huh?" Tony asked with a smirk.

"Yep! Mommy said so. She said big girls go to school, and they have to clean their rooms, and I go to school, and I clean my room, so I'm a big girl!"

"Okay. Can't argue with that," Tony said, wishing Jethro would get there. The understanding that Amira was theirs now hit him suddenly. She would grow up in this house, under this roof. She'd just come home for the first time and didn't know it.

"Want to watch some cartoons?" he asked. He turned the TV on with the remote control, and flipped through the cable guide until he found something that looked kid appropriate. "How about this?" he looked down to find Amira already entranced by the show. He slipped his jacket off, tossing it over the back of the couch, and Amira leaned back against him. He smiled down at her sadly. He lifted his hand to run through her golden brown curls, and she leaned back even more, snuggling with Dirt into Tony's side. They watched the show for another five minutes, and then right as a commercial break came on, the front door opened.

Amira gasped and looked up at Tony, then looked at the door. Tony reached for the remote and clicked off the TV.

Jethro came around the corner from the entryway to look at them both with a sullen expression. He saw the way the two were curled up on the couch together watching TV, and he gave them a sad smile that fell immediately. He took off his jacket and tossed it across the back of the couch with Tony's, and then sat on the coffee table in front of them. Tony reached out his hand, and Jethro took it. Amira took Tony's other hand, her nails biting into him as she looked at the quiet man in front of her.

"Did you find mommy?" she asked softly. Jethro nodded.

"Yeah, munchkin. I found her. She's um-" Jethro reached out and took Amira's hand with his free hand, and Amira lunged forward, throwing herself around Jethro. "She's an angel now," he said, remembering the way that Leyla had taught Amira about death, and trying to honor that.

"Nuh-uh," Amira said. "I saw her! She's fine. I saw her. She was there at the bus."

"After the bus, munchkin." Jethro's eyes looked into Tony's, and Tony leaned forward to run his hand along Amira's back.

"Sweetheart," Tony started gently. "Your mommy told you she was trying to help people, didn't she?"

Amira nodded, still wrapped around Jethro.

"And she said that she was keeping people safe? Protecting them from bad guys?"

Amira nodded. "Like you do," she said begrudgingly.

"And she told you that if anything ever happened to her, me and Gibbsy, we'd take care of you, right?"

Amira nodded again, slower this time, and she didn't say anything.

Jethro swallowed. "We'll always take care of you, Amira. We'll always love you and protect you, just like we promised your mom we would."

Amira shook her head no. "She's… she…"

"She's gone to be an angel," Jethro said, his voice breaking.

"No!" Amira burst out, trying to pull away from Jethro. Tony caught her before she could fall backwards, and he pulled her into his lap. She started crying and screaming, clinging tightly to Tony. Jethro moved to sit next to them on the couch and rubbed her back over and over again. Tony reached an arm out to put around Jethro's shoulder, and Jethro leaned in on Tony too, feeling like mimicking Amira, whose face was now buried into Tony's chest as she sobbed. The three sat in a huddle on the couch for a long while. Tony blinked the tears from his own eyes as he watched his family grieve around him.

Family. This isn't how he'd wanted it to happen.

* * *

Ned was in MTAC, looking up at the screen. He and Vance had met with Davidson and his team an hour earlier, and given them the update. They all agreed that the plan needed to go into effect immediately. From what they'd seen, people were most likely infected on the inside, and others were coming and going from the building, potentially spreading contaminants with their simple travels.

The villagers weren't much of a help either. Those who were wise had immediately started spreading the word and getting their belongings packed to evacuate the neighborhood. Others were causing trouble, and most likely warning the faction about their questionings. Time was going to be of the essence.

They'd decided that Davidson's team would have three hours to gather the supplies they needed, and try to rest and eat. They would then check in, and helmet cam the whole mission. Davidson accepted the request, begrudgingly, to have the Army Decon Team join them, and make it a joint task. If they were going to have enough manpower to capture the entire residence, they weren't going to be able to do it alone.

They planned on taking anyone prisoner that ran out during the teargas raid. Anyone who looked ill in any way, shape, or form would be shot on sight as a potential threat to spread the disease. It was a severe tactic, and Ned knew that it was his bad luck that had led him to needing to follow through with the command to kill on his first op.

He was waiting for Colonel Russel now, and was going to explain the plan to him. The light flickered and suddenly the room was a lot darker. Russel's face appeared on the screen up close as he adjusted the camera, and then he sat back, bringing light back to the room.

"Agent Dorneget," he greeted.

"Colonel. We've formed our plan."

"Good. Let's hear it."

"The four man Marine team that we've been assigned is not enough for the task at hand, and time is of the essence. Are you able and willing to assist with bringing the building down in a few hours?"

"Like I said, we don't currently have a higher level threat. This task is our priority. Tell me the plan."

Ned nodded, relieved to have such a smooth acceptance. He'd heard horror stories about how the different branches of the military would refuse to work with one another on rival principles. He was happy to know that the Colonel was above that, at least in this case.

"At 2100 your time, we're going to teargas the compound. At that point, those that try to evacuate will either be detained for questioning or killed on sight. Ten minutes after the gas is released, a second round will be introduced, only this time, flammable. Once it appears that the building is engulfed enough that no one is going to be able to escape, we'll be taking the prisoners for questioning in hopes of finding out more about the Qureshis, who are working with the organization to develop this weapon."

"What kind of accelerant are you using?" Russel asked. "Last time we came in to clean up one of these messes and your people were involved, there was napalm used. Would have been helpful to know."

"I wasn't a part of the operation then, so I'm not sure about that, but I can tell you that it's looking like Molotovs. If that changes, I'll let you know."

"Very well. How many bodies are we expecting?"

"Infrared counts show approximately twenty-five in the building at any given time." Ned grit his teeth at the thought of how many lives would be lost, even if they were the enemy.

"That's a lot of damage. Sounds like a clean sweep of the compound. The organization is rumored to only be about three times that size. You'll be making a huge dent in their numbers. That's good to know."

A soldier stepped into the frame to speak with the colonel quietly. The colonel spoke back into the man's ear and then dismissed him. Ned tried not to think about the numbers they were swapping as people, but as figures. He hated doing that, but in moments like this, it was necessary. He would give every number a face later on, but for now, he had to hold up a front for their partners.

"So the Qureshi are the endgame, huh?" Russel said, taking notes on something in front of him.

"No," Ned said. "Stopping the threat is our objective. In this case, the threat is being made by _[The Yellow Triangle]_ and the Qureshis. Next time, it will be someone else, but the goal will always be to stop the threat."

Ned found himself not liking the tone in the colonel's last statement, and he really didn't like the term endgame. There was nothing about this that resembled a game to him, and he hoped it never would. His tone must have given it away, and the man on the screen lifted his head to stare back at him. He felt like he was being assessed, and he grit his teeth and set his jaw. Russel must have approved of him, because he nodded and looked back at his notes.

"2100?" he asked.

"2100."

"We'll be there at 1930. Let them know we're coming."

"Thank you, Colonel," Ned said.

Russel nodded, and killed the transmission.

"I wouldn't quite say that man likes you," Vance said from the top row of the seats behind Ned. "But I would say he respects you, and that's saying a lot for Russel."

"I'm not sure I quite like his choice in words, so I guess we'll settle for _respecting_ one another," Ned said before turning back to the screen. "Evelyn? Are you able to…"

"You want the flight update for Agent Garnier and Lieutenant Stephens," she said, tapping a couple of keys and bringing it up onscreen.

"Thank you," Ned said with a smile over his shoulder at her. "They're in!" he said as soon as the ticker came up on screen. "They're there!"

"Would you like me to place the call?"

"Would you? That would be awesome!" Ned was suddenly ecstatic. He had been waiting all morning to get the confirmation that the light had been checked in for Ed and Rod, and he was eager to let them know they were thinking about them. It took a frustratingly long two minutes before a nurse popped up on the screen.

"This is Private Debbie Cummings in Medical Record Communications. Who am I speaking with?"

"Hi! This is NCIS Agent Ned Dorneget, and I'm trying to check on two of our operatives that would have come in last night with exposure to a biohazardous material outside of Kabul. Agent Rod Garnier and Marine Lieutenant Ed Stephens."

"Let me pull them up and see what I can give you." They waited with bated breath, the entire room silent and focused on the screen. "Agent Rodney Garnier was admitted with respiratory distress and is being treated for pneumonia and tuberculosis until a definitive culture can be ran. He's conscious and stable, and it says here he's already been told once to stop harassing the nurses." She smiled and shook her head, and began tapping the keys again.

"Lieutenant Edward Stephens?" she asked, her face going grim.

"Yes?" Ned said. Vance got up from his seat and came to stand next to him.

"The lieutenant was admitted in critical condition. He's in a coma, and he's being treated for meningitis and pneumonia as well. CAT scans and MRIs are being scheduled to check on brain swelling, and an EKG is taking place right now to make sure there is still brain activity." She looked up into the camera, frowning. "I'm sorry."

"That's about what we knew. The coma is new, but he wasn't responsive before, so it makes sense." Ned swallowed hard. "Are you able to send me updates on test results and things like that?"

"Yes, I can do that. Considering the nature of the situation they were brought in under, their medical records won't be sealed like a normal person's records would. I can send you everything. Tell me where."

Ned gave her his work email, and she nodded as she typed it in. She gave them another sympathetic nod, and assured them she would get the information to them every few hours. They thanked her, and the screen went blank.

"That doesn't sound good," Ned said quietly into the silence that surrounded them.

"No. Ed's a fighter though, so if anyone is going to make it through this, it's him." Vance looked at Ned in the dim light. "McGee called me back. They were too late. I have a feeling that things are about to get ugly."

"Yeah, especially with Tony and Gibbs having custody of Amira," he said with a shrug.

"What?" Vance asked.

"Uh oh. Not sure if I should have said that." Ned replayed the line in his head, and he realized there was nothing secret there that everyone wouldn't find out in a day or two. He sighed. "Tony and Gibbs are Amira's godfathers. They mentioned it at dinner the other night."

"That's going to change a hell of a lot around here if those two are raising a child together," Vance said.

"I know the circumstances suck, but I think it's kinda cool," Ned said with a shrug.

Vance looked at him with a raised eyebrow, considering everything he'd learned about him over the past couple of months, and especially the past couple of days. He tried to imagine Jethro and Tony raising a child together, and somehow his thoughts morphed into wondering if Dorneget and Critten would one day want to. He blinked the thoughts away.

"Right now, let's concentrate on the op. We have three hours until we start the offense. I'm expecting it to take about twenty to thirty minutes total. Once the rebels have been taken captive, then Army Decon is going to have to do their thing to the building, but our men will have to interrogate those prisoners. We need to establish what they're going to be ferreting out before they even begin. They're exhausted, and we need to make this as easy of a process for them as possible."

"I need my notebook," Ned said with a small sigh as he looked at the door.

"Get whatever you need, and meet me in my office in ten. I'm going to grab some coffee. How do you take yours?" Vance said, leading Ned up the platform in a daze.

"Uh," he said, his mind going blank. "Heavy sugar, light cream."

"My office in ten."

"Got it," Ned said, swallowing and trying to head for his desk without running. He sat down as casually as possible, and as soon as he saw the elevator close on the director, he frantically began gathering things he wanted to take with him. He looked at his computer screen and brought up the notes he'd been making at the beginning of the op when his thoughts were more focused on Dina, Talia and Malek. He shook his head as he read through them a third time, not quite sure what he needed from there, but feeling like it was important. He hit print, and stacked the folders and notebooks he had taken with him to talk to Tony earlier in a pile, and then added the print out.

His notebook was open in front of him, and he started sketching a web of bubbles, squares, and a triangles, each representing a different piece of the puzzle they were up against. He made lines connecting certain ones, putting initials or words in each shape in order to keep the concepts clear in his mind while making them indiscernible to anyone and everyone else. He gathered the stack, writing as he walked, tuning out the rest of the world. He made his way to Vance's office, scribbling a few words here and there in Arabic in certain bubbles, needing more complete thoughts that would be less likely to be readable.

He wasn't paying any attention to Pam as he walked through the office and into Vance's office, head in his paperwork. He sat at the conference table, and laid his notebook out so that he could write over two pages at once. A plan was forming, a train of thought was chugging, and he was following it down the tracks. He opened the second notebook, writing questions as he thought of them. His brain felt like someone had oiled every gear, and he was turning out the process with an acute clarity.

He didn't know how long he'd been going when he finally figured out what the final picture was going to look like. It was gory, it was lethal, and it was in his hands. He froze, sitting back and looking at the notebook pages that were strewn across the table in front of him. That's when he noticed there was a cup of coffee amongst them.

He slowly turned his head, realizing that Vance was sitting there watching him in silence, sipping his brew.

"Don't let me stop you," he said. Ned smiled sheepishly, unsure of whether he meant it literally or sarcastically.

"Sorry," he said quietly.

"For what? I know better than to step in front of a speeding train. Ends badly. What did you figure out?"

Ned exhaled, reaching for his coffee. "I'm not sure how to explain it."

"Start from the beginning."

Ned nodded, and did just that.

* * *

Ziva and one of the DC Metro cops that had offered to drive her, named Danny, walked into the CVS down the road from Leyla's house. Danny stood by the door, looking for a man that fit the description Ziva gave him. They didn't have much to go off of, but they figured they'd go after whoever took off running, or anyone who was bleeding.

She walked up to the clerk and asked if she had seen a man who had been bleeding with an accent. She shook her head no. "I just came on though. Matt was working before me, and he's still in the backroom. I can have him meet you by the pharmacy if you want."

"Yes, thank you," Ziva said, scanning the store aisles as she made her way toward the counter. She watched the store's security mirrors for anyone who may be acting suspiciously. A young man came out from the back, looking around. "Are you Matt?" she asked.

"Yeah?" he said.

"Ziva David, NCIS. We are looking for a man who may have stopped in within the past hour. He would have been wounded, cut, and he had a thick accent. Anyone come in that you can remember like that?"

"Well, there was a guy, but I only got a few words out of him, so I couldn't tell you if he had an accent or not. The guy I'm thinking of paid with cash, and he had started opening up the gauze before he even got to the counter. He had a gash on his arm. It was only about two inches wide, but it was deep. He'd had a sock against it. I told him he could throw it away in our trash can, but he wouldn't do it. Must've hurt. He was gritting his teeth the whole time, so I figured I'd just shut up and check him out."

"What did he look like?" Ziva asked.

"He was taller than you, but not as tall as me. Really dark skinned, very short hair. Had on black cargo pants and a red tshirt with sneakers. I only noticed because he was kinda young to be wearing them so high up on his waist. Most of the guys around here wear 'em low, you know? He had a, um, a chain wallet or something. Maybe a chain belt? I don't really remember, but I remember there being a chain somewhere by his waist."

"What kind of build?"

"I dunno? Kinda muscular, I guess, but nothing like, really bulky. He probably worked out, but he wasn't like a body builder or anything."

"Did you see which direction he went when he left?" Ziva started wondering what she would be up against when she actually caught up with the man, and what kind of fight there'd be.

"He sat on the curb outside and patched himself up. The far curb over by the bus stop. I went out to grab a couple carts, and he was on the phone, and he was wrapping the arm with the bandage he'd bought. He got on the number twelve bus. I was pissed. Kelly was late, so I missed it. I was supposed to be on it with him. The next one is 11:05, and I'd really like to catch it."

Ziva got the hint. "Thank you for your help," she said, turning to leave. She met Danny outside. "Do you know where the number twelve bus goes?" she asked.

"Yeah, it goes out towards Truxton Circle. You think your perp is on that bus? We can have it stopped-"

"No, he'll run. We need to catch up with bus and follow it to see where he gets off. If we corner him on the bus, he's got hostages."

Danny nodded. "I can try. How long ago did it leave?"

"Twenty minutes or so?" Ziva estimated.

"I think we can cut it off. It does this loop, lays over, and circles back around. As long as he didn't get off down that way, then we may have a chance. You get a description? We can send someone out towards the loop to see if they can find him."

Ziva's phone rang from her pocket, and she pulled it out as she got into Danny's car. "Ziva David," she answered.

"Ziva? It's Elly. Tony has sent Parke and I to the scene, and he said he was going to meet up with you. Has he yet?"

"No, he has not. I have not heard from him. Officer Pretzin and I are going to try to catch up with the bus we believe our assassin has boarded. If Tony calls you, tell him we believe he boarded the number twelve bus outside of the pharmacy on Maple. We're going to track it towards Truxton Circle and do what we can."

"I'll let him know. If you hear from him, can you text us an update? We're all worried about him and Gibbs."

"Why?" she asked.

"This is pretty messed up, ya know?"

"They have been through a lot. They can handle this."

"I don't know about that. Gibbs walked off the scene, and Tony told us that they were taking custody of Amira… that's a lot to handle."

"What?" Ziva said in disbelief. "Gibbs left?"

"Yeah. McGee said he was in shock, you know? And then he got really pissed and wanted to go hunt down the bastard that killed Leyla, and then something suddenly startled him, and he told McGee he had to go because he had to be with Tony when he broke the news about Leyla."

"When you say they are taking custody of Amira, you mean they are putting her in protective custody, right?"

"No. As in permanent custody. They're apparently Amira's godfathers."

Ziva zoned out, images of Gibbs and Tony with a little girl running through her head. She vaguely remembered Gibbs saying that he was Amira's godfather, but she thought that was an honorary title. She never imagined it would one day lead to him actually taking custody of her.

"If I hear from Tony, I will let you know," she said.

"Thanks," Elly said. "Let me know if you need anything."

"I will." Ziva hung up the call, as Danny took off down the street. He radioed in what they were attempting to do, and Ziva tried to push thoughts of Amira out of her mind.

She couldn't though. She thought of how sad it was that Gibbs had lost his wife and daughter, and now he had lost a friend, a woman he felt responsible for, and he would be raising her daughter. It was painful to think about, and she knew it must be even harder to experience. She wasn't sure how Gibbs was going to manage being an agent and a guardian, but she knew if anyone could do it, it was him, especially with Tony helping.

The idea of Tony with kids had always been amusing to her. She had never been able to imagine him as a parental figure, but thought he would make an interesting uncle or older brother. He'd often been the brotherly type to her anyway, teasing her, tormenting her, advising her, caring about her. She'd been seeing something else out of him over the past couple of months though, and he seemed more nurturing than ever before. His team brought that out in him.

A few minutes later, a voice came through Danny's radio letting them know that the bus had been held up at a set of train tracks, and they would actually be ahead of it if they pulled out, and to fall back. Ziva's attention was stolen.

"Can you get me up a few bus stops and let me out before it can pull around and see? I'd like to board the bus as a passenger ,and then you can follow the bus. I can get off when he gets off, or if he's not on it, I can get off in a couple of stops and meet back up with you." She pulled the NCIS baseball cap off of her head and took her ponytail down, running her fingers through her hair. She knew Gibbs would kill her if she got shot, but she had no choice. She took her vest off and slipped it behind her.

"We can do that. Are you sure you're comfortable being on there alone with him?" Danny said, eyeing how she was devesting.

"I will not confront him on a bus full of people. It would be unsafe for everyone onboard. I will wait until he gets off."

"When that time comes, I'll try to get your vest back to you as quickly as possible," he said, obviously uncomfortable with the situation. He rushed down the street, turning his lights on to get through an intersection and hang a right.

Ziva got out, searching in her wallet for the cash to take the bus, and Danny rummaged through his pockets. They came up with enough for her to board, and she waved him off just as the bus started coming around the bend. She was glad she had worn a loose blouse, and made sure it was untucked and covered her badge and gun thoroughly,

She smiled at the driver as she got on, slipping the bills and coins into the farebox. She moved gingerly towards the back of the bus as it started moving again, never letting her smile fall as she saw the man in black pants and red shirt, a bandage around his arm. She took a seat two rows behind him and across the aisle, then pulled out her phone. She text Abby quickly, letting her know she was about to call her and use her as a cover story. She put the phone to her ear a minute later, ignoring the other people around her.

"Hello, Abby," she greeted.

"Ziva! What's going on? Are you alright?"

"Yes, I am alright. I am on the bus. My car would not start, _again_ , and I am going to be late."

"Um, okay. So, you're on the bus, and you're creating a cover story, so the person you're tracking is on the bus with you?"

"Yes. I cannot believe him. He said he was going to fix it _three times_ , but he still has not. He says he knows someone who can fix it, or will try to find someone who can fix it, and I keep waiting. I should know better than to expect anything out of him."

"Are you safe?" Abby asked.

"Yes. I am for now. I am trying to remember where I got off last time. I was able to take a shortcut to your place, and it is too hot to walk."

"I'm tracking you now."

"And I feel bad. I have not been able to catch up with Tony. I know they are having a really tough time, but I have been so busy, and now I am dealing with this thing with the car, and stuck taking the bus."

Abby nodded, knowing that was pretty much straightforward. "I texted Tony, but he's not answering. Okay. I got you on screen. Does McGee know where you are?"

"Not really," Ziva answered. "I mean, I told Elly what is going on, but I do not know how far that has gone, or if she's even talking to him anymore."

"Ha," Abby said. "Plausible cover with the "she". I'll call him from the office phone. Just a second."

"Oh! I think we're coming up on my stop! This looks familiar," Ziva said, watching the man in the red shirt get up and start moving forward when an electronic voice started floating through the air to announce the intersection they were coming up on.

"Who do you have with you?" Abby asked.

"No one," Ziva whispered as she got off the bus through the back door while the man got off through the front door. "I have a LEO following the bus. Danny Pretznik. Tell McGee I need him," Ziva whispered before she suddenly started at full volume again. "Are you there? Hello?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm here?" Abby said.

"Can you hear me?" Ziva said, putting on a show for the man in the red shirt who had sat down on the bus bench, his own phone to his ear. "Damn it!" she said, hanging up the phone. She looked at the phone, and then looked at the man. She put on her best helpless and flirty smile, and then approached the man. "I'm sorry to bother you, but my phone just died. Do you think I could make a quick call with yours?" she asked.

The man looked her over. "I am sorry. This is a very important call," he said, the phone still at his ear. He smiled at her kindly, but his accent was the exact match to the man who had been yelling at Leyla just an hour or so earlier.

"I am sure it is," Ziva said, suddenly drawing her weapon. "NCIS. Put the phone down, and place your hands on your head."

Danny came into Ziva's peripheral view, his weapon drawn as he circled around to the backside of the bus bench. "Metro PD. Do as the lady said. Drop your phone and place your hands on your head."

The man's friendly expression was completely gone, squinting in anger at Ziva. His eyes flicked past Ziva, and he suddenly threw the phone out into the street into oncoming traffic. The movement was quick, and then he was up and running. Ziva and Danny ran after him, weapons drawn.

"If you do not stop, I will shoot you!" Ziva said.

Another twenty five yards, and Ziva raised a hand for Danny to fall back. Another few yards, once she was sure he had stopped and their runner was in a safe position to take down, Ziva fired a shot at the man's thigh. She watched as he took a juttering tumble forward, sliding across a sidewalk face-first. She and Danny both approached cautiously as Leyla's killer lay across the sidewalk, clutching his leg.

"Place your hands in the air where we can see them, or I'm shooting you again," Ziva said, her voice full of the fury she knew Gibbs would want her to convey on his behalf. The man finally relinquished and put his hands in the air. Ziva moved forward and cuffed him, and Danny lifted him to his feet. The man screamed in pain as Ziva frisked him. She unloaded three knives, two guns, and a small vial of something she was pretty sure were cyanide tablets. There was also a bank roll the side of her fist, and she rolled her eyes. The chain wallet also came off to make sure no one could be choked with it. She knew as soon as she saw the heavy links on the chain that was its real purpose.

The amount of blood the man was losing was pretty heavy, and Ziva pulled her belt off to tourniquet it. Once it was in place, she pulled her phone out to call McGee and let him know their killer was in custody.

"Take him to the hospital, Ziva. You can't let him die before Gibbs gets a crack at him."

"This is true," she said. "I'll update you when we have more information."

"I'll call Tony and let him know to meet you at the hospital."

They hung up, and Danny watched closely. "What are we doing with this thing?"

"Hospital. We need to keep him alive for Agent Gibbs. He has special interrogation plans for this one. They might require taking him to Gitmo. I am pretty sure the things he wants to do are illegal to do on the mainland."

"Agent Gibbs is the guy that walked in and said he was our victim's family, right?" Danny said, playing it up for Ziva.

"Yes, and his fiancé has been leading the operation to take down the group that this- what is your name?" Ziva said, suddenly to the man in a cold lethal tone that made Danny raise an eyebrow as he jerked his detainee into place.

"You do not even know my name, yet you are so quick to judge me and try and take my life. You will take my name when you take my teeth!" The man spit out.

Ziva stepped forward so she was only a few inches away from the man's face. "Don't tempt me," she said, and then suddenly head-butted him in the mouth when he smirked.

"Oooo!" Danny said, suppressing a chuckle. "Damn, girl!" The man turned his head, spitting as blood ran from his mouth. "Now try not to get blood all over my cruiser. I just had it detailed," Danny sneered as he opened the back door and put him inside. The door slammed shut, and Danny turned to Ziva. "You're fun to work with! Never knew NCIS was so ballsy, excuse the expression."

Ziva smirked. "We have our moments. This is a great loss to our family. We'll take care of it, because we take care of each other."

"You sound like you're the mafia or something," Danny said with a cocked eyebrow.

"You are not the first person to say so," Ziva said with a smile as she climbed into the passenger seat of the cruiser. She turned in her seat as she moved to put her seatbelt on, and made eye contact with the man in the backseat. "You try anything, and I _will_ kill you." Her voice was suddenly devoid of all humor, and the man in the backseat turned to look out the window as his jaw set, knowing she was telling the truth.


	33. Chapter 33

Jethro had his head on Tony's shoulder, breathing in his comforting scent. Amira was clinging to Tony in her sleep. When he tried to move, she whimpered and held on to him tighter. Each time, he would settle, wrap his arms around her, and stroke her hair until she fell back to sleep. Jethro was glad- he wasn't ready for Tony to get up yet either.

He'd often imagined what it would've been like if Kelly had survived even if Shannon didn't. He was always afraid of what he would have turned into if he had to be an only parent, because he knew he couldn't do his job at NCIS with her alone in his care. When Leyla told him that she wanted him to be Amira's godfather in every possible way, he'd always assumed that if he had to raise her alone, he would retire to take care of her. Things had changed though, and he wouldn't be raising her alone. He'd be raising her with Tony, and they would figure it out together so that they could both work- he knew they would.

His brain was finally waking up out of the empty, hollow, ethereal feeling it had been lost in for the past couple of hours. He'd been thinking about Leyla, and how she was so independent and feisty, but full of compassion and kindness. She would want Amira to remember her as such, and would want Amira raised to be the same way. He also knew that her work was invaluable to the local community, and that it was dangerous. He wondered who would follow in her footsteps now, and furthermore, wondered what her footsteps looked like.

He knew that Leyla walked a fine line between being there for the Muslim community and being Muslim herself. She was raised heavily in the tradition, and he knew that she had cast most of it aside when she fell in love with Amira's father. After making a rough peace with her mother and moving to D.C., she had been deciding for herself what parts of the culture to reassume, and what parts to leave behind.

As it was, he knew that Amira had grown up so far speaking both Arabic and English. They had some prayer mats at home, but Jethro wondered how much they were used. He'd never witnessed it, and had been there for long days with a barbeque and games on a few occasions. Leyla also celebrated Christmas, but it was more for the secular reasons than the religious. He knew he'd find out soon enough the kinds of daily rituals that were being skipped; Amira wasn't the type to be quiet about things like that. When she knew things were out of place, or when something was missing, she'd let them know.

Jethro was trying hard not to blame Talia. He couldn't help it though. If they had been at _their_ house, if they had just come home with _them_ instead of hitting the streets, then Leyla would have never been involved, and the assassin wouldn't have tracked Leyla down. He started to wonder about how he'd done that exactly, and who else they would find dead along the way. He also wondered if the killer knew that Leyla had a daughter, and if he would be looking for her for any reason. He couldn't imagine why he would, but it made him glad he'd come home to be with Amira and Tony.

He'd battled it out with himself at the scene. He wanted to go find the guy, to rip him apart limb from limb, to take him down in a hail of bullets and just walk away. Like he'd told Tony the day before though, his restraint was wearing thin already with how much crap had been happening over the past week, and he knew that if he found their assassin, he would kill him without any thought to due process or the law. Then where would Amira be?

He knew that Tony would be able to put that kind of passionate response aside, but he didn't want his future husband to leave his side. He wanted to breathe him in, let him be that grounding and soothing force in his life, and he wanted to watch the loving way he held Amira. It was so tender, so strong and comforting, so safe. He could almost feel the same thing happening to him as he watched. He knew that at some point, it would be him wrapped in those arms, but right now, Amira needed it much more.

"I should go back to the scene," he whispered. "She's obviously not going to let you go anytime soon."

Tony shook his head. "I trust our teams to handle this, probably even better than we can at the moment. We need to be right here. Can you call them and check in?"

"Yeah," Jethro said, sitting up. "I'll go in the other room though so I don't wake her."

Tony nodded back.

Jethro got up and stretched, yawning so big his jaw popped. He swooped to pick up his phone from where he'd sat it on the table, and flipped it open as he headed for the kitchen. He waited for McGee to answer as he started a pot of coffee.

"Hey Boss," he answered.

"McGee, how are things going there?" he asked.

"We've processed the scene, and we're back at the office. Ziva was able to track down the guy, but he tried to run, and she shot him. He's at the hospital."

"He survived? Shame," Jethro said as he leaned back against the counter.

"She aimed for the leg. Figured you'd want a crack at him yourself, and he'd have to be alive for that."

"I won't be doing his interrogation. This is Tony's case. It's attached to their op. Problem is, Amira won't let Tony go since she got the news about Leyla."

"So what do we do?" Tim asked in confusion.

"I guess transfer me to Critten."

"Okay, just a minute," Tim said, putting Jethro on hold. "Hey Elly? Gibbs wants to talk to you. Transferring him now."

"Uh, okay? Why?" Elly asked, about to answer the phone.

"This is your case," he said.

"What?!"

"Just answer the phone!"

Elly grabbed for it, "Critten," he greeted.

"Critten, it's Gibbs. Tony's going to be a while, but he'll be interviewing our perp. Do we have a name on the guy yet?"

"Yeah. We ran his fingerprints through Interpol, got back Jaamal Dwahalini."

"I'll let Tony know. From what I hear, he's a fighter. Keep him chained."

"Will be, if not already," Elly said, trying not to roll his eyes for fear that Gibbs would hear it. "I've got his file. Luckily we've studied some of the same techniques, and what I don't know, Ziva does. He's sedated right now anyway. He lost a lot of blood, and apparently he also got some of his teeth knocked out."

Jethro smirked. "Atta girl," he said under his breath.

"Is the boss around? Ned gave me an update on what's going on in MTAC, and I'd like to pass it on."

"He's… here. He's got Amira though, so talk quietly enough that she can't hear you if she wakes up."

"I will," Elly assured, thinking about how protective Tony was of the little girl that morning.

Jethro walked back into the living room, heading for Tony. "Critten needs to update you on the op," he whispered.

"You wanna try and take her and see how she reacts?" Tony said. Jethro nodded, eager to be the one to hold Amira. He bent down and handed Tony the phone, and then wrapped his arms around the little girl and gently pulled.

"It's okay, I gotcha," he cooed gently. Amira awoke disoriented, and rubbed her eyes. Jethro pulled her up and towards him, letting her lay her head on his shoulder. She suddenly remembered something important had happened.

"Tony?!" she said frantically, sitting up and turning to find him.

"I'm right here," Tony said, jumping up and running his hand over her hair. "It's okay, Gibbsy's got you. You're okay."

"Gibbsy?" she asked, the disorientation in her voice both heartbreaking and endearing. "'kay," she murmured. Her head rested against Jethro's shoulder, and within seconds, she sighed and was back to sleep. Jethro closed his eyes, and Tony sighed, running his hand through his hair before taking the phone into the kitchen.

"Elly?" he said.

"Hey, Boss. You hanging in there?"

"Yeah, I am. Not sure about everyone else, but I am- for now. What's going on there?"

"Ned and the Director have been either in MTAC or the Director's office all day working on the op. He's gotten Army Decon involved, and the four guys you've been working with, and they're going to put the plan in motion that the two of you talked about earlier, only they're like, doing it right now. As in, _right now._ He just got called upstairs like ten minutes ago to start briefing Decon."

"Why so soon? I thought we'd have more time," Tony looked at his watch and shook his head, then looked at the archway to the living room. He didn't want to leave Jethro and Amira, but he'd told Ned he'd be there for him when the time came. He had hoped they'd wait until sunrise in Kabul, coming back in the middle of the night to work on it after Davidson's team got a few hours of shuteye.

"Intel the team collected said it was better to move sooner than later. He's a little calmer now that he knows that Dwahalini is in custody, but-"

"Wait! You caught the bastard?" Tony poured a mug of coffee and began sipping on it black as he leaned against the counter. He was ecstatic that this wasn't going to turn into a wild goose chase, but was too drained to show it.

"Ziva did. She and a LEO managed to track him down. She shot him in the leg and busted some of his teeth out. He's in the hospital, but he'll be moved to holding as soon as he's released in the morning. She's not leaving his room, and there are guards on it, too."

"Thank you Ziva and random LEO! So, how is Ned? Should I come in?"

Elly bit his lower lip and shrugged. "He's nervous, but he's calm. He's kind of… I don't know how to explain it. You know when he goes all, 'Textbook Ned', and he just kinda rambles things off like a computer? He's like that, only not as informative. I think he's processing information, but not the feelings related to it. It's kind of creepy actually."

Tony cringed. "I'll try to sneak away and come in."

"Okay. I was going to go over to the hospital and relieve Ziva. Between the two of us, and our martial arts backgrounds, we should be able to handle him better than the guards."

"Okay. What's Parke doing?" Tony reached in the cabinet for one of his beloved cereal bars to take with him.

"Researching Dwahalini and trying to figure out how he got here. That's what I've been doing too. I'm going to take my laptop with me to the hospital and keep working." Elly started shutting everything down so he could do that.

"The other name we were given was Kiel Ryzintine. Guy apparently has been able to slip past some pretty tough guards. He's great with disguises, and easily passes as a woman. He's Russian. Ned's got a file put together on him already. If I get a minute, I'll email it to you."

"I have it actually," Elly said, making sure to pick the folder up and slip it in his bag. "BOLO is already out on him I take it?"

"Oh, yeah. Ned had that done minutes after we got the name last week. If I don't cross your path, I might come find you at the hospital."

"Okay. Do what you have to do. Don't worry about me."

"Thanks, kid."

"Sure thing."

Tony shut Jethro's phone. He grit his teeth, telling himself Jethro would be fine with Amira for a few hours, and Ned needed to know he had his back. He headed for the living room and found Jethro lying on the couch with Amira on his chest, the blanket thrown over them. They were both asleep. He went over and kissed them both on their foreheads.

Jethro's hand reached up lazily to take his. Tony swallowed hard.

"Ned had to go ahead with the op. I need to be there. Elly is going to relieve Ziva at the hospital, so I'm going over there afterwards to catch up with him and figure out what's going to happen tomorrow. I'll be back as soon as I can."

Jethro brought Tony's hand to his lips and kissed it. "I'll see you when you get home," he mumbled.

"I love you, Jethro."

"I love you, too, Tony," Jethro breathed, finally letting go of Tony's hands, his eyes drooping closed again.

Tony picked up his jacket from where Jethro had tossed it over the armchair before he laid down on the couch, and slipped it on. He reached to make sure his gun, badge and wallet were all in place, and then picked up his keys and phone from the table. He realized he wasn't going to be able to leave his gun at easy access anymore now with a kid in the house, and he started thinking about all of the other things he should probably make sure weren't easy to get into. His thoughts drifted to the things under the bed and in the nightstand drawer, and he cringed as he backed out of the driveway and thought of Amira one day discovering those. He desperately hoped that she didn't have his and Jethro's investigative inclinations.

He drove quickly towards the office, but his mind raced even faster. All of the things he had thought about when it came to adopting were out the window. He remembered the first time it had come up, and why it had. He had freaked out, adamantly sure that he never wanted a kid, ever, and then when Jethro said it was so unlikely to happen, he suddenly wanted it more than anything. _This_ definitely wasn't how he'd wanted it to happen though.

He'd wanted their little girl and Amira to be best friends as they grew up, hanging out and getting into trouble together. He had wanted to be up late with Jethro and Leyla, wondering when the kids were going to get home from something that they were out way past midnight doing, and bitching about how they were all going to kill them, only to hug the stuffing out of them when they got home safely.

He also thought about the morning he and Jethro discussed perhaps adopting a toddler instead of a baby. He remembered thinking that there were a lot of kids out there that needed that kind of love that he was so anxious to give. Now, Amira was that kid. She was theirs, and it broke his heart.

He pulled into the parking garage, and circled around to find a space. As soon as he parked he was out and switching gears, running to the elevator on the back side of the garage that would take him directly to the catwalk outside of MTAC. He didn't like the idea that Ned was alone. He knew that Vance was with him, but this was different. Ned was _his_ agent, and he needed to be there for him.

He scanned himself in, and pulled open the door to find Vance and Ned standing together in the middle of the room, a group of men on standby on the screen. He moved to stand on the opposite side of Ned, and reached out to squeeze his shoulder. Ned turned to look at him, and smiled. Tony smiled back, honored to feel the relief in that grin.

"What's happening?" Tony asked quietly.

"Davidson's team is in place. Colonel Russel's team has shown up to join them, and they have gotten acquainted. One of Colonel Russel's men has approached the building and announced that we would give them five minutes to decide if they wanted to surrender peacefully, or we're bringing the building down around them." Ned's voice was ultra quiet.

"What's the countdown at?"

Ned took a deep breath and let it out. "Davidson, Russel, time's up. Move ahead," Ned directed, answering Tony's question. Tony looked past Ned, whose eyes were glued to the screen, and saw Vance staring back at him. The eerie light from the video cast shadows across them that set an ominous mood, and Vance nodded as he stepped back to sit in the gallery.

Ned felt the world suddenly stop and move into slow motion. He was glad Tony had made it, but it didn't matter one way or the other. No one had taken them up on their offer to surrender peacefully, which meant that any second now, as he watched the teargas canisters breaking through windows throughout the building, people would come running out.

It started with two men, arms over their faces as they coughed the gas out of their lungs. Two of the Colonel's men took them to the ground, slapping cuffs on them and locking them to a long chain, telling them to stay down. More men ran from the building, and Diaz and Booker grabbed them as two of Russel's men came around the corner with two more. The six of them were chained together. That's when Ned saw a man coming out of the front door with a small oxygen tank and tubes around his neck. He could barely walk, limping and struggling to get through the doors.

Davidson had stayed back, gun trained on the door from the top of the truck, his helmet cam capturing the footage. "Possible infected," Davidson announced.

"Take him out," Ned said automatically, not even sure his voice was his own. He didn't allow himself the privilege to blink as he watched the man fall across the threshold and into the street. Another man had been about to come out behind him, but he ducked back inside. A minute later, he saw people climbing out of a window at the other end of the building.

"We need coverage on the other end of the compound!" Ned directed. "They've unboarded that window!"

"On it!" A male voice replied that Tony didn't recognize. Two people from Russel's team suddenly swarmed from the other side of the building, rifles trained on the four that had jumped from the window. The four scattered, and the soldiers successfully grabbed two of them.

"They _cannot_ escape. Bring them down if you need to," Ned announced. Davidson trained the rifle he had on the two, as did one of the others that had cuffed his quarry. The two runners went down easily, and again, Ned didn't allow himself to blink as he watched them fall.

It was all happening so quickly, and Tony wasn't sure how Ned knew the time, because there were no clocks on the screen, and he was certain he hadn't seen him take his eyes off of the scene in front of them for a second, but suddenly he called it.

"Ten minutes," he announced, and Tony understood what Elly had meant by the creepy detached Ned he spoke of on the phone. Two men led the chained rebels to the truck, and the others gathered around the building, crouching between and below the windows. Carmento ran from person to person with a bucket, and each one took something from it before he moved on. Once he got to the end of the line, he stopped, put the bucket down, and took something out of it himself before turning back towards the building.

"Davidson, Colonel, you're up."

Tony couldn't see where Colonel Russel was positioned, but he figured it was on the other side of the building in a similar place as Davidson, who was now shooting out all of the windows on the front side of the building. It didn't take long for the trained marksmen to finish the task, and then Ned's hollow voice was back.

"Light them, and toss them," he said.

Tony swallowed as the line of men lit Molotov cocktails, and threw them through the windows before taking off away from the building. A man appeared in a second floor window, and decided to try to jump. It didn't end well, and Tony realized the man had been ill by how he more fell from the window than jumped.

It didn't take long for the building to become engulfed. Smaller explosions happened within it from time to time, and Tony wondered if they were oxygen tanks or chemical stores. He looked at Ned's face, and he wasn't certain, but he thought he looked paler. He also noticed how Ned wouldn't take his eyes off the screen. He wanted to offer him some sort of physical comfort, but he had a feeling the younger man was barely holding it together, and a touch might make him come unraveled.

"Colonel Russel, are you prepared to handle it from here?" Ned asked.

"Yeah, we got it from here. I haven't seen movement in any of my windows, or at either exit on this side."

"We haven't either. No one else will be coming out of that building. Thank you, Colonel. We'll be awaiting your assessment."

"I'll send it off as soon as it's logged. Russel out."

"Davidson," Ned said, his voice hollow but still somehow authoritative. "How many prisoners do we have?"

"Twelve, Agent Dorneget," Davidson answered.

"Turn the prisoners over to detaining, and then get some rest. We'll meet again at 1800 to go over what you've been able to extract from them after a good night's sleep."

"Understood. 1800." The feed was cut off, and Ned continued staring at the screen. It was completely black, and yet he kept staring.

"You," Tony said. "Home, now." Tony reached over and turned Ned towards the door, marching him out of the room. Vance stood up to watch them go, and raised an eyebrow at the situation, but didn't say anything. He was impressed by how well the kid had handled explaining the op to the teams involved, nailing it down with tacks, but he knew how a first op could crush a soul, and he was glad Tony saw that too.

Nothing was said as Tony ushered Ned into the bullpen to get his stuff, and Ned appreciated it. He heard Parke say something to Tony, but he couldn't absorb what it was. He grabbed his gun and holstered it, and then picked up his backpack. He looked over his desk, and felt like he was forgetting something, but shrugged. Tony reached over and turned off his light for him, but Ned knew that's not what he'd forgotten. He stared at the light until Tony's hand was on his back, and then they were moving again for the elevator.

"I'm driving," Tony said, his voice making it clear that there was no other option, but Ned was glad. He wasn't sure he would remember how to drive right now. He felt completely detached from the world around him, and he was afraid of what it was going to be like when he came back into himself.

Once they were both safely buckled into Tony's car, and pulling out of the garage, Ned started feeling a tremor going down his back. He didn't like it, and shook his head, willing it away.

"Twelve what?" Tony asked, his voice breaking through.

"What?" Ned replied.

"You kept saying twelve. Twelve what?"

"I didn't say anything."

"Yeah, Dorney, you did. You kept whispering twelve." Tony turned and looked at Ned as they approached the guards at the gate. Ned looked back and then thought hard, trying to keep his shock and fear to himself, and failing miserably.

"I guess… I guess twelve prisoners."

Tony nodded, realizing that some part of Ned's brain was trying to hang on to the living. He needed to confront the dead though.

"How many were in the building?" he asked quietly.

"Twenty-eight," Ned said, that hollow voice wavering.

Tony couldn't help but be thankful the mics that the team wore hadn't picked up the screams that most likely pierced the night air at the compound. It was one less thing to haunt his agent.

"You gave them a chance to surrender first," he started softly. "That wasn't part of the plan. You did what you could do, Ned. I know it sucks, but I'm proud of you. You managed to do what you did just now with much more compassion than most people would have done. When we took down the hut in March, it was with the intent to kill. You didn't go in there with that today. You tried every possible avenue to end that safely and peacefully. People _chose_ their outcome. _You_ gave them that choice. The people lost were more than willing to take thousands of lives to make their point. Sixteen criminal lives lost compared to the thousands of innocent lives that would have been is a good day's work."

"I guess. Had a hell of a time convincing Davidson to give them the five minute window to surrender, but Russel, surprisingly, had my back. The information we could gleam from those prisoners will be invaluable to what he's doing as well. The Yellow Triangle apparently only has about seventy-five actual members. There are a lot of people who want to get on board with them, but they are very particular about who they let in."

Ned had a flash image of the two runners getting shot, going down mid-step. He distractedly wondered if he would make it home before he broke down. He shrugged to himself, not caring anymore.

"My suggestion?" Tony offered. "Go home. Shower. Eat something. Get a stiff drink. Chase it with another stiff drink. Go to bed. If you can't sleep, watch some kind of mind-numbing movie or TV. Nothing with a heavy plot; something ridiculous. Watch something that makes you want to go, "How in the hell can there be a show revolving around something so stupid when such horrible things are happening somewhere that people don't know a damned thing about?" And when you think that, remind yourself that it means that there are still people out there who try to focus on the good in life, the positive, the hopeful. Remind yourself that they don't have to be exposed to the warfare in other countries because of what happens in rooms like that, and on the ground thousands of miles away. Take that perspective, chase it with another drink, and try to go to sleep again."

"Sounds like you've done this a few times," Ned commented, looking at Tony.

"Only about once a month," Tony said. "It's not just what happens in MTAC that brings it all home. I wish I could follow my own prescription tonight, but I don't think I'll ever be able to again. Not with a little girl to raise."

"How is she?" Ned asked, feeling ashamed suddenly for feeling so rotten for himself when a little girl had lost her mother today.

"Not good. She flipped out, of course, and then she slept, clinging to me for dear life. And when I left, she was asleep with Jethro on the couch, clinging to _him_ for dear life. I'm not sure what to do for her."

"Ask Elly," Ned suddenly said before he could think about it.

"Elly?"

"He lost his mom when he was really little. Maybe he'd, ya know, have some ideas."

"True. I lost my mom when I was young, but not as young as Amira. Elly was actually a little younger than her, but I've gotten the picture that he's never really moved past it. If I ask him how he handled it, I have a feeling it's going to be more of a guide of what _not_ to do than what to do. Plus, he was alone with her for a while before they found her. That's pretty traumatizing."

"Right," Ned said, nodding slowly. "He told me the story one night, about a month ago. Come to think of it, that's probably when things shifted for us. We went from being coworker-friends to _actual_ friends."

Tony gave Ned a critical look, and then moved his eyes back to the road.

"Did you two talk today?"

"Not really. We didn't have time. We talked about the op for a few minutes, and I told him I wanted to talk to him as soon as everything settled down, and he nodded, but who knows what that means." Ned looked out the window, feeling more overwhelmed than ever.

Tony pulled up in front of Ned's apartment and let him out. "You need me to stay a while?" he asked.

"No. I just want to be alone to think."

"Okay. If you need me, call me. I'll do what I can."

"I know. Thanks, Boss. G'night." Ned walked towards his apartment, realizing that despite the late afternoon sun above him, he felt like it was four in the morning. Leading an op on the other side of the world meant getting into a middle of the night frame of mind, and the darkness of MTAC had certainly helped with that. He fell into bed without taking off his clothes or following Tony's prescription, and fell right to sleep.

* * *

Tony pulled up outside of the hospital and took a deep breath. He knew he was going to have to go and confront Dwahalini, but he wasn't looking forward to it. He was cursing Ziva for not shooting to kill, but it wouldn't have been justified, and he knew it. He made plans for interrogation though, eager to push the man's buttons and try to find his resources to shut them down. When he was done with him, he'd turn him over to the FBI and CIA in order to get what they could out of him about how he was smuggled into the country. Word was that he had contacts in the sex trafficking and slave trade, and if they could get out of him what they needed on top of prosecuting his ass for the murder of Leyla, then so be it.

Tony flashed his badge at the front desk, and was given the room number to find their prisoner in. He smiled faintly at the woman at the desk and headed for the elevator. He checked his reflection in its metal door as he rode it up to the third floor, and sighed. He looked as exhausted as he felt, and he suddenly wanted nothing more than to be snuggled up with Jethro and Amira, taking on the struggle of a twelve hour nap.

The door opened and he emerged to find Elly talking with Ziva outside of a room just a few feet away.

"Tony," Ziva said, her eyes sad.

"Hey, Zee," he said. She stepped over to him and gave him an awkward hug. He hugged her back tightly.

"How are they?" she asked.

"Been better," Tony said with a noncommittal shrug.

"And you?"

"The same." He offered her a weak smile, and she nodded her understanding.

"Hey Elly," he greeted.

"Hey, Boss." Elly chewed on his bottom lip, trying not to repeat Ziva's actions. He knew that whenever he was the slightest bit upset, he craved physical touch and reassurance, but he had to remind himself that not everyone was like him, and this was his boss.

"He in there?" he asked.

Elly nodded. "He's cuffed to the bedrails, and he has an ankle cuff chain bolted to the floor. That room is actually set up for prisoners. Kind of sad that the hospital has a special room just for this kind of situation."

"Actually," Tony said, raising an eyebrow at him. "I'm pretty sure it was Fornell that brought the first case in that required being bolted to the floor. I think it was ten years ago? Eleven? Around the time Ziva joined the team."

"Hmmm. Oh, boy! I guess that makes him some kind of hospital celebrity," Elly said with a smirk.

"He _hates_ hospitals," Tony said with a matching smirk. "Remember how he acted when we were in Pennsylvania?"

"Oh yeah!" Elly said with a grin. "I can imagine them having to bolt _him_ to the floor to keep him from running out. Did you know he actually tripped over his crutches that night trying to get out of the front door?"

Tony chuckled. "I heard about it from McGee. So, what's the plan here? Are you staying, is Ziva staying, what's happening?" He turned to look at Ziva.

"I am going to go home and get a few things, sleep a while, and then come back here to relieve Elly at 2300 tonight," Ziva explained. "We are both concerned about what physical capabilities he may have, even with a hole in his leg."

"I heard there's also a few holes in his mouth now," Tony said with a wicked grin.

"Perhaps," Ziva said with a shrug. "He offered though. He stated that if I took his teeth, he would give me his name."

"I _think_ that was meant as some kind of expression," Tony said with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh? It is not one I am familiar with," she said with an impish smile. "And I thought I was doing so much better with my colloquialisms. My mistake."

Tony smirked and Elly chuckled.

"I'll stand guard until she gets here, and then I'm going home. Tomorrow morning, Ziva will bring him to the Yard with the guards, and then go home."

"And first thing tomorrow morning, Ned and I have to be in MTAC. After that, we'll draw straws to see who ends up in interrogation with me."

"Whatever you need from me," Elly said, his eyes steady.

"You may regret saying that," Tony said. He squeezed Elly's shoulder as he moved past him and into the hospital room. He closed the door behind him, getting the point across to everyone that he wanted to be alone with Dwahalini.

The man in the bed was half conscious, coming out of his sedation. He looked Tony over as he stood in the middle of the room.

"You are afraid to come closer," a rough voice said with a thick Sudanese accent.

"I'm afraid that if I come any closer, I will close the gap and kill you," Tony said, his voice lethal. "I don't have any restraint left."

"You must be the girl's boss. She spoke of you."

"No, that would be my husband," Tony said, encouraging a reaction from the man. "The woman you killed was a part of his family, therefore she was a part of mine. If we were in Sudan, we'd have the right to kill you without qualms. Be glad you're in America, and be glad I've spent too much of my life upholding the law to break it now."

"If we were in Sudan, you'd already be hung in the center of the city," Dwahalini said. "And your _husband_ would be right next to you."

"It's hard to imagine how a country with such warmth and compassion spit out someone like you," Tony said with a sarcastic smile. "It doesn't really matter though. You decided to come to our country to play your little game of Hide, Seek and Kill, and here, we only play Hide and Seek. So, tomorrow, you and I are going to have a little chat. And then, after you tell me everything you know, I'm going to give you to someone else and let _them_ have a little chat with you, and after that, they're going to give you to someone _else_ , and when _they're_ done, we're going to make sure you sit in a cell in Gitmo for the rest of your life, all alone."

"You are a fool if you think I am going to talk to you about anything," Dwahalini said with a smug smile, shaking his head as his eyes closed.

"If you don't talk to me, you can talk to the torture specialists at Gitmo. Your actions today were part of a plot that has been carried out by a known terrorist group, so even by U.S. law, there's nothing we can't do to you except kill you. Which works for me, because I'd love to know that you're spending the rest of your life being someone's pin cushion in a stone room somewhere as they try out their newest torture techniques on you to get every syllable of information out of you as possible. It would make me very satisfied to know that you're getting stabbed over and over again, and then treated just to get stabbed again, never knowing the mercy of death. I think it would be quite fitting, don't you?"

Dwahalini stopped moving, his jaw clenched shut.

"I've heard they're doing some interesting things with acid these days, too. Castrated prisoners are a lot easier to work with." Tony turned to leave the room. "See you in the morning!" he threw over his shoulder cheerfully.

He went to open the door and both Elly and Ziva jumped back from where their ears had been pressed against it. Ziva gave him an approving smile, and Elly raised an eyebrow at him.

"Just thinking about that makes me feel like I need to do a check to make sure I'm still intact," Elly whispered.

"Hopefully it had the same effect on him," Tony said. "Guess we'll see in the morning."

"Guess we will."

"Thank you both for everything you've done today. I know we both wanted to be there with you, but…"

"You had other priorities," Ziva said gently. "You are so used to taking care of us, but you are our family, too. Let us take care of you."

Elly nodded in full agreement.

"It's not me I'm worried about," Tony answered with a sad smile.

"She'll be okay. Not today, and not tomorrow, but one day, she _will_ be okay," Elly said with a shrug. "She has the two of you to help her through it, and I know that'll mean the world to her one day when she looks back."

Tony heard everything from Elly's past being said between the lines. He _didn't_ have that kind of family support. Sure, he may have been seeing some of the best shrinks around since he was four years old, but he didn't have the support of his family. With a father on the sea most of the time, and a brother with a huge age gap following in Dad's footsteps, there was no one. By time his stepmom came into the picture, it was too late. Tony reached out and squeezed his shoulder again. "Thanks, kid."

Elly reached up and squeezed Tony's hand a moment, and then let go. "Go home to 'em, Boss." Tony nodded, and left the hospital.

Twenty minutes later, he walked in to find Jethro and Amira still asleep on the couch. He walked over, tapped Jethro gently, and waited for him to open his eyes.

"I'm going to go upstairs to change the sheets on the bed, put some things away, get the room cleaned up," Tony said. "I'll whistle when I'm done, and then you can bring her up. She's probably going to want to sleep with us tonight."

Jethro nodded, rubbing his eyes, and then looking down at the sleeping girl on his chest. He was surprised she was still out.

"She's going to need to eat soon," Jethro said.

"It's only a little after five," Tony said. "Let's try to sleep for a while, and then when she wakes up, we'll feed her. We have to look into getting some clothes for her from the house, too. If she can sleep through the night, maybe we'll do an early breakfast and go take care of that before work."

"Are you interrogating this bastard tomorrow?" Jethro whispered.

"Yes," Tony said.

"Then I'm staying home with Amira."

"I figured as much, but we need to lay out a plan, and then give that plan to Vance, so I figured you'll at least be stopping by in the morning. Not to mention, your truck is at work."

"Probably gonna need that to move Amira's things," Jethro relinquished with a sigh.

"Yeah. Let me change the sheets, and then we'll try to sleep. I'm exhausted."

Jethro really looked at Tony, taking him in, and realized he looked more exhausted than he had earlier.

"What happened?" he asked.

"Op went well. Ned did great, but he's going to have a hard night. Went to see Dwahalini. Elly said something that reminded me that the kid has had a hell of a screwed up childhood, and that reminded me that it was something we had in common. I won't let her live her life like we had to, Jethro."

"I won't either," Jethro whispered reassuringly.

"I know," Tony said with a sad smile, then turned to go upstairs and change the sheets.

* * *

Ned woke up gasping for air. He coughed, choking on himself, and sat up. All he could think about was smoke. He looked around the room, trying to reconcile the vivid dream he had just had with the reality around him.

"I'm sorry," he whispered over and over again to himself, bending his knees so that he hung his arms over them as his head hung between them. The sobs broke free from his chest, and he fought off the memory of his dream.

It had started wonderfully, pieces of the night at the club with Elly rocking his world. That didn't last long enough though. Soon, the entire team was standing around, staring at them. Elly realized it and stood up, staring down at Ned, shaking his head.

"You did this," he said. "You made all this happen."

The group of people around him gave accusing glares, shaking their head in shame, and Elly turned around to lead the team away from him. Ned stood up, realizing he wasn't in the club anymore, but in The Yellow Triangle's compound.

Suddenly the building started filling with smoke. Black window panes shattered around him, sending glass flying through people like bullets as they ran. They fell to the ground as Ned walked slowly through the chaos around him, simply observing everything. He walked past body after body, some in normal clothes, some in hospital gowns, and as he looked down, large numbers painted in black appeared on them. Blood pooled along the floor, only it was black with red swirls like some kind of demonic oil.

Soon, the smoke replaced all clean air, and anyone not already on the ground was coughing. He couldn't see anything anymore. Flames suddenly engulfed the room, turning the coughing into screaming. Voices filled the air, words full of anger, fury, and blame, all aimed at Ned.

He could hear Tony's voice telling him that he would never be the same after watching him leave his heart behind and go forward with the orders. It was like a whisper in his ear, but no one was next to him. He could hear Gibbs' voice tell him that he had sacrificed his own integrity and values for the job, and that he was finally as cold as he was. The worst was Elly's voice, sad and dejected, telling him that he couldn't love a man with no heart; a man that could let so many people die.

He suddenly saw Elly in front of him, staring him down through the flames, and he reached for him, knowing somehow that if he simply took his hand, Elly would live through the inferno. He ran for him, trying to save him, but couldn't gap the mere feet between them. He reached for him, but Elly wouldn't reach back. He crossed his arms, shaking his head, making it obvious that he'd prefer to die than touch Ned.

The world lunged forward abruptly, and Ned fell with it, right through Elly as he turned to ash. The fall knocked the wind out of him, and that's when he awoke, gasping for air, and confused as to where the smoke and flames had gone.

He wiped his eyes. He really didn't want to be alone right then. He thought he should call Tony, but he was busy taking care of Amira. He even thought maybe if Tony was in the middle of something, Gibbs would reassure him, considering he'd done a lot more of this kind of thing, but again, knowing they were taking care of Amira, and that he'd just lost his friend, made his pain seem unworthy of attention. Greg came to mind, but he knew he'd shrink him to death, and though most of the time his teammate and friend's wisdom was more than welcome, he didn't want that right now.

He knew he was avoiding what he really wanted, and decided to hell with it. After days of barely being able to look at or speak to Elly, he texted him.

Hey.

Ned was surprised by the almost instantaneous reply.

Wow, hey. Thought you'd lost my number.

Haven't really been sure of what to say.

Dreams I'm having have been saying a lot. The cold shoulder I'm getting during the day says even more.

I waited all weekend for you to call me, to say something to me other than goodnight. You ran out, I gave you space like you obviously wanted, waited for you to come around, and then… nada.

Had to get my head on straight. Went to talk to you Monday morning, and I've never felt such a coldness from anyone. I can't imagine someone as warm as the man in my dreams being as cold as you were on Monday.

Ned sighed.

I'm lethal when brokenhearted. What can I say? Extreme heat, extreme cold. You think I'm warm in the dreams? It's nothing compared to what else is here. Even so, the dreams I just had weren't nearly as wonderful as the ones I've been having all week. Far from it actually. They're probably more like the Monday glare.

Wonderful?

Uh? Yeah! But tonight they've been replaced by nightmares, and when I woke up, all I could think about was how I wish you were here.

Elly stared at the phone in shock. He'd been pissed all day, not hearing from Ned, being completely ignored by him in the bullpen. He'd barely been able to make eye contact with him that day. He'd felt regret oozing from the other man, and he'd felt like an idiot for letting himself fall so hard for him. To see those words on the screen brought him to a place of utter confusion.

Really?

Yeah.

What were you dreaming about?

The op. How all those people died because I said for them to. And then they turned into our team, and we were all burning in a building.

Elly felt like an idiot suddenly. Ned had been through hell that day too. He remembered their discussion at the range weeks ago about Ned's fear of taking a life, and how it simply didn't sit well with him. He remembered thinking about how incredible it was to have a man in his world that valued life so much. Running the op had to have been stressful for him, and giving the command to follow through and take lives today would have stressed him out to the max.

 _That's why he didn't reply to me,_ he thought. _God I'm such a moron._

I'll be there in twenty.

When Ned opened up the door, Elly didn't say a word. He was exhausted, and he wasn't sure of what he was doing. He took Ned's hand, ignoring what he was saying, and dragged him into the bedroom. He turned around and put his finger over Ned's lips, shushing him.

"We're just going to sleep. No nightmares, no dreams, no flashbacks. No taking this anywhere we don't know if we really want it to go, and no talking about it tonight. Tonight, we're just going to sleep. You, me, pillows, blankets, and maybe at some point, a nasal strip."

Ned chuckled, and then nodded. Elly pulled off his jeans so that he was down to boxers, and slipped under the covers while Ned slipped in on the other side. When Ned reached to turn off the lamp, Elly slid his hands around his waist, spooning in from behind. They settled down together, enjoying being wrapped in one another's embrace, and fell asleep surprisingly quickly. Elly didn't even wake when Ned started to snore.

* * *

When Elly awoke the next morning, he and Ned were tangled together, face to face. Ned smiled at him softly, his fingers running through Elly's short hair slowly. Elly smiled back, the reality that he was in Ned's bed hitting him harder than when he fell asleep there the night before.

"Hi," he whispered sheepishly.

Ned's smile widened. "Hi."

Elly tried to look away, but his eyes were drawn back to Ned's again and again. He opened his mouth to say something, but Ned's hand slipped down from where it had been stroking his hair, to cup his face, and then his warm lips were pressed against his.

Elly's head spun. He couldn't breathe, his heart beat so hard and fast he thought he was going to have a heart attack, and so much emotion suddenly swelled inside of him that he thought he might cry in relief. He felt like so much of his life had been building up to this moment- this perfect, tender, loving moment, where he knew without a doubt that he was wanted and safe.

All of the distance he had always made sure to put between himself and everyone he encountered, while at the same time being desperate to love and be loved, was gapped, and he was wrapped in Ned's arms as the kiss deepened. He shook from top to bottom, from his hands that reached for Ned's face, to the breath that finally escaped his chest.

"You…" He finally whimpered as he pulled back for breath. "You didn't want me…" Elly felt his shaking double.

"Yes I did!" Ned argued quietly but vehemently, pulling Elly closer to him. "Every minute since I thought there was the tiniest chance you might want me! It's not every day I throw a container of Lysol wipes at someone. You were driving me crazy talking about Gleason! I have never been so jealous in my entire life!"

"But this week," Elly said, denying to himself that there were tears running down his face like a child. "You were so cold to me. I thought you regretted it."

"No! I waited all weekend for you to call me, and you didn't! I thought you didn't want _me._ There was nothing but a goodnight text. What was I supposed to feel after you ditched me, running out of the Boss' house like it was on fire, and then don't call?"

"It was a fight or flight reaction, and I guess I flew. You've got this awesome thing going at work, and I don't want you to have to give it up for me. And honestly, our team is the best thing that's ever happened to me. The idea of changing it scares the hell out of me, but how miserable I've been the past few days has been much worse than that. I'd walk out right now if I had to in order to keep this, to keep you."

Ned was touched, and something about the trust he felt coming from Elly made him feel extremely protective of the man in his arms. They were vulnerable together at that moment, and something Elly had said to him a couple of weeks earlier came to mind.

"When you said that I need someone to grow with, were you talking about you?" he asked quietly.

"I didn't want to admit it to myself at the time. My family doesn't know, Ned. Your family's reaction to you scares the hell out of me, but right now, I'd walk right up to my dad and brother and introduce you. You fit so well in this big, empty, gaping hole inside of me. I didn't realize one person could do that. I've tried to fill it with lots of people over the years, and then here you are."

Ned swallowed hard, reaching to wipe the tears streaming down Elly's face as he continued to talk.

"I have changed so much in the past few years, but I feel like I've only really been growing up, fitting into my own skin, over the past year. I feel like a completely different person, and I feel like I'm always going to be growing, changing, evolving, moving forward. I want someone who will do that with me, and I know that you're going through big changes right now, too. It feels _right_ , ya know? _You_ feel right, in all sorts of ways that no one has ever felt right before. And when you were talking about the Mr. Right versus the Mr. Right Now, I withdrew again. I didn't want to be your Mr. Right _Now_ , Ned. I just want to be your Mr. Right."

Ned was worried he might start crying, too, and had to clear his throat before he could talk.

"Evelyn and I were talking about her partner Rachael, and she said that Rachael could make her smile with the simplest thing, and could make her feel incredible with a look, a few words, a hug. I told her I knew that feeling, and I smiled as I thought of you. That's when I realized I was being an idiot, and that I needed to talk to you.

"With the op this week, I've been in shock, and I couldn't do anything but sleep. What I wanted to tell you was that you're the person that makes me feel amazing, incredible, and like the world is mine for the taking. You've been the most supportive person I've even known, and you're so damned positive, but not in that way that makes you wanna punch somebody on Monday morning, you know? You've somehow become my happiness, and when you didn't call me this weekend, it hurt, and I reacted, but I realized that the problem was that we weren't communicating, and that went for me too. I hadn't communicated what was going on over on my side of things either.

"I want this, Elly. I want you. I want us. I want us waking up together, and dating, and eventually making a life together, and figuring life out together. I wouldn't let myself accept the fact that I was falling in love with you, because I didn't know you weren't straight, and that's just a heartache waiting to happen, but it was like waiting for clearance to do a parachute jump or something. I can't stop falling now, and I want to grow old with you."

Elly's lips were pressed against Ned's suddenly, trying to tell him that they felt the same thing, trying desperately to convey what he was feeling when there weren't words that could come anywhere close to conveying it. There was a lifelong ache that disappeared into that kiss, like old scar tissue around his heart that had been restricting it his entire life was gone, and he could breathe again. He felt such an incredible relief that his entire body felt lighter, like he was going to float away any moment.

Ned was taken aback by how much emotion was in the kiss. He had never felt a kiss like that. It felt like he'd been doing it wrong his entire life, and Elly was showing him how it was supposed to be done. There was tenderness and fire, passion and need, trust and understanding. It was a language spoke silently, and he knew it as well as touch, sight, smell, like another sense he was just awakening to.

The heat that engulfed him set his teeth on edge as he tried not to bite Elly's lip and ruin the perfect moment. Having Elly so close to him, giving himself to him in that kiss, was the most incredible feeling in the world. It felt like they were merging, finally fitting into that special place in their hearts where only the other could fit. Ned could almost feel the moment where they locked into place, and he knew that this was the beginning of forever.

Elly felt it too, and he gasped into Ned's mouth. He knew they were going to have to stop there for now. They had to get up and get ready for work, and for as much as he knew, they were already late. Not only that, but he knew if they kept kissing, he wasn't going to make it the two months left in his one year commitment to stay celibate. He was hard as nails, and he realized Ned was too. That distracted him from the kiss as his eyes rolled back into his head as he thought about Ned's hard cock against his thigh. He could tell the weight, thickness and length, and he bit his lip hard as he imagined being impaled by it.

"You okay?" Ned asked.

"Oh, yeah. We should probably get up before we stay in bed all day," he said breathily.

"I wouldn't mind staying in bed all day," Ned said, leaning in to run his jaw over Elly's as he whispered in his ear. "We could stay just like this- me, you, blankets…"

"Mmmmmmm…" Elly moaned, biting his lower lip again. "No we can't.," he squeaked. "Tony's going to be interrogating Dwahalini today, and you two have the op to work through."

"Damn. I hate that you're right." Ned sighed, resting the side of his face against Elly's. "I'm going to do what I can to make sure we get a few minutes alone today. I don't know how I'm going to make it through the day without touching you otherwise."

Elly moaned again and then sat up. Ned looked at him in confusion. The sound was positive, the motion was not. He sat up and took Elly's hand. "What?"

"If you think _you're_ going to need to be touched, it's nothing compared to what I'm going to need," Elly said, reaching to run his fingers through Ned's unruly hair.

Ned smiled at him, squinting as he tried to get a read on Elly, who sighed.

"Might as well tell you now," Elly said, swallowing. He'd told Tony he was ten shades of screwed up, and he meant it. He hoped Ned would be able to handle it all, and knew this was going to be the first test of that. "I have an overwhelming need to be touched pretty much all the time. Anytime I'm sad, angry, anxious, upset in anyway, I crave physical comfort. When I'm happy, elated, excited, and I can't touch someone, it feels like I'm being… rejected? Neglected?"

Ned reached up and stroked Elly's cheek with his thumb, and Elly immediately nuzzled into his palm. Ned found that to be the most endearing thing he had ever witnessed, and his heart beat hard in his chest.

"My-" Elly began as Ned's hand slipped to the back of his neck, gently squeezing it. Elly's eyes closed as that tender touch soothed that ache inside like nothing else could have at the moment. He swallowed, fighting off the urge to pant like a dog getting scratched behind the ears. "My dad, brother, and aunt are all good people. They're just not the most affectionate in the world, and when Mom died, I apparently didn't have the kind of physical affection most kids have at that age. It messed with my wiring, and now I crave it like I'm making up for lost time."

He cringed, closing his eyes as he knew he was going to have to get the rest out while he had the chance, otherwise it would come back to bite him later.

"I looked for it in all the wrong places for a long time, Ned. When I said that I'd tried to fill that hole inside of me with lots of different people? I meant _a lot_." His eyes were squeezed shut, unable to open because he was afraid of Ned's reaction. "It's not what I want though!" He tried to explain. "I just want you! Just one person, _my_ _one person_ , who can fulfill that need for me, who can-"

Ned's finger went to Elly's lips, and he stopped talking. He slid his hands across Elly's jaws so that his fingers were wrapped around the sides of his face and head.

"Elly, look at me," Ned commanded gently. Elly's eyes fluttered open to meet his, and Ned's heart broke at just how sad and scared they looked. It was almost like that little boy was still trapped inside the man in front of him, and it was his eyes he was looking into. "I told you, I don't have any problem touching other people, and I will _definitely_ make sure you never doubt that. I'm looking forward to touching you all the time," he said with a reassuring smile. "And as for your past? I get it. I do. We both have people in our pasts, but they're in the past, and that's all that matters. If it'll make you feel better, some day, we can sit down and compare notes, but I don't need to. I know who I want, I know what I want, and like you said, we're both evolving, changing, growing, right?"

Elly nodded.

"I want who you're growing into, and if your past has been a part of that, that's fine. No one would be who they are today without the past that led them there, right?"

Elly nodded again, reassured by the weight of Ned's hands on the sides of his face.

"Then it was worth it. It brought you and I to this place together, and we're going to make this work. Trust me."

Elly nodded emphatically. "I do. God, I do trust you."

Ned felt Elly tremble as his hands ran down Ned's arms, feeling how solid and real he was. Ned ran his hands down the back of Ned's head and to his shoulders before pulling him towards him. Elly fell forward against Ned's body gladly. Ned ran his hands down Elly's back, loving the feel of his lean, muscular form.

"The next two months are going to suck," he said.

Elly suddenly started laughing against Ned's chest, his entire body shaking.

"No, seriously," Ned said, a smile on his face and a little laughter in his own voice. "We can't do _anything_? There's a lot of things I can think of that we can do that would still be safe, especially with protection."

"Hmmm…" Elly said as he considered that.

"I'm just thinking it's going to be really, really, really hard for me to have my hands all over you for the next two months without being able to take it _somewhere_. If you're not able, I get it, and I'm okay with that, but…" Ned ran his hands now Elly's back and stopped as his waistline. He sighed as he imagined what he would do to Elly at that moment if he would have been allowed to keep his hands moving and push the boxers over Elly's ass.

"Let me think about it, and I'll see what I can come up with," Elly said, pulling back to kiss Ned quickly before letting him go to jump out of bed.

"I suggest we discuss it over dinner tonight," Ned said, getting up, realizing that was probably the easiest date invitation he'd ever belayed.

"Excellent idea," Elly said, bending over to pick up his jeans off the floor.

"Are you going home to change?" Ned asked, looking at the clothes Elly had.

"No, just gotta run out to the car and get my go-bag. Forgot it when I came in last night. Had other things on my mind."

"Ahhhk," Ned said with a nod. "Good, because my car is at work, and I need a ride."

"Yeah you do!" Elly joked, spying Ned's erection.

Ned laughed. "You're a dick! I'll jump in the shower so it's free when you get back."

Elly hopped into his jeans and buttoned them, stepping towards Ned. "Sounds good," he said, then leaned in to kiss Ned quickly. Ned's hands went around his waist though, holding him in place a moment as the kiss deepened.

"Okay! We need to get moving," Elly said, shaking the kiss off as he backed out of Ned's grasp, loving the way Ned's hands lingered as long as possible until he pulled out of them.

"I'm glad at least one of us is feeling sensible this morning," Ned said, turning to head for the bathroom.

"I have a feeling we're going to need to take turns at that," Elly said as he left the apartment, closing the door behind him.

Ned turned the water in the shower on, letting it get warm as he stripped out of his tee and PJ pants he had slipped into while waiting for Elly the night before. He caught himself in the mirror and saw the way his eyes danced. His smile was broad from ear to ear, and he didn't even care that his hair was sticking up at all angles. He got under the water and he felt like he was washing off a past life, not just the dirt and sweat of the day before.

 _That's because today is a new day_ , he thought to himself. _A new day, and a new beginning._


	34. Chapter 34

Tony had called Jethro up to the bedroom with Amira, and slipped into his favorite, well-worn OSU t-shirt and sweatpants to sleep in. He crawled into bed, and Amira was handed off to him. She snuggled into him immediately and fell back to sleep. Jethro gave them a sad smile and took some shorts into the bathroom to hit the head and change. He stripped his polo off, leaving the shirt underneath on for the time being, and then kicked off his pants before taking a leak. The shorts went on, and then he washed his hands before gathering up his clothes and taking them out to the hamper.

Slipping under the thin blanket Tony had dressed the bed with, he turned towards him and Amira. As he watched them together, he couldn't help but smile. This wasn't how he'd wanted this scene to happen, but it was still one of the most touching things he had ever witnessed.

"You're incredible with her," he whispered, looking from Amira up to Tony, who shrugged. "For someone who's always stayed a mile away from any and every kid, you took to her like it was the most natural thing in the world. She took to you just as easily."

Tony stared down at Amira, who was tucked into the crook of his arm with her head on his chest. "What can I say?" he said softly, looking up at Jethro. "She's always felt like family. That makes all the difference."

"She is. She has been, and now she always will be." The weight of that sunk in, and Jethro laid his head down on the pillow, trying not to think about how the day had gone, and he couldn't. He couldn't get the image of Leyla on the kitchen floor out of his head, even as he watched his lover and his goddaughter snuggled close. He felt like he'd failed her. He wasn't able to keep her safe. He felt like he'd failed Mike in some ways, too.

He told himself that they shouldn't have gotten her involved in their case, but then shook his head slightly when he realized that no matter what they may have done, the chances she would have become involved were still high. Helping people in Dina's shoes was exactly what Leyla did. She'd always dropped hints, said things that were meant to be read between the lines, and he admired her courage.

He watched Amira sleep, and he knew that one day, she would be just like her mother. She'd be wise, driven, beautiful, and independent. Watching the way Tony held her, he knew she would never have any doubts that she was loved and wanted, that she would never feel abandoned or forgotten, that she would never want for anything.

Jethro's arm reached across Amira to rest on Tony's stomach. Tony gave him a sad smile, and they knew they'd both been thinking about the same kinds of things.

"Get some sleep, Tony," Jethro whispered.

Tony took his right hand and laced his fingers into Jethro's as it lay across him. The huddle of warm bodies was reassuring, and as both men closed their eyes, they sighed in unison, making each of them smile a smile the other wouldn't see as they drifted off to sleep.

* * *

At 0200, Tony awoke to Amira's voice frantic in the dark. He sat up and reached for the light immediately, feeling Jethro doing the same. The room was suddenly much brighter, and Amira was crawling up into Tony's lap.

"Hey," Tony said gently. "You okay?"

"I want mommy," she said, gasping for breath as the sobs started choking her even before the tears began falling.

"I know, sweetie," Tony cooed, holding her tightly.

Jethro turned to face them, sitting cross-legged on the bed. He took Amira's hand and held it firmly. He wanted so much to tell her that he wished she was there too, that he felt just as sad as she did, but he knew he had to be strong for her.

"She's always going to be with you," he said, putting the weight of his belief behind it. "Always."

The words might as well have fallen on deaf ears.

Tony rocked Amira softly, brushing her hair out of her eyes. He realized he was getting snotted on, and winced.

"Can you hand me some Kleenex?" Tony asked, nudging his head towards the nightstand.

Jethro nodded and turned to take a few tissues from the box, then began working on Amira's runny nose. He couldn't remember the last time he had held tissues to someone's nose and told them to blow. It would have probably had to of been Kelly. It was still second nature to him, and that surprised him. _I guess there are some things you just never forget,_ he thought to himself.

"Thanks," Tony said with a sad smile.

Jethro nodded, threw the tissues away and grabbed another couple just in case. He shifted so he faced Tony and the headboard more as he rubbed Amira's back. He knew there was nothing else they were going to be able to do other than let her cry it out for a while.

Twenty minutes later, she was sniffling, but the sobs had simmered down to the occasional hiccup.

"Dirt?" she asked, looking around the bed in confusion.

"He's downstairs on the couch, honey. He's safe," Jethro said quietly.

"I want Dirt," she said, hiccupping again.

"Okay," he said. "You want to come downstairs with me and get him? We can see if there's anything to eat in the fridge while we're at it."

"My blue is down there," she said, nodding and letting go of Tony to reach her arms out for Jethro.

He reached over and took her, letting her wrap her arms around his neck firmly as he scooted off the bed and stood up. His back creaked from picking her up and carrying her without stretching after sleeping in the same position all night. He ignored it, and was glad when he heard Tony's feet hit the floor as well. He smirked to himself when he heard Tony stretch, his spine and knee popping the way it always did. He liked knowing that he wasn't the only one whose body was rejecting this middle of the night wake up call.

He heard Tony go into the bathroom as he carried Amira down the stairs, and hoped he'd join them for some food instead of going back to bed. He figured he would, but he wasn't sure. He knew that he'd gotten more sleep than Tony had, and he wasn't going to begrudge him whatever he needed after the day he'd had and the day he was about to have.

He sat Amira down on the couch and she scooped up the bear, hugging him tightly.

"Blue?" she asked.

"What's blue?" he asked, looking around in confusion.

Tony started coming down the stairs and heard Jethro's question. He smiled. "She has a bottle of Gatorade somewhere," he said.

"Ah, blue. I put it in the fridge. Come look at what we have to eat with me," he said, extending his hand so she'd take it. She followed him into the kitchen, and Tony followed behind her. Jethro opened up the fridge and found the partial bottle of Gatorade on the shelf. He twisted the lid loose before handing it off to Amira. She sat on the floor, Dirt wedged into her lap where she sat Indian style, and brought the bottle to her lips.

"What do we got?" Tony asked, looking over Jethro's shoulder, his hand on his back.

"Stuff for sandwiches, milk, eggs, bacon, some pineapple, cottage cheese, celery, lettuce, carrots… When did we start eating healthy?" Jethro grumbled.

"Since Ducky gave me an update on my cholesterol and I didn't like it. Been sneaking healthier stuff in for the past month. However, we have a freezer loaded with comfort food. I know there's some pizzas, a couple different types of fries, ice cream, chicken tenders, a pan of lasagna, garlic bread, frozen vegetables including that cheesy cauliflower stuff you like that we just put in the microwave."

"I do love that stuff," Jethro said, closing the fridge door and opening the freezer. "Wanna do that and a pizza?" he asked.

"Sounds good. I want some pineapple, too," Tony said, stepping back so Jethro could turn on the oven.

"Why don't you go sit at the table, munchkin," Jethro said, trying not to step on Amira who was still firmly planted on the floor.

Tony reached in the fridge for the plastic container full of cut up pineapple, and then got in the drawer for a fork. He reached down to take the Gatorade from Amira as she tried to stand up with both the bottle and Dirt in her hands. She followed him to the dining room table and pulled out an end chair, sat Dirt in it, and then pulled out another and crawled up onto it. She reached for the bottle of Gatorade Tony sat on the table in front of her, and sat back with it taking a drink, a hand on each side of the bottle.

"Do you like pineapple?" Tony asked.

Amira nodded. Tony smiled and took his fork, cutting a large piece into three, then spearing one and holding the fork out to Amira. She bit the piece off the end of it, and chewed it with an approving nod. Tony chuckled and popped another large piece in his mouth before spearing another small one and holding the fork out to Amira again. She eagerly chomped on it as Jethro came around the corner with two mugs of coffee. He smiled at the scene before him, and handed Tony a mug. Tony smiled back. Jethro was so busy watching the two in front of him that he almost sat on Dirt.

"Wait!" Tony said, reaching for Dirt, while at the same time Amira gasped loudly.

"What?!" Jethro said, surprised at the vehement reactions.

"Don't worry!" Tony exclaimed, handing the bear to Amira. "It's okay! I saved him."

Jethro chuckled as he sat down, smiling as he looked at the bear in Amira's arms. She slid off of her chair and put him securely on the one next to her, propping him so only his ears could be seen over the edge. Tony and Jethro exchanged a look and a smile, and Jethro shook his head.

"There!" she said. "Now don't sit on him!"

"Yes ma'am," Jethro said, trying to nod seriously. "I will always look before I sit down from now on."

"You'd better!" Amira said, earning a snicker out of Tony, which earned a headslap out of Jethro, which earned a gasp out of Amira, and a full out laugh from both Tony and Jethro.

"It's okay," Tony reassured the wide-eyed girl. "Gibbsy only hits me like that as a joke. It doesn't hurt. He'd never hit me for real."

"Well," Jethro said, looking at Tony with a shrug. "Sometimes I do hit you when we're training." He turned to look at Amira. "We have to fight sometimes to practice fighting off the bad guys," he explained.

Tony suddenly remembered that they were getting mats for the basement any day now. He tried to keep his blushing to a minimum, but all he could think about was the fact that they were going to have to get a lock for the _inside_ of the basement door.

"Does it hurt?" Amira asked seriously.

"Sometimes, but if we don't practice fighting for real, we won't be able to fight off the bad guys," Tony said. "We always make each other feel better afterwards though." Tony froze, realizing that sounded pretty bad, but Amira's innocent nod and ability to take it for face value as she turned her attention back to her Gatorade made him feel better. He took another small piece of pineapple and reached over to her. She bit the piece off, leaving an obvious slobber trail on the fork, and Tony cringed. Jethro watched and laughed.

"Might as well get used to it," he said. "You're a dad now."

"You're talking to the only man on this side of the millennium who has survived the Plague. I'm a firm believer in cooties."

"Cooties?" Amira said. "Oh, no, Dirt! He's got cooties!" She left her bottle of Gatorade on the table and grabbed the bear off the chair, running for the living room.

Tony's jaw dropped comically as he watched Amira run, jump on the couch, and throw the blanket over her. Jethro was laughing at the whole scene, and when a tiny hand reached out from under the blanket to feel around for the black bear, suddenly snagging it and yanking it under the covers with her, Jethro bent over laughing as he tried to catch his breath. Tony sat there in shock.

"I do _not_ have cooties!" he announced in his mock-offended voice.

"Yes you do!" Amira said from under the blanket rather matter-of-factly.

"I don't have cooties! _You_ have cooties!" he countered, getting up in a pretend huff to put the pineapple back in the fridge. Jethro's laughter filled the house, and Tony loved the way it sounded. He knew that no matter what they went up against, as long as they could laugh together like this, they would be okay.

* * *

A couple of hours later, Amira was passed out on the couch with a full belly of pizza and even a little cheesy cauliflower. Tony and Jethro were sitting at the dining room table with notepads in front of them as they made lists of everything they were going to have to do. Jethro had gotten into a lockbox in the basement and found his copy of Leyla's will. She had made sure he had in case anything happened, and her family tried to take Amira from him. All of Leyla's assets would be liquidated and put into an account for Amira's needs. She didn't have much, but she had a life insurance policy in place to make sure Amira was taken care of.

"I'm going to need to change my life insurance so that you and Amira are the payees now instead of Dad," Jethro said quietly.

"Your work policy?" Tony asked.

"Yeah. Didn't keep a policy after I divorced Stephanie except for the one attached to the health insurance. Wasn't a need."

Tony nodded. "This is going to sound creepy, but you've been the beneficiary of my work policy since the day I made you my medical proxy."

"Me? Why me?" Jethro asked.

"Because I didn't want my father to get it. I knew you'd probably do something worthwhile with it anyway. Build another boat, donate it to some cause, put it towards a decent retirement. He'd just waste it. Didn't want that." Tony shrugged.

Jethro reached across the table and took his hand, letting their fingers fold together. "Going to have to get a better policy. We both probably should."

Tony nodded. "Lawyer is already on it. Information was included with the update to the will. That's going to have to change again now before I sign it."

"There's so much to do. We're going to have to put together Leyla's funeral, get the house taken care of, make sure that anything of any importance comes over here and is gone through so that Amira has it when she gets older. Photos, personal affects, clothes, toys, everything else in Amira's room…"

"We'll get it taken care of. I…" Tony cringed, not sure how to put his question. "This is going to sound horrible, and I'm sorry, but what was the scene like? Was it bad?"

"She was in the kitchen," Jethro whispered, wanting to make sure Amira didn't hear if she woke up. "Kitchen knife she'd grabbed to defend herself was turned on her. Straight through her abdomen. I don't know if the kitchen is going to be clean enough for her to go in when we get her things. I could probably go in and take up the tiles easily enough. There wasn't much spatter…"

Tony felt Jethro's fingers tightening around his as he spoke, and finally they were so tight that they hurt. "Jethro," he said, trying not to wince. "It's okay. I'm not going anywhere."

Jethro nodded. "Yeah, I know."

"Then, loosen the grip just a little for me," Tony said with a sad smile.

"Oh." Jethro went to let go of Tony's hand, but he wouldn't let him.

"I didn't say to let go," he corrected, firmly placing their hands on the table together. "Now where were you?"

Jethro looked up into Tony's eyes. "Her eyes were open," he said quietly. "Always defiant, that one. She wouldn't even close them in death."

"Her daughter seems to be just like her," Tony said with a soft chuckle. Jethro smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, she is. Best damn thing for her, too."

"I agree. Going to be hell on us though."

"Oh, yeah. You know, I thought I'd work until the day I died because I didn't have a family to come home to. Now, I'm pretty sure I'm going to work until I die _because_ I have a family to come home to. Terrorists and murders are going to be so much easier to work with than a teenage daughter. At least I can shoot _them_." Tony laughed. "You know I'll be turning seventy the year she graduates from high school?"

Tony stopped to consider that, then shrugged. "All the more reason to have the carrots, celery and pineapple in the fridge."

"Yeah." Jethro turned to look through the archway at the sleeping figure on the couch. "I'm going to need to be able to beat them off with a stick."

"I don't have any doubts that you'll still be able to scare any kid off that falls for her with the patented Gibbs-glare. Hey, now that I'm becoming a Gibbs, do I get rights to the glare?" Tony joked, leaning back in his chair.

"You'll develop your own version of it soon enough with a child to raise. You'll find that you have glares and stares and _looks_ for every occasion." Jethro smiled at Tony. "You've already got the "I'm so wrapped around your finger" look down. I'm sure it won't be long until you have the, "Let me give you the world" look, and the "I'm at your service" look."

Tony took a crumpled post-it note from the table, and threw it at Jethro with a smirk. Jethro chuckled.

"So, I had a thought earlier," Tony said, leaning forward on the table, his whisper growing ultra-soft.

"Oh?"

"We're going to need to get something that locks to put our gear in that's under the bed. And along the same line, we're actually going to have to start locking our lock boxes."

Jethro nodded. "Yeah, we are. Leyla made sure her will was airtight for a reason. She's had it looked over by a couple of lawyers to make sure that Amira stays in my care and in the States. If her family was to try to push to gain custody they would have to prove that we're unfit parents. Can't give them any reason to think otherwise, and so we need to make sure we play by all the rules. I can actually fit the nightstand drawers with little locks, and we can still keep our other things in there."

"Sounds good. What else should we do around here to childproof the house and make it more kid friendly?"

"We should probably find some place to store the liquor we're never going to get to drink again," Jethro said with a rueful smile as he thought about how nice it would be if he could go embalm himself in bourbon without a care. "I'll make sure everything is put away in the basement that could be dangerous. She'll probably never go down there alone, but just in case we turn our backs and she's gone exploring, I want to make sure she doesn't step on a nail or find something she shouldn't."

Tony nodded. "Should she stay in the guest bedroom until we can put her things in her room?" Tony asked tentatively. Jethro squeezed his fingers, but smiled.

"Kelly's old room is a lot brighter, and there's no access from a porch roof like the guest bedroom has from the deck. I'd prefer her in that room. Not to mention, it doesn't share a wall with our room, and the likelihood of her hearing us from down the hall is..." Jethro shrugged, his point made.

"I don't know," Tony said. "As much as I don't want her to hear _us_ , I want to be able to hear _her_ if she starts crying or something."

"She'll be fine. When we're about to fall asleep for the night, we'll crack our door so we can hear her. The first thing you learn about having a kid in the house that can walk on their own- there is absolutely no such thing as privacy."

"Good to know!" Tony said with a breathy chuckle. "We'll need to make sure whoever we get to watch Amira can do date nights."

"Yeah. About that. Walden is year round, which is one of the reasons that Leyla put her there. It's too far from work and home though to keep Amira in. We need to look for her a new program around here. She turns five in December, so she's still going to be too young for a lot of kindergartens. She'd been in Walden's daycare, and they went ahead and put her in preschool early since she showed an aptitude for reading. They're a Montessori though, and they can put her through whatever paces she can handle. We'll be lucky if we can find a school that will nurture that in her so young, nonetheless one with a summer program."

"We're going to need to find an on-call sitter anyway," Tony said. "We never know when we're both going to end up with cases at the same time. Or we could get wrapped up in an op and a case and both not be home until midnight. We need to start thinking about possibly hiring a nanny." Tony saw how Jethro wrinkled his nose. "Our other option is to both take turns on leave this summer until she can start school in the fall, and then find a damned flexible babysitter."

"Don't really like either option, but if we can find someone we can trust, then it would probably be best to get a nanny."

"Joan Truxton, the vice-principal at Walden knew Leyla. I wonder if she would be able to suggest someone, or maybe someone from the Epiphany."

"The Epiphany?" Jethro asked.

"Oh, yeah! You know how Leyla had told us to tell Malek that kindness is shown by all those who have had the epiphany?"

Jethro nodded.

"Well apparently the Church of the Epiphany is a Catholic church in downtown, and they rent their basement to a Muslim group to hold prayer services in, and the priest that runs the church runs a sort of underground railroad for refugees from Islamic countries."

Jethro raised an eyebrow at Tony.

"Haven't had time to fill you in," Tony said with a shrug. "This Joan Truxton has a couple of connections to the organization, but she's not in very deep. She's more involved in helping to place children in school until they are moved to a more secure location. She might be able to suggest some kind of alternative, or perhaps even give a recommendation for Amira to start kindergarten sooner despite her age."

"Doesn't hurt to ask," Jethro said.

"I can call her in a couple of hours and explain what's happened. Amira might still have things at school she'll want to pick up, too. I'll ask her then."

Jethro nodded and took a deep breath as Tony scribbled the addition to his list of things to do, starring it.

"I hope Amira doesn't have a hard time with you leaving to go to work," Jethro said.

"Why would she? I left last night and she was fine."

"She was also knocked out."

"You'll be coming to see me at work soon enough," Tony pointed out. "She's a feisty kid. She'll be okay. Do you want to run over to the house while she's asleep and try to get her enough clothes to last her a couple of days until we can get full access to everything?"

Jethro exhaled and nodded.

"Would you rather me go?" Tony asked, unsure of the look on Jethro's face.

"No," Jethro finally said. "I should go. Spend a few minutes there to clear my head before we go over together with Amira later."

Tony nodded. "Okay. I'll tell Vance that the two of you will be coming by at some point, and then after we know what's happening in MTAC, I'll call you. That will give Dwahalini a little time to stir, and then I've got to decide who is coming into MTAC with me."

"Should probably be Dorneget."

"Ned? He's already going to have a hell of a lot on his plate."

"Exactly. He needs to be able to see the fruits of his labors when Dwahalini cracks. You told me how passionate he got when he broke down Brand, and you said he had it rough after MTAC last night."

"Yeah, it wasn't pretty."

"As bad as your first time?" Jethro asked quietly.

"Much worse," Tony said. "I think he's right- he hasn't been in the field long enough to really handle being in there fulltime. He did an incredible job, but he's not ready for it personally. He's just…"

"Innocent," Jethro said.

Tony nodded. "Yeah, I guess. At least my first time, I'd taken lives before in the field. Still isn't my favorite thing to do, but it's a necessary part of the job. I told him that the next time you and Tim head to the Middle East he's hitching a ride."

"It could be helpful to have someone along that actually speaks a little Arabic. Might be helpful in your interrogation as well."

"True. Damn, I hate that you're right about this one. I don't want to put him through that."

"Trial by fire," Jethro said with a shrug. "He's a lot tougher than we've given him credit for."

"You can say that again. You know what he told me this morning? Or, I guess yesterday morning," Tony clarified as he looked at his watch. "He told me that Elly hasn't called him yet, and that they haven't talked since they left here Saturday morning."

"And he was still able to do all this with a straight head."

"Yeah," Tony said with a nod. "I can't tell you how relieved I am that Vance isn't splitting my team up. With all of the other stuff, that would have taken me out. I can handle it all, as long as I know that at the end of the day, I have you, and I have my team."

Jethro squeezed his fingers. "I feel the same damn way."

"I told Dwahalini that after I'm done with him I'm turning him over to the FBI and CIA to be tortured for information on his involvement in the human trafficking industry." Tony's smirk made Jethro chuckle.

"Do you even have any leads in the other agencies to do that with?" Jethro asked with a grin.

"I was going to hit Fornell up to see who he has that he can send over, and of all people, Ned has a connection in the CIA. I was going to ask him to check on it, or if he can't come through, I was going to contact Meisner and see if he has any suggestions."

"How is he?" Jethro asked.

"Not ready to come over from the dark side yet," Tony said with a chuckle. "He insists on staying where he can do the most good, and he believes that's within a corrupt organization, holding down the last bit of integrity possible."

"That's true. He's probably one of the only good ones still out in the field. He never did have a taste for blood like the others."

Tony nodded. "I'm dying to know who this CIA contact is that Ned has. I know he talks to Claudia, but there's someone else, and I told him at first not to give it up, because you know how important it is to have your own marks, but now it's like an itch I just wanna scratch. I can't imagine him having dalliances with anyone from that side of the sadistic fence."

"Must be a newbie or someone in the tech world. Couldn't be a regular agent. No way." Jethro squeezed Tony's hand and got to his feet. "Gonna put fresh coffee on. Getting close to sunrise."

"Yeah. I should probably go lay down for an hour before I have to actually get up for work. I'm kind of surprised that our phones haven't been ringing off the hook."

"Heh. I thought the same thing earlier. Almost feels like…"

"A conspiracy?" Tony said, coming up from behind Jethro, sliding his hands around his waist and resting his head on Jethro's shoulder.

"Mmmm… yeah," he said, putting the coffee back down on the counter to rest his hands over Tony's. "I think Amira will probably sleep for another couple of hours. Maybe instead of coffee I'll go upstairs with you."

"I'd like that," Tony said, standing straight and pulling Jethro with him towards the archway. "I'd like that a lot."

Jethro chuckled and followed Tony gladly upstairs to the bedroom. They closed the door, and he pulled Tony back towards him as he leaned against it. Tony smiled and came willingly. Jethro ran his hands up Tony's arms, feeling the strength in them as Tony's hands went around Jethro's waist. Tony leaned in, closing his eyes as he ran his stubbled jaw across Jethro's, earning a sharp inhale from the older man.

"What can I do for you?" Tony asked.

"Hmm." Jethro thought about it for a moment, afraid of Amira waking up and coming in to find them, but then the answer hit him. "Come take a shower with me?"

Tony was still nuzzling Jethro's jaw, his mouth by his ear, nibbling his way across Jethro's throat when he answered. He stopped after nipping at Jethro's ear. "That's brilliant. The bathroom door has a lock on it."

"Exactly," Jethro said, running his hands down Tony's back.

"Let's go," Tony said, stepping back to pull Jethro with him towards the ensuite.

The door was locked behind them, and Jethro turned the water on while Tony stripped out of his clothes. When he turned around, Tony was naked and reaching for him. His hands landed on Jethro's side in that tender place that he'd never felt as a hot spot until Tony touched him there. He was sure by now that there must be a nerve or something that ran straight from that spot to his cock, because it twitched and started hardening immediately.

Tony ran his hands up under Jethro's shirt, stroking softly and leaning forward to capture his mouth in a slow, languid kiss. He took his time feeling Jethro's torso with his palms and fingers, careful not to tickle but arouse as he explored. A minute later, he was lifting Jethro's shirt over his shoulders and head, tossing it behind him carelessly. He wrapped his arms around Jethro's shoulders as he kissed him, and Jethro ran his hands across Tony's waist and down to his ass, caressing and drawing him nearer.

"I want you wet," Tony said roughly into Jethro's ear.

"Then take these shorts off of me," Jethro whispered back.

"I can do that," Tony said, letting go of his grasp around Jethro's neck to slide his hands down his chest and torso until he came to the button and zipper of the old warn cargo shorts that Jethro had put on to sleep in the night before. They dropped to the floor, and Tony pushed the boxers that were under them down to join them.

They stepped under the water, and Jethro closed his eyes as the spray ran over his head and down his body. Tony stepped against him so their bodies were flush together, and started kissing him through the current, his hand slowly stroking the other man's hard cock lazily.

Jethro hung his arms over Tony's shoulders, kissing him back, exchanging suckles and nips slowly. He fought back the urge to hurry, bit down on the fear that Amira would wake up needing them at any minute, and lost himself in his lover's touch. Tony demanded it. By his slow, tantalizing actions, his gentle touches, his sweet and passionate kisses, and the firm grasp on Jethro's cock, he somehow managed to command time to stop, allowing them this moment together.

Jethro thrust absently into Tony's grasp. He wasn't in any rush to finish, he just wanted the extra jolt. He ran his hands down Tony's back to his ass again, pulling Tony towards him. Tony understood, and took both of their cocks in his fist, thrusting forward as well so they slid against one another, creating a breathtaking friction.

"Oh, God," Tony whispered. "How do you always feel so damned wonderful?"

Jethro simply found his mouth again in answer, resuming their kiss. His hands kneaded Tony's ass while Tony's free hand ran up Jethro's back and into his hair, pulling the locks on the top his head where it was longest, and holding him in place while they kissed.

"More," Jethro whispered.

Tony stroked them just a little faster, but his mouth pulled back just enough to speak against Jethro's lips. "I want you."

"Anything. What do you want?" Jethro spoke back, his breath hitting Tony's lips before leaning in to start kissing him again. He felt like the world was coming undone around him, and he would do anything Tony wanted him to do right then. No request was too large or too small.

"You…" he began, getting lost in the kiss again before he could finish his thought.

"You have me," Jethro whispered as their lips parted again to breathe.

"In me. God… just take me, Jethro."

Jethro's mouth moved to Tony's shoulder and neck as he turned him around, pulling so Tony's back was right against his chest. He kept kissing Tony's shoulder and up his neck until his mouth was at Tony's ear. He didn't say anything, but breathed in, exhaling into it.

Tony trembled as he exhaled, and fumbled around on the shower ledge for the tube of lube they kept in there. He wondered if that was something else they should hide. They'd chosen an oil based lube from the shower, and a water based for the bedroom. He flipped open the lid and Jethro stuck his hand out in front of him, not breaking contact from where his lips had begun suckling a tender spot in Tony's neck, marking him where he knew his collar would hide it.

Tony squirted lube out into Jethro's palm, and then drizzled some over his fingers. Jethro quickly reached between them, pulling away from Tony just enough to slick his cock and slide his slick fingers up and down Tony's ass, before slipping a digit into him. Tony groaned, and Jethro sighed in contentment.

Nothing ever felt like this did, nothing ever felt so damned right to him as when he merged with Tony. He pressed another finger into him, and slid them in and out. Tony started sliding back against them, and Jethro pulled the fingers out, and took his heavy cock in his hand, sliding it against Tony's crack until he started to slip into the hole waiting for him there. He pushed the slightest bit and felt the ring of muscle give way to slip tightly over the head, constricting around him as he breached it. He pulled back some, then pushed forward again, slipping all the way in slowly until he was in as far as he was going to go with them standing up straight.

"There you are," he whispered against Tony's ear. "Now you're close enough." He remained still, just feeling Tony surround him, engulf him, be as close as could be. He felt Tony tremble, and thrust once, returning to his position for another long minute while he sucked on Tony's earlobe.

Tony was all sensation. He felt Jethro's stillness with such intensity that he thought he would implode. There was such an intimacy about the way he just held him and kissed him despite the cock that filled him. It once again reminded Tony that with Jethro, he found the difference between having sex and making love. When Jethro finally began moving, Tony thought he was going to shatter. The movements were slow, deliberate, meant to allow them both to feel every single centimeter of skin on skin sliding against one another.

Jethro's hands ran up Tony's stomach and gently tweaked his nipples as he thrust, and Tony gasped. This was love in slow motion, and he felt like the tiles on the shower wall were suddenly brighter, that the taste of Jethro's mouth sweeter as he turned his head to capture a kiss. He ached sweetly, battling against the dual cravings to go both faster and slower, and he could tell by the look on Jethro's face, and the way he kissed him, that his lover was having the same conundrum. The look was still and peaceful, but the kiss was passionate and fiery.

Tony began to thrust back slowly. He wasn't going to be able to resist adding to the sensation, but he could remain in the spirit of the tenderness Jethro had set. They continued their over-the-shoulder kiss, and despite the way Tony's neck began to ache, they kept a steady pace of thrusts between them. Tony finally started feeling incoherent enough that he let go of the kiss, turning his head forward again as he panted. He was startled when Jethro's hand started stroking his cock, and he gasped, his eyes rolling into the back of his head.

There was no control after that. He bent forward, placing a hand on each side of the tub so that Jethro's thrusts slid over his sweet spot in that way his thick head always did when bent forward. Water started running down his back and up over his head in the opposite direction. He didn't care that it was going to choke him any minute. Jethro's thrusts got faster and harder, restrained energy released. His fingers began playing with Tony's balls, willing the orgasm to hit and milk his own from him. After another minute, Tony felt lightning race down his back, exploding in both directions as his orgasm rushed him.

Jethro heard the moaning wail come from Tony and then felt the muscles around his cock tighten in spasms as Tony's entire body went stiff. He bent over and slipped his arm around Tony's waist, pulling him upright and moving to pin him against the wall while he thrust into him again and again. He felt the urgency rush over him as he pumped his hips rhythmlessly and then jolted to a stop as he cried out, releasing into Tony. Another few slow thrusts as the tidal wave receded left him soft as he slipped out of Tony, and he pulled the younger man back into his arms, holding him tightly.

"I am _never_ going to get enough of you," Jethro whispered, pulling Tony's limp body the step back so he was under the water.

"Never," Tony whispered, turning around to rest his head on Jethro's should. "Never…"

Jethro grabbed the soap and started cleaning Tony before the water turned cold. He gently lathered him up, making sure to get him clean enough to go to work. As his soapy hands coasted over Tony's body, Tony became aware enough of the world around him to look up into Jethro's blue eyes with his own hazy green ones. They stared at each other, absorbing the honest love in each other's expressions. Both knew, without a doubt, that no matter what form of hell they went through, as long as they went through it together, they'd be okay.

Jethro leaned forward and kissed Tony, unloading his emotions into the kiss when words felt like they would fail them both dramatically. Tony reveled in it as swipes and twists of Jethro's tongue caused emotions to bounce through him, lighting up everything they touched. He felt like nothing was impossible- like the world was theirs for the taking. The water turned scalding hot quickly, startling them both.

"Whoa!" Tony said through a chuckle as he jumped back, and Jethro turned for the knob.

"Amira's up," Jethro said, shooing Tony out of the shower.

"What?"

"She probably just flushed the toilet in the bathroom. No other reason for the hot flash."

"Shit," Tony said as he jumped out of the shower and grabbed a towel. Jethro was right behind him, running the towel over him as Tony grabbed his clothes from the floor and put them back on. He hated doing that more than anything after a good shower, but he knew that any second now, they'd hear their little girl knocking on either the bedroom door or the bathroom door. He turned to see Jethro was still drying himself, and cautiously opened the door to make sure they were alone. He closed it behind him and left Jethro to dry of as he went out into the hallway, a towel around his neck to catch the water dripping from his hair.

"Amira, sweetie?" he asked quietly. He could hear water splashing in the bathroom, and knocked on the door. "What are you doing in there?"

"Washing my hands," a little voice, dopey with sleep said.

"Are you done yet?" he asked, knowing she had to have been washing them for a few minutes or going through the cabinets. He cautiously opened the door, and found Amira was playing in a rather full sink. She had pulled the stopper and was letting the bar of soap that was on the sink ledge float around like a little boat.

"Whoa," he said. "Hold on." He reached forward to push the drain plug stem down and start draining the water.

"Awww…" Amira whined. He took the towel from around his neck and started wiping down her hands. She was drenched, and they didn't have any extra clothes for her. Jethro appeared behind him as he reached for a full bath towel to wrap her in, and chuckled.

"What were you doing, munchkin?" he asked.

"Playing with the boat," she said matter-of-factly.

"The boat?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"The soap," Tony said. "Of course she'd like boats." He chuckled and picked up Amira, who was now bundled up in the towel. She clung to him and yawned.

"You going to sleep some more?" Jethro asked her gently. Amira shook her head no, but turned to rest it on Tony's shoulder with her eyes drooping.

"If you're going over to get her things, you're going to need to hurry so I can get to work," Tony said softly.

"Let me finish getting dressed. Can you put the coffee on?"

"Definitely," Tony said, realizing he wasn't going to get a nap in now before work, and he was going to need the caffeination. "Come on, Miss Amira. Let's see what we can do for breakfast." Tony looked at the sleepy bundle against his shoulder and smiled. "Or maybe not," he whispered, hoping she was falling back to sleep.

He looked up at Jethro who looked back, smiling. Jethro leaned forward and kissed him gently. Tony grinned from ear to ear.

"I'll be down in a minute," Jethro whispered.

"You hungry?" Tony whispered back.

"Not really."

Tony nodded, knowing that they had eaten not too long ago, and Jethro probably wouldn't be hungry for a while. He took Amira down to the couch and laid her back over the pillows she'd fallen asleep on earlier. He covered her over with the afghan, and she pulled Dirt to her instinctively as she started to doze off.

Tony stretched on his way to the kitchen to make the coffee. He found where Jethro had filled the filter before they went upstairs, but left it sitting on the counter. He slipped it into the machine, checked to make sure the ever present water supply was there, and then flipped the switch. He pulled two to-go cups from the cabinet, per their normal morning routine, and put sugar in the bottom of one for himself.

He opened the fridge and scanned it for something to eat. He wasn't all that hungry himself at the moment, but he knew he probably wouldn't get a chance to eat again until late in the afternoon. He pulled out the milk and reached for some cereal. He poured a bowl, but before he added the milk, he saw the coffee was done and decided to pour that. He was snapping the lids on the cups when he felt warm, strong hands come around his waist. Tony smiled into the embrace and sighed.

"I don't know which smells better- you or the coffee," Jethro said quietly. Tony turned around in Jethro's arms and slipped his over Jethro's shoulders.

"I gotta leave in an hour and twenty minutes," he said.

"Okay. I'm going to go over to the house, get some clothes for Amira, grab some toys, her bedding, and check out the fridge to get a feel for her likes and dislikes."

"This is going to sound weird, but when we go back, we might want to take the cooler. If some of her favorites are in there, would make sense to bring them back for her."

Jethro nodded. "Makes sense."

Tony shrugged.

"I should go," Jethro said quietly, running his hand over the back of Tony's neck.

"Take care of yourself."

Jethro nodded then leaned in to kiss Tony. The kiss started deepening, and that's when a little voice cried out, "You're going to get his cooties, Gibbsy!"

Both Tony and Jethro started laughing, breaking the kiss. Jethro looked over his shoulder, his hands still around Tony's waist.

"I already have his cooties," he announced proudly.

"Ew! Cooties!"

Amira turned to run into the other room like she had the night before, and Tony chuckled as Jethro chased after her, swooping to snatch her up and start kissing her cheeks. She squealed with laughter, and Tony was amazed at her resilience. He took Jethro's coffee cup into the living room, and pulled out his phone to snap a photo of the two together. He smiled at how perfect of a shot it was, Amira with her eyes closed, bright smile as she laughed, and Jethro's lips pressed against her cheek. Jethro sat Amira down on the couch with one last kiss to her forehead, and Amira smiled.

Jethro came over, took the cup of coffee Tony had, and kissed him again, making Amira giggle. "See you in a little bit," he said.

"Love you," Tony returned.

"Love you, too," Jethro said, turning to walk towards the door. "Love you, munchkin," he added on his way out.

Amira jumped up and ran after him. He turned in time to set his coffee on the table by the door and picked her up, hugging her tightly.

"Love you, too," she said, squeezing him around the neck. He smiled and then put her down.

"Be back soon."

"Where's Gibbsy going?" Amira asked Tony, following him into the kitchen.

"He's actually going to go get some of your things until we can all go over to your house together later. You can't wear the same clothes today that you wore yesterday."

"Can I go with him?" she asked, looking up at Tony with the saddest and pitiful expression.

Tony cursed to himself. _Damn it. She's got killer puppy dog eyes. Jethro was right- pretty soon I'm going to have a "how can I serve you" look._

"Not yet. We're all going to go over later. He's got to clear the house first. Do you know what that means?" Tony asked, trying to distract her from the idea that Jethro was going over -without her. She shook her head. "That's when we go through a house, room by room, and check to make sure there's no bad guys."

Amira nodded sagely like that made all the sense in the world, and Tony sighed in relief.

"How about some breakfast? Are you hungry?" Amira nodded. "I've got some cereal, or I can make eggs or toast with jelly, there's still some pineapple, and I think we have some packets of apple cinnamon oatmeal somewhere."

Amira pointed to the box of Honey Nut Cheerios Tony had out for himself, and he nodded. "Good choice! Go sit at the table and I'll bring it to you. You want some juice?" he asked.

"Blue!" she said.

"Uh…" he said, opening the door and grabbing a Gatorade to check the sugar content on it. He cringed. She'd be bouncing off the walls if he gave her that now. He couldn't do that to Jethro. "How about some juice now, and then you can take a blue with you later when you and Jethro come to work to see me."

"I get to go to work with you?!" she asked excitedly, forgetting about the drink. Tony was glad to manage to win that one so easily. He poured her a smaller bowl of cereal than his own, and took the milk and some spoons to the table.

"You and Jethro will be coming to see me at work today," he said.

"Will the bad guys be there?" Amira asked, her voice suddenly really quiet. Tony swallowed and knelt down next to her.

"Amira, no one will _ever, ever_ hurt you. I promise. Gibbsy and I would never let that happen."

Amira nodded, looking at her bowl of cereal.

"Hey," Tony said, reaching to run his hand through her messy curls. Amira looked at him, her brown eyes full of tears. Tony swallowed hard and stood up, scooping her up in his arms as he sat down on the chair. She started crying softly against him, and he realized he preferred the angry screaming and sobbing of the night before to the pain-filled, heartbreaking, spirit crushing quiet tears she cried against him now. He thought of what Elly had said to him, and swallowed. "It's going to be alright," he whispered, kissing her temple. "I've got you." He felt his own sob catch in his chest and fought it back. He blinked back the tears and held Amira tightly, rubbing her back reassuringly.

"What if the bad guys…" Amira hiccupped and sniffled hard. "What if the bad guys get Gibbsy?"

"They won't," Tony said with a smile. "The bad guys run and hide from Gibbsy. Hell, sometimes the good guys run and hide from Gibbsy."

Amira obviously didn't get the joke, but she nodded. "Do they run from you?" she asked, wiping her nose on the back of her arm.

Tony nodded. "Yeah, they do. And Gibbsy and I, we have teams, you know? And we all look out for each other, so if a bad guy tries to sneak up on one of us, another person will get them before they can. You remember my friends Elly and Greg from yesterday at school?"

Amira nodded.

"They are on my team, and there's also Dorney. And Gibbsy has McGee and Ziva on his team. We all watch out for each other so no one gets hurt."

"But what if the bad guys come- what if they come after all of you?" she asked.

"Then we get into fights with them," Tony said with a shrug. "Which is why we practice fighting, like Gibbsy said last night."

"But doesn't that hurt?"

"Sometimes. But if they start hurting us too bad, we have guns."

"And you can shoot the bad guys?"

"Right."

"And that makes them dead?"

"Sometimes," Tony said with a nod and a sigh, wondering how he ended up being the one to have to have this conversation with Amira alone. "Sometimes you have to kill the bad guys so they can't hurt anybody else."

"Are you going to shoot the bad guy that hurt mommy?" she asked, hiccupping again, and Tony could tell she was going to start crying anew. He pulled her to him.

"We try not to kill anybody we don't have to. But the bad guy that hurt your mom has been caught, and though he did get shot, he's still alive. He's chained up though so he can never hurt anyone ever again."

Amira laid her head on Tony's chest and cried silent tears. She shook with tiny sobs, and Tony rested his head on top of hers as he rocked her without thinking about it.

"What did your mommy tell you about the bad guys?" he asked.

"She…" _Sniffffffffle._ Tony cringed, trying not to think about the snot that was probably all over him. "She said they were trying to hurt people and take them away. She hides people from the bad guys. They go to the special place where no one can hurt them."

Tony nodded.

"She was scared of the bad guys. I could tell."

"Why was she scared of them?" Tony said.

"Because they're bad guys!" Amira said.

"Oh, yeah. Duh."

"Yeah! _Duh_!" Amira copied.

Tony cringed, wondering if he'd instigated a new trend by saying duh. He couldn't believe all of the things he had to be careful of when talking to a four year old. It was like his brain was constantly looking out for how he could trip and fall on a landmine.

Amira sat up and took a deep breath, sucking up her sniffles and playing with Tony's collar.

"You ready for your cereal?" he asked. Amira nodded. Tony stood up and sat her back in her chair, kissing the top of her head, and then added milk to the Cheerios. Amira changed positions so she was almost kneeling on the seat, leaning over the bowl to get a better view as she ate. Tony got some juice for her and his coffee, and sat next to her, finally adding milk to his own bowl.

"What's your favorite cereal?" Tony asked.

"Rainbow Cheerios!" Amira announced. "But I like these too."

"They make rainbow-" Tony started asking and then realized Amira meant the Fruity Cheerios. He shrugged. He hadn't had them yet, but he wasn't opposed to trying them. They were probably a better option than some of the other sugary cereals down the aisle. "What's your favorite pizza?"

"Uhh… the kind with the brown balls."

"You mean sausage?" Tony asked, trying not to laugh at where his mind felt the need to take that.

"Yeah! Sauce edge."

"Sausage," Tony said, snickering.

"That's what I said! Sauce edge."

"Okay," Tony said, chuckling. "Now for an important question: What's your favorite color?"

"Purple!" Amira announced proudly.

"Purple is good," Tony said, nodding. "We can do purple." They ate their breakfasts and asked each other questions about what their favorite things were. Tony was surprised at some of the answers, but that only made him want to ask more. Amira followed him into the kitchen as he put the bowls in the sink, and stayed with him, asking questions while he washed them quickly.

"I have to go get dressed for work," he told her.

"Why do you go to work now and Gibbsy goes later?" she asked.

"Well he's not going to work to actually work today. He's going to hang out with you for the day. He has to come in and see our boss though, so I'll get to see you in a little bit."

"He's going to hang out with me?"

"For a while. He's got a lot to do today though, so be nice to him and listen to what he says, okay?"

Amira nodded. Tony considered turning on some cartoons for her while he got dressed, but didn't like the idea of leaving her all alone downstairs while she was awake. They hadn't really scoured the house yet for anything she could get into trouble with, and the basement hadn't been secured at all. He bit his lip while he thought.

"Do you want to see your room?" he asked.

"My room?" she asked back.

"Yes. Where you and Dirt are going to sleep?"

She looked nervous for a moment, but then went and got the bear off the couch. She took Tony's hand, and he smiled at her.

 _She's such a brave kid,_ Tony thought to himself in wonder, feeling her tiny fingers clutch his hand tightly. _She's probably more courageous than me._

He led her up the stairs, taking them slowly so she could make it up them with him in time, pulling Dirt with her.

"Something you should know about your room," Tony said, his voice taking on an enchanting storyteller's charm. "It used to belong to Kelly and Dirt. It means a whole lot that Gibbsy wants you to have it for your room now."

"It was the angel's room?" Amira said in awe.

"Yes. And now it's yours. We'll bring all of your things over and decorate it however you want it."

"I can pick out the kinds of stuff?" she asked, excitedly as they made it to the top of the stairs.

"You sure can," Tony said, stopping in front of the brown wooden door. "It has some in it already, but we'll get you new stuff if you want it." He nudged his head to the door. "Go ahead and open it."

Amira reached for the doorknob, turning it. The door creaked open, and she waited for Tony to go in before she did. She looked around, taking in the way the sunshine was coming in the curtains, the desk, and the dresser. She let go of Tony's hand and moved to open the closet. It was empty, and she stepped inside of it, looking around. She came out of it and looked up at the ceiling fan, then looked at the bed. She ran over and jumped up on to it, crawling under the blankets with Dirt. Tony watched in amusement. "G'night," she said, rolling over and pretending to snore.

Tony chuckled and leaned against the doorway, watching her in amazement. He couldn't believe he was going to be responsible for her for the rest of his life. He couldn't believe he was handling it so well, and that he hadn't screwed something up royally yet. After a minute, Amira's fake snores turned into soft breathing, and Tony realized she'd really fallen asleep. He took his phone out of his pocket with a smile and snapped another picture of her, only this time, he sent it to Jethro.

He left the door open so he could hear her if she woke up, and made his way down the hall. He picked out something to wear that he wouldn't mind getting snot all over if she were to start crying again, but made sure it covered the purple mark on his neck. He hadn't realized it was there until he looked in the mirror, and he was grateful that Amira hadn't tried to ask him about it.

He heard the front door creak open, and he started reaching for the nightstand where his gun had gone the night before.

"It's me," Jethro called quietly as keys hit the bowl by the front door, clattering. Tony came down stairs, holstering his weapon, and met Jethro at the door. He had two large trash bags with him full of stuff he'd gathered from Leyla's house, and Tony looked at it with interest.

"How'd it go?" Tony asked.

"She can't go over there yet. I called the cleanup team to make sure they can get the tile up from the kitchen floor before we go over there tonight. I'm going to wait until you can go with us." Jethro shrugged. "You notice she always wants _you_ when she's crying?"

Tony froze. He hadn't noticed, but now that Jethro pointed it out, he realized he was right. Every time she started crying, she wanted him to be the one to hold her.

"I told her you two were going to come see me at work today, and she started asking me if the bad guys were going to be there. I told her we'd never let anything happen to her, and that the bad guy is locked up. She started crying again. I got her to eat some Cheerios though, and she drank some juice. OH! And I told her she could take a blue with her- a Gatorade- you know what I mean- when you two leave today."

Jethro nodded with a smile. "She's got you wrapped," he said, leaning in to give Tony a quick kiss.

"Oh yeah! Have you ever seen her puppy dog eyes? I'm _screwed_. The Gatorade was a compromise though, I'll have you know. She wanted it with breakfast, and I told her she could have it later if she had juice with breakfast."

"I'm impressed. I probably would've just handed it to her."

"Yeah, well, I was smart and looked at the sugar content before I did. Figured she would probably do better for you today if she wasn't wired."

"Now I'm _very_ impressed." Jethro kissed Tony again, wrapping his hands around his waist. "And grateful."

Tony beamed at him. "I hope you don't mind that I showed her her room," he said. "I didn't want to leave her down here while I got dressed since the basement hasn't been secured yet."

"No, that's fine. Probably went better that way. Is she really asleep again?"

"Yeah. She was joking at first, but then she was out. She's just…" Tony's voice trailed off.

"Grieving," Jethro finished.

"Yeah," Tony said quietly. "I gotta go. You want me to take the Charger back to the office, and then you can bring me my car later? Or do you just want to turn it in when you get there?"

"If you could turn it in, that would be great. That way I don't have to drag Amira from the lot and around the building."

"Not a problem. You got everything out of it?"

"There's one more bag. I'll go grab it. Make sure you say goodbye to her before you leave. Don't want her freaking out if she wakes up and you're not here."

"Good point," Tony said. He turned and ran back upstairs, taking one of the trash bags from the floor with him. He stopped outside of the door and opened it up, looking to see what was in it. He saw it was the bag with her pillows and stuffed animals, and he smiled to himself. "Score," he whispered.

He went into the room, and carefully started taking out the stuffed animals, planting them around Amira's head, lining them up against the wall next to her. He was surprised she hadn't stirred yet when he heard Jethro coming up the stairs with the other two bags. Tony leaned forward and kissed Amira on the forehead, trying to get her to wake up gently. She moved in her sleep, and then she rolled over, pulling the blankets up around her.

"Amira, sweetie, I need to go to work," Tony said.

Jethro came in right as she started to wake up, and he watched the two interact. It was boggling to see his family suddenly in front of him like it was the most normal thing in the world. He was blown away by Tony's tenderness, and by the way Amira took to him. He watched as Tony bent over to hug her, and saw her little arms wrap around Tony's neck tightly.

"I told Gibbsy about your blue," he said softly.

"Good!" she said, nodding.

She suddenly realized the stuffed animals were around her. She gasped, then saw Jethro standing in the doorway and jumped out of bed, running up to him with her arms out. He smiled and picked her up, hugging her close. His eyes closed as he took in the way she felt clinging to him, and he knew that it had to be the most amazing thing in the world. He hated how it had happened, but she was his now, this family was his, and he was going to do anything and everything he had to do to protect it. When he opened his eyes, he saw Tony holding up his phone. He tapped the screen a couple of times and then Jethro felt his pocket vibrate and knew Tony had sent him the photo.

"Why don't we see what else I got in here?" he asked Amira, sitting her down.

"I gotta go," Tony said, looking at his watch. He passed the two, kissing Jethro quickly before he headed for the door. Amira stopped looking through the bag to chase him down. He was already a few steps down, and he turned when she called after him. He caught her just in time as she jumped the three steps into his arms with an "Umph!"

"Love you," she said.

Tony swallowed hard. "Love you, too, sweetie. I'll see you guys soon."

"Okay," she said, hanging on, not quite ready to let him go. Tony walked the three steps back up to the hallway and sat her down.

"Go see what Gibbsy brought you," he said gently.

"Okay. Bye Tony!" she scampered back into her room, and Tony shook his head.

He headed down the stairs to grab the keys to the Charger out of the bowl, and leave his car keys in their place. As he drove to work, he could hear Jethro pointing out to him over and over again how Amira wanted him when she was sad, and he felt worse and worse every mile that he put between them.


	35. Chapter 35

Abby was pacing in her lab, and Tim was leaning against the evidence table, trying desperately not to chew off his fingernails.

"Is it 8:30 yet?" Abby asked, stopping to grab Bert absentmindedly from the desk and wrap her arms around him.

"Five minutes," Tim said.

"Okay," Abby said. "Let's go. I can't wait anymore. I know we-"

"Abby," Tim said, running his hands down her arms and pulling her close. "We all agreed we'd wait until they came in and got settled. We're not even sure they're coming in. Give it a few more minutes. I'm sure Parke will be calling us any time now."

"But we're not-"

"Abby- breathe." Abby squinted at Tim, hating that he was right. Both teams, along with Ducky and Palmer, had been summoned to Abby's lab by Vance between meetings in MTAC, and they'd all agreed that they would give Tony and Gibbs some space to deal with Leyla's death. They were told that until the two contacted them, all questions would go to Vance. Tim had never been so happy to hear Gibbs' voice as when he'd called them to check in. They had no idea of what to do next, but they hadn't wanted to go to Vance, because they knew Tony and Gibbs would be pissed if they looked to him first.

The second part of their pledge had been initiated by Parke and backed by Ducky, and that part still stood. They would wait to contact them about their personal connection to the case until they came in the next morning, and they would let them explain as much or as little as they were ready to explain.

Abby hadn't liked that at all, but she understood the wisdom behind it. Tim had taken her phone from her the night before and locked it in his lockbox. She was pissed at him and threatened to destroy the box, and it took some serious maneuvering on Tim's part to distract her. It ended well, but she still hadn't completely forgiven him no matter how many orgasms she had.

Ducky suddenly appeared at the door with Jimmy.

"Duckman!" Abby greeted.

"Hello, Abigail, Timothy. I just received the call from Gregory that Anthony has arrived, alone. He said that he will be going into MTAC with Agent Dorneget in twenty minutes, and that if we're to offer our condolences, now would probably be the best time."

Abby wasted no time running out the door past everyone. They followed her, knowing that she'd probably leave them to take the stairs if they didn't meet her at the lift. They waited for it impatiently, and then boarded together. When they got out, Tim gave a quiet call to Ziva, who eagerly got up with a relieved sigh and came around to join them. They joined Parke, Ned and Elly in the bullpen. Ned moved to stand next to Elly who came around his desk to lean against the front of it. Parke came and stood protectively next to Tony, reminding all of them without a word of what he'd said the night before about overwhelming him.

"We wanted to check on you," Tim said with a shrug and a small smile. Tony smiled back, looking around at everyone.

"Well, I appreciate that you all waited until now. Last night was... challenging. We told Amira about Leyla, and it was pretty much what you'd expect when telling a four year old she'd lost her mother." Tony swallowed. "She's sleeping a lot though, so not having the phone ring constantly was pretty great. Thanks."

"Is she eating okay?" Ducky asked.

Tony nodded. "She is. Pineapple, pizza, and cheesy cauliflower last night, cereal and juice this morning. Is the sleep thing normal?" he asked.

"Everyone grieves differently," Ducky said with a nod. "For now, it is perfectly normal. If it continues past a couple of weeks, you might want to look into counseling for her. You may want to do that anyway. She has lost her mother to a criminal, and now she will have questions as both of her guardians deal with criminals for a living."

"She's already having them," Tony said with a grimace. "We'll talk later."

Ducky nodded. "My door is always open, either here or at home."

"Thanks," Tony said with a smile. He noticed how Abby was being unusually quiet, and he stood up, coming around his desk to hug her tightly. She squeezed him back so hard that he could barely breathe, but he let her.

"I was so worried!" she said. "I just wanted to know how you guys were doing, and no one would let me call you, and I just…"

"It's okay, Abs. And like I said, I really appreciate you guys giving us the time to figure things out last night," he stepped back out of her embrace, his ribs screaming in relief. "We're hanging in there. You know," he said, leaning back on his desk to address the entire group. "A couple of weeks ago, Jethro told me that he was Amira's _legal_ godfather, and that Leyla had made sure to add me to the will so there wouldn't be any issues with both of us raising Amira if something happened. It kind of got me and Jethro thinking about possibly wanting a kid of our own one day."

"What?!" Abby exclaimed, voicing the expression on most everyone else's faces. "You didn't tell me that!"

"We weren't ready to yet, and we didn't want any pressure in one way or another. It was something that had to be our decision, but we were pretty sure we were going to do it."

Elly's voice broke through the shocked huddle. "I thought I'd been hallucinating when I remembered you saying something to Ducky about it in the lab the night we'd been drugged. We were in the car yesterday with Amira, and suddenly it just came into my head, and I was like- No way!"

"You knew?!" Abby said, turning to Ducky.

"Yes. Like Anthony has stated though, it was a decision only he and Jethro could make, and they wanted to make it without the pressure of the opinions of those in their lives. There are a lot of things to consider: their ages, their career, their work schedules, the stigmas of society of two men raising a child, the safety of that child with both parents being in law enforcement. No matter how much love there is to give, those other things must be considered, and they had to do that without anyone else interfering."

"This isn't how we wanted to form a family," Tony said softly. He looked up to see Elly leaning so that he was up against Ned, and Ned was leaning on Elly. He smiled, approving of their obvious reconciliation. He looked around the group again. "Jethro will be bringing Amira by later. We have a lot to figure out, and we need to talk to Vance about what we're going to do until we find a sitter or nanny that can work with our schedules. We'd really love to get her into a year-round preschool, but they usually don't start until August."

"She was already in school?" Ziva asked. "How old is she now?"

"Four. She'll be five in December."

"How did she get into a program so early?" Tim asked.

"She was in daycare at Walden, and they moved her up."

"Well, if she's comfortable in daycare, can't you put her back in daycare?" Abby asked.

"That's only for so many hours a day. With our schedules, we still need someone who can pick her up from daycare and take her back to the house. They will also need to be on call for when we both have cases that run over, so to find someone with that much dedication to our needs, with that much flexibility, a nanny just might be the best option."

"Would they live with you?" Ned asked.

"I don't think so. I'm not sure I'd be that comfortable with that. There's a lot to go into it," he said casually, trying to change the subject, but he noticed that Ned was thinking it through. If there was anyone who could take into consideration all of the pieces of their puzzle and find a solution, he could. He'd have to run it by him later.

"Anthony, how is Jethro doing?" Ducky asked. Everyone stopped and looked at Tony.

Tony nodded. "Pretty well, considering. He went over to the house this morning to get some creature comforts for Amira. When I left they were starting to put them up in her room."

Tony knew Ducky was watching his body language more than listening to his words. He'd pick up on the barely conceivable change in voice that said he was worried about him, but no more than a lover would be. He'd see the forced nonchalant crossing of his ankles as he leaned against his desk, the tightness around his jaw that said Jethro was grieving, and that he wasn't doing so alone. Their eyes met a moment longer and Ducky gave an almost unperceivable nod.

"If you want, I'd be happy to hang out with her while the two of you talk to the Director," Abby said.

"I'm not sure what she's going to be comfortable with yet. We'll play it by ear, though, and if she's up for it, that would be great. Thanks," Tony said with a smile.

"It's almost time, Boss," Ned said quietly.

"Okay team! That's my timekeeper telling me time's up." Again, Tony had no idea how Ned was so sure of the time without looking at his watch, but he figured there had to be a clock somewhere he had eyed to notice. He was glad, because he was ready for the family powwow to be over. As much as he loved everyone, he needed to focus on something else other than the idea that Amira was going to be without her human security blanket with him at work.

"Let me know when they get here!" Abby said.

"Oh! You wanna see something?" Tony said, taking out his phone. He pulled up the picture of Jethro and Amira during the cootie war that morning, and showed her.

"Oh, my gosh! They're so cute together!" she cried. The group gathered around her as Tony suavely moved behind his desk and out of the line of fire to check his email one more time before going to MTAC.

"She seems to be doing quite well," Ducky said with a grin.

"Walk with us for a minute?" Tony asked. Ducky nodded and Tony took his phone back with Ned and Ducky walking near him on the way to the second floor.

"Something on your mind?" Ducky asked.

"It's just that Amira for some reason… she's clinging to me specifically when she's upset. When she needs to cry, when she woke up in the middle of the night, it was me she wanted. I don't know why. She knows Jethro so much better than me. They got into this playful mood this morning, and then a few minutes after Jethro left to go get her stuff from the house, I was, you know, getting her breakfast together, and she started crying and asking me all sorts of questions about the bad guys and it just…" Tony trailed off, not sure how to explain himself.

"It's devastating," Ducky supplied.

The three of them were standing together outside of the door to MTAC, and Tony sighed and nodded.

"How do you react when she turns to you?"

"I hold her, talk to her, try to calm her down, let her know that we're there, that we'll always be there, and that we'll protect her. Jethro does the same thing, but she prefers to cling to me when she's upset."

"Sounds like you're doing everything just as you should," Ducky reassured. "It is completely normal for people to compartmentalize their grief, and especially for children to do so. When I arrived yesterday, you were picking up Amira from school, correct?"

"Yes," Tony replied.

"You have been with her since the very first moment of this whole terrifying and heartbreaking ordeal. You being who she turns to could be as simple as that. Jethro will no doubt find a way to share the load. He is well acquainted with grief, and he will be able to share that mutual understanding with her as time moves on. You and Amira now share a similar burden of losing your mothers rather aearly in life. You have the experience to make you naturally compassionate. Just keep being there for her as best as you can, and when you need to in turn unload that burden you take on, make sure you're doing so."

Tony nodded. "Thanks, Ducky."

"I'm never too far if you need me," Ducky said, resting his hand on Tony's shoulder a moment, and then turning to let the two men get to work in MTAC. When Tony didn't go immediately in, Dorney looked at him curiously.

"You okay, Boss?" he asked.

Tony sighed and turned to Ned. He nodded, looking the younger man in the eyes. He could see more life in them than he had seen in days, and he was relieved. "Are you ready?" he asked.

Ned smiled. "Definitely."

"Good. I have a favor to ask of you," he said.

"Anything," Ned said, his curiosity piqued.

"After we figure out what's going on in here, I need to go interrogate Dwahalini. I'd like it if you went in with me. I know you're overloaded with this, but you've researched this bastard more than any of us, and I think that having you in there will help remind me that there's an actual human being on the other side of that table, and not just someone I want to kill with my bare hands."

Ned watched Tony's expression carefully, trying to read him the best he could, and everything Parke had ever taught him about body language said that Tony was being completely and brutally honest with him, to the point it distressed him to even ask the favor.

"Not a problem," Ned said. "Whatever you need me to do."

Tony nodded. "Thank you."

Ned nodded back, then tilted his head towards MTAC. Tony nodded, and Ned turned to scan his eye. He felt like a different person suddenly as the blue light ran up and down his iris, and he took a deep breath. He felt honored that Tony would ask him to be in interrogation with him, that he would trust him to take on the op, and that he had brought him into his team and family. He also felt like it had been one of the most humbling things since joining the team that Tony would trust him to be with him and Ducky as he talked about Amira like he had. He felt like it was intentional, though he couldn't figure out why, so he had waited, standing with the two older men as they talked.

As they walked down the ramp, Ned noticed that Evelyn was standing over the shoulder of a young guy, showing him how to do something. A moment later the wall in front of him turned blue, emanating an electronic light, and then a man popped up.

"Agent Dorneget, Agent DiNozzo," Davidson said. "It's good to see you."

"You too, Davidson," Tony said with a smile. "Looks like you got some rest."

"Yes, sir, I did, and so did my men. We've had a busy day since though. I have intel for you."

"Good," Ned said, pulling his memo pad and a pen from the inside of his jacket pocket. "What can you tell us."

"Kiel Ryzantine is dead," he started.

"Thank God," Tony whispered, closing his eyes.

"That's probably the best news you could have given us this morning," Ned said with a bright grin. "We have Jamaal Dwahalini in custody. Unfortunately, we lost someone close in the process."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Davidson said with a regretful shake of his head. "I'm sorry we couldn't have gotten information for you sooner."

"There wasn't any way," Ned said. "We grateful for everything you've been doing and will do as we take this on. We just have to keep moving forward right now."

"Yes, sir, and forward we are moving for sure. We have heard that Ryzantine was killed by a Matthew Richards, or at least that's what he's going as."

Ned smiled and nodded. "Yeah, that's not his name. He's… I wouldn't really say he's on our side, but we're going to accept his help."

"He's CIA," Tony clarified.

"Ah. Gotcha. Friend of your buddy Meisner?"

"Not that I know of," Tony said.

"They haven't been acquainted yet, but they probably will be soon enough," Ned said, thinking about information Claudia had funneled to him that morning. It wasn't lost on him that Tony raised a suspicious eyebrow at him, and he felt kind of badass knowing that he had connections his boss didn't know about.

"We found that out through Ed and Rod's friend Rahllan. He was more than willing to talk, claiming that he was being blackmailed and threatened into helping the group and their cause."

"You don't believe him," Ned said.

"Hell no. He's slimier than an eel. Wiggles like one, too. His story slid through so many cracks it was unreal. In _speaking_ to the other men in the organization, it was determined that the weapon hadn't been perfected. They hadn't made a successful vaccine yet, so they hadn't meant to distribute it anytime soon. The Qureshis were pushing them, trying to get them to release it without the vaccination being complete, but the group wouldn't allow that. The Qureshis are rumored to be working on a Plan B since The Yellow Triangle guys were holding back. There was a lot of mistrust on both sides about what was planned to happen with the weapon."

"What were the plans?" Ned asked.

"The Yellow Triangle was planning on using a well outside Kabul to distribute the contaminant after they were positive the vaccine would protect them. It's the well our military installation there uses the most. The Qureshis were going to distribute it amongst the Middle East through their satellites in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Iran. Each satellite has a target in mind that would affect a substantial U.S. military post. We know the post in Iraq they were targeting, but we don't know yet the locations being targeted in Syria and Iran."

"Why would they have targets in Iran? The group has been specifically anti-American," Ned said, suddenly very confused and trying to put the pieces together in his head. "We don't have a military base anywhere near the border, and certainly not in Iran itself. So, who could possibly be targeted in Iran?"

"We don't know if the target is actually in Iran. The only thing we can think of, is that it's given to the Iranian government to allow them access so they could vaccinate their people, target U.S. sympathizers, and then use their resources to duplicate the weapon and distribute it as they saw fit."

Tony shook his head. "Even for crazy bastards like The Yellow Triangle, they don't seem like the types to work with Iran. With how tensions are politically right now, the Iranian government wouldn't want to be involved in a plot like this, and like you said, The Yellow Triangle doesn't work with just anyone. They must have a particular group in Iran that they're partnered with."

Ned glanced at Tony, nodding. "If I had to take a guess, I would say they're probably linking up with something like their Reformed Ministry party, or another underground political party. Many of them are extremists in one direction or the other. Reformed Ministry believes that the Ministry of Guidance isn't strict enough, and that Americans shouldn't be allowed into the country at all. Of course, there are extremists in the other direction as well, and both sides are willing to do what it takes to make their point."

"I've heard of the Reformed Ministry people," Davidson said. "I never thought I'd have to deal with them in any way, so I haven't read up on them. I'll have to do that. For now though, we most likely have stopped that plan from going forward. The Yellow Triangle has much smaller groups in each of the other countries I mentioned, but the group we handled last night were the largest part of the collective, and their communication hub. They were also smart. They contained their only samples of the diseases they were working with in that building. The others would have been too hard to monitor and keep a leash on from afar. The smaller groups are going to scramble."

"I'll let our operatives in those areas know. Do we have any names?" Ned asked.

"Yes. Booker is compiling the information and you'll have a report soon. Russel's preliminary report just got here right before I patched in to talk to you."

"Great," Ned said. "We haven't had a chance to read it yet. I have a few reports from Landstuhl on Ed and Rod I need to read over too. I'll email you the information I received."

"That would be appreciated. We're all really worried about them and praying for their recovery."

"If I get to talk to them, I'll make sure they know that," Ned said.

"Thanks. Now, the information I know we're all dying to talk about- the Qureshis."

Tony nodded. "Talk."

"They have two main groups within their organization. The first one is the equivalent to a board of directors, and since we infiltrated and detained so many people in the raid on their underground headquarters below the mosque, they have been off hiding like rabbits. They're communicating though, and they think the organization is still under their control. They're doing things like sending the assassins after Ms. Ta'anari and her friends. The second group in the organization is emphasizing that kind of stuff, talking it up and playing it big, when really, they don't care. They're inflating the importance of things like that so that their actions, such as partnering with The Yellow Triangle, go unnoticed.

"The real threat is the rebellious force within the rebel organization, if that makes any sense. They are led by a man named Mohamed Ahmed al Zafir, and he's charismatic, focused, intelligent, and ruthless. He also knows just how to pander to "the board" in order to keep them guessing. The board stays hidden based on his suggestions, while really, he's running the whole damn operation, and doing a much better job than they ever did. He's making alliances with a lot of different groups that Turhan hadn't been able to because of his reckless ways."

Ned was taking notes, realizing that this op was far from over. He wasn't looking forward to where it was leading, and he starting to wonder if he shouldn't turn it back over to Tony until he felt a little more ready to handle it, but he was also afraid of doing anything that would challenge his abilities after Tony had to lead him out of MTAC the night before. He sighed quietly to himself and looked back up at Davidson who kept talking.

"The other groups he's aligning with are just as scary as The Yellow Triangle. One has a specialty in fiery weapons. If you need a grenade launcher, flame thrower, bomb, the materials for Molotovs, this group has them."

"Do you have a name for them?" Ned asked.

"Not one I can pronounce," Davidson said with a grimace. He turned his head and both Ned and Tony followed as they heard Diaz speaking up from the back.

"Show off!" Davidson said.

"No, have him say it again for me," Ned said.

Diaz came over and got into the camera, crouching down next to Davidson. "It's _[Cinnamon Traders]_ ," he said.

"Really?" Ned asked with a smirk. "Cinnamon Traders? Another one of those names that sound way cooler in Arabic." He looked at Tony, who squinted at him with a raised eyebrow.

"That's what I thought!" Diaz said with a smile. "But cinnamon is spicy, fiery, whatever, so it was kind of a code word, you know?"

"Yeah, I get it," Ned said. "What do you know about them?"

"They're kinda the badasses of the desert, but that's also their downfall," Diaz said with a shrug. "They're the tough guys. Silent, in it for the cash and toys. They love trying out their goods themselves, usually on helpless villages that didn't do anything to anybody. If anything, being with a stricter version of the Qureshis might rein them in a little. It's also going to put them in touch with bigger business partners. It's a scary thought."

"Who else do you have for us?" Tony asked.

"There's a group they have in their pocket that supplies them with fuel," Davidson said. "Another couple small renegade groups in the area that don't go by any particular name have joined them."

"Yeah," Diaz said. "They typically have calling cards, ya know, not names. One of them will leave a finger behind when they take someone, another strips their victim of their clothes and leaves them in a burning heap. Stupid stuff like that."

"Losing a finger seems pretty extreme," Ned said.

"Better than a head. We're familiar with a group that does that," Davidson said.

"That doesn't surprise me," Tony said, steering the conversation back towards the groups they'd need to be concerned with and away from headless people. "So how many people do we have direct information on within the rebellion in the Qureshi organization?"

"To some extent, we know of thirty-two people by name. That may be all we know, but at least we know of that. Our biggest concern is al Zafir. We've considered different ways to bring him down, and part of the plan is to expose to those on the board that he's been manipulating them. The next is to take the bastard out, and then see what holds after that."

Ned nodded, approving of the method. "How do you plan on exposing him?"

Diaz shrugged. "We have some contacts from the wrong side of the tracks that can get the information out there if certain things are offered, and we have the ability to offer those things."

"What kinds of things?" Tony asked.

"Protection mainly," Davidson said. "Food, fuel, and medical supplies are also possibilities though. Typical exchanges around here."

Ned nodded his understanding. "How long is it going to take you to put that plan in effect?"

"We're going to need a few days on that. Our best chance at making contact isn't local. It will take him another forty-eight hours to put the plan into motion after we talk."

"Okay. What do you need from us?" Ned said.

"The permission to do what we have to do in order to start this carnival ride, and then take al Zafir out."

Tony nodded. "That's fine."

"Just update us as you go along," Ned said. "Check in before he's taken down so we can expect the fallout."

"Not a problem. I'll be in touch with you as soon as we have more information. Expect at least a forty-eight hour turnaround time."

"Now that we know Ryzantine is dead and we have Dwahalini in custody, that isn't a problem." Tony grit his teeth as he remembered what he was about to do.

"So you lost someone bringing him in?" Davidson asked.

"Yes," Ned said, turning to Tony.

"The mother of Agent Gibbs' and my goddaughter," Tony said.

Davidson looked confused a brief moment, but then nodded solemnly. "I'm sorry for your loss. How was she involved?"

"She works with an organization that assists refugees. Ta'anari and her companions had made contact with them, and Dwahalini was tracing it back. She was a refugee herself after having a child with a Marine who was killed, leaving her to flee. That child is now in Gibbs' and my care."

"Damn," Diaz said. "That _sucks_." He and Davidson exchanged glances, and then looked back to the screen.

"Yeah, it does."

"We're really sorry, man," Diaz said. "Wow." He exhaled sharply, and Tony was grateful for the honest response. It wasn't a platitude, but a genuine understanding of just how bad the situation was.

"Thanks," Tony said.

"Okay, we'll keep you informed on Ed and Rod, you keep us informed on your contact and al Zafir," Ned said.

"Got it," Davidson said.

"Hey," Diaz said quietly. "Can you do us a favor? If you find out Ed, you know, passes, can you make sure Davidson and I find out before Booker? He's not gonna take it so well, and it would be best if we broke it to him."

Ned nodded. "I will do my best to make sure that happens."

"Thanks," Diaz said, turning to give Davidson a cheesy grin that made him smirk.

"We'll be in touch," Davidson said, then a hand went over the screen as he reached for the tablet. Tony and Ned could see him slapping Diaz's arm first though, and Tony chuckled.

"I wonder if that's anything like the "Gibbs-slap"," he said, looking at Ned.

"Maybe?" Ned said, shrugging. "I had completely forgotten before I left last night to check the emails from Lundstahl about Ed and Rod. I'm dying to get to them. I knew there was something I'd forgotten." He moved past Tony, practically running up the ramp, and Tony followed him. They took off down the steps silently, rushing towards Ned's desk. Tony pulled a stool up to sit next to him as he began opening the email client.

"What's going on?" Elly asked, Parke was already getting to his feet to come read over their shoulders.

"We have health updates from the hospital on our operatives. Agent Rod Garnier and Marine First Lieutenant Edward Stephens were admitted with exposure to a bioterror agent that has Ed in a coma and has given Rod pneumonia," Ned explained.

"Damn!" Elly said, getting up to go come read over their shoulders as well. "This really has been a nightmare."

"You can say that again," Ned whispered as he glanced over the first page of the report that talked about Rod. "Okay, so this says that Rod has a mutation of pneumonia that is resistant to the antivirals, but his body is actually doing a good job of fighting it off itself. The samples they've taken have been completely nonresponsive to the antiviral drugs, but his immune system is handling it like it would the flu."

"Go Rod!" Tony said. "Let's get to Ed."

Ned scrolled down with an eager nod. Elly and Parke leaned in to read at the same time Tony and Ned did. The four heads were close enough to hear each other breathe as they read the report.

_Lieutenant Stephens is suffering from acute renal failure, pneumonia, and meningitis. He has been under constant watch due to a pulmonary edema he suffered shortly after arrival. He has been in a coma since transport to the facility and has not been responsive to any stimuli, though EKGs are showing a fair amount of brain activity. He is scheduled to begin dialysis today now that his fever is down to 99.9 degrees, and has been treated with multiple antivirals to assist with battling his exposure to a bioterrorist engineered version of pneumonia. There are no signs of any drugs in his system that would have been taken to treat meningitis, meaning that it is very likely he did not know he had it. It's influence is most likely the reason he succumbed so quickly to the pneumonia. The compromise to his immune system makes it very hard to fight the pneumonia, hence the edema. His kidneys have stopped being able to process the abundant amount of fluid his body is trying to expel as his lungs fill time and time again. Hopes are that with the dialysis he will be able to void some of the fluids and give his kidneys a chance to start processing normally again. He has been intubated and will remain that way until he is able to breathe on his own again. The brain activity is hopeful. If the rest of his body can recover, his brain damage may only be minor from the extended high fever. If he becomes conscious, a medically induced coma may be necessary to allow his body time to recover._

Tony leaned on Ned's desk, sighing. Ned leaned back, and Elly rested his hands on Ned's shoulder, making him look upside down at him as he leaned back against him. Elly looked down on him, taking in every bit of his face to read him, barely resisting the urge to kiss him. Parke shook his head and came around Tony to lean on Ned's desk.

"Is that the most recent report?" Tony asked quietly.

"No, let's look through the other one," Ned said, swallowing hard as he sat up and reached for his mouse. Elly's hands stayed on Ned's shoulders, and Ned found they gave him strength as he clicked the next email.

Again, it started with Rod, and it said that he had been reprimanded multiple times for flirting with the nurses, and everyone laughed, including Parke who had moved back behind Tony to read.

"Oh, man! He must be getting desperate," Tony said as he read the next line.

"He was flirting with one of the _male_ nurses?" Ned asked, turning to Tony with his jaw slack.

"Aw, he was just having fun," Tony said. "He doesn't actually have a two way door, but you've talked to him. You know he'll do anything to keep his spirits up, even if it means flirting with everyone who comes across his path."

"Sounds like someone else I know," a voice said, making everyone look up. Vance was standing at Ned's desk, looking at the group that was huddled together.

"Are you insinuating that I'm a flirt, Director?" Tony asked in mock offense. He turned and winked at Ned with a smile.

"I'd never do that, DiNozzo," Vance said with a smirk. "What's the huddle about?" he asked curiously.

"The medical reports on Ed and Rod have come through," Tony said seriously.

"Oh?" Vance said, moving behind the group to read along.

"Wait," Tony said. "Can you print off the first one?" he asked Ned.

The screens blipped back and forth, and then the printer behind them whirred to life. Vance turned around to take the sheet off the printer.

The rest of the group had gone back to the second message, reading over the portion on Ed.

_At 1314 today, Lt. Stephens' right lung collapsed. We were able to resuscitate him by inserting a syringe into his lung and drawing out fluid, and then inserted a second to allow air to fill the chamber. His breathing capacity has shifted greatly though, and even with intubation, he is struggling. Dialysis allowed for the removal of five liters of fluid from his body, and he will have another round tomorrow to hopefully remove more. We are fairly certain the dialysis will continue daily for the next week at this rate. After treatment, the patient's left lung sounds somewhat clearer, though his right lung is impaired from the collapse. We are contemplating the need to remove the right lung if the patient survives the pneumonia and meningitis. The meningitis is responding well to the anitbiotics, and the fever is steady at 99.9. There is an increase in brain activity in the EKG done at 1215 today. We will not be doing another for forty-eight hours, as we're afraid the stress of it is what caused the lung to collapse._

Ned's hands reached to take the ones on his shoulder. Elly gladly complied.

"It could be worse," Parke said quietly.

"Yeah, it could be," Tony agreed. "It's still pretty damned terrible."

Vance was bending forward between Tony and Ned, reading over the report. "Damn it," he whispered. "You're right. Does he have any family to notify?"

"No," Tony said. "He doesn't. Neither does Rod. I wonder if Rod has been able to visit him. They've been teamed up a long time."

"With them both being contagious, they're probably quarantined to an extent," Ned said. "Exposing Ed to Rod might be a bad idea."

"Or it could be the best thing to keep that active brain fighting," Vance said. Ned nodded in concession.

"I can email them and ask if they've been allowed to see each other," Ned said, opening a reply.

"Forward those to me, and let me know what they say," Vance said.

"Yes sir," Ned said, typing up the email.

"You have a moment?" Vance asked Tony.

"Yeah. I need to call Jethro and let him know I'm out of MTAC. He's waiting for my all clear."

"Call him, and when he gets here, both of you come see me."

"That was the plan," Tony said, the phone to his ear as he moved to sit back behind his desk. Vance passed his desk on the way back to his office, and Tony sighed when he heard Jethro's voice.

"You ready for us?" he answered.

"Yeah, come on over."

"Good. See you soon," Jethro said. He was about to hang up the phone when he put it back to his ear. "Love you."

"Love you, too," Tony said with a tired smile.

Jethro turned to Amira who was dressed in clean clothes and ready to run out the door with Dirt under one arm and her blue Gatorade in her hand. He smiled at her and grabbed the keys to Tony's car from the bowl by the door.

"Let's go, munchkin," he said. He looked down to find Amira was already next to him. He opened the door and let her out, then turned to lock it behind him as Amira tried to go down the steps with her hands full. "Hold on there," he said, reaching to take her Gatorade in one hand and her now empty hand in the other. "One step at a time."

"Right," she said, nodding, then hopped down the last step with both feet. Jethro chuckled and led her to the car. He opened the back door and she crawled in, sitting Dirt next to her as she reached for her Gatorade. Jethro handed it off and buckled her seatbelt. He was glad Amira was full height for her age, if not somewhat tall. She was safe enough in the back to not have to worry about a carseat. He made sure her fingers weren't in the door and then closed it, sighing as he thought about how much more this would suck if he had to worry about something like that.

He got into the front seat and adjusted it slightly so he could drive comfortably and fixed the mirrors before he turned the key over.

"We're going to see Tony?" Amira asked.

"Yep. Our boss will be there too, and my team and Tony's team."

"Your teams fight the bad guys. Are the bad guys going to be there?" she asked.

"No. The bad guys won't be there. It's where all the good guys hang out." Jethro smirked and looked back at Amira in the mirror to see her looking out the window somewhat apprehensively, but she nodded.

He thought about what Tony had told him earlier, and decided to change the topic. The rest of the car ride went like the question and answer session that Tony and Amira had had earlier, and Jethro was relieved that Amira was so easy to distract.

* * *

"While we're waiting for him," Tony said to the group. "Tell me what you've found on Dwahalini's movement into the States."

"We haven't been able to do too much," Parke said. "We really need to get out into the field, and the past twenty-four hours just haven't allowed for that. Right now, all we really know was that there are no rental cars that have been picked up in his name for the past week, or any cars picked up by anyone who looks and sounds like Dwahalini. This suggests that he doesn't have any kind of ID or credentials on him at all. When we found him, his pockets held cash, and that was it. No paperwork of any kind. Unless he has it at his squat, wherever that may be, he's completely dark."

Elly jumped in. "I've tried finding any kind of camera near Leyla's house that would have Dwahalini on it to help us track down where he was coming from, but there's nothing. She lives in a somewhat quiet neighborhood, and the nearest traffic cam is almost a mile away. I've put in a request for video footage from the transit system to see if he could have gotten on a bus in the area earlier in the day since that seems to be his preferred mode of transportation, and they are gathering it to send to me. It's closed circuit so they actually have to go bus by bus and get it."

"Ick," Tony said.

"Yeah, but it'll be worth it if we can figure out where he's coming from."

"You and Parke can go canvass the neighborhood today. This afternoon, I'll take Ned with me to The Epiphany. It's a Catholic church downtown that's running an underground railroad of sorts for Islamic refugees, and they hold a Muslim prayer service in their basement on Fridays. I'm hoping someone will be able to shed some light on it."

"Sounds like an adventure," Ned said.

"Yeah, just gotta keep me from killing Dwahalini first," Tony said. He suddenly remembered he was supposed to call Joan Truxton, and he turned to pull up the school's information. He found the number and dialed it as the rest of his team pretended to work around him as they eavesdropped.

"Hi, Joan Truxton please," Tony said. "Thank you."

An IM window suddenly appeared on Elly and Ned's computer from Parke.

GParke01: Who's Joan Truxton?

NDorneget01: No idea.

ECritten01: Me neither.

"Hi, is this Joan?" Tony asked. "Hi Joan. Tony DiNozzo. Amira's godfather. Yes, she's safe and sound. We've lost Leyla though."

NDorneget01: Oh, this sucks.

GParke01: Yeah. Awkward.

ECritten01: Mmhmmm.

"Yes. She's going to be living with Jethro and I now. She didn't take it well, obviously, but she's going to be okay. We live on the other side of town though, and Walden isn't anywhere near NCIS or our place, so we're going to need to put her in another school. I know she's too young to start kindergarten programs, so we were wondering if you could suggest something that would foster her intellect while still giving her time to play that would be closer to us. We're in Alexandria."

GParke01: Smart thinking.

ECritten01: Mmhmmm.

"Are they year round, or would she start in September?" Tony scribbled something on a notepad, then started bringing up something on his computer. "And they're montessori as well? That would be perfect. She's a little young to be starting- Oh? That would be so- I'd really appreciate that."

NDorneget01: Bingo.

"Does Amira still have belongings at Walden?" Tony nodded. "Okay. We can bring her by. Do you think we should bring her when the kids are there so she can say goodbye to her friends?"

Parke shook his head no before he could stop himself.

GParke01: Bad idea. Too soon. She just said goodbye to her mom. Too soon.

ECritten01: Mmhmmm.

"Yeah. I'm getting the head shake from my in-house therapist at work here too," Tony said, smirking at Parke who threw his hands up and sighed. "I'd like for her to be able to stay connected to some of her friends though... Oh? That would be nice. Yeah, I'll get the information from you while I'm there getting Amira's things."

ECritten01: Busted.

GParke01: You think?

NDorneget01: Mmhmmm.

Elly suddenly laughed and looked at Ned, who grinned from ear to ear and chuckled silently.

ECritten01: You're such a brat.

NDorneget01: Yeah, but you like me that way.

GParke01: *rolling my eyes*

ECritten01: Whatever. You know you're just as lovey dovey with Tiff, if not like a hundred times more.

GParke01: Oh, you haven't met The Prego Monster. Whew! She's lucky I love her! Damn. And I thought PMS was bad? Nuhuh. _Nothing_ compared to The Prego Monster. Laughing one minute, pissed enough she's about to clock me the next, and when I don't let her, she cries!

ECritten01: Daaayummm. I'm so glad we can't knock each other up honey.

NDorneget01: Uh, yeah! Me too, because I'd probably be _just_ like that.

ECritten01: ... Good to know?

NDorneget01: Yeah. Just... never hide the Lysol wipes, and we'll be fine.

ECritten01: I promise on every lemon Starburst ever made.

GParke01: Good answer!

ECritten01: I thought so, but does Ned?

There was no response for a long moment, and Greg and Elly shared a look, then looked at Ned, and saw him staring blankly into his screen.

GParke01: *crickets chirping*

ECritten01: Ned? Earth to Ned?

A separate IM window popped up on Elly's screen from Ned.

NDorneget01: Just read the email from my brother. Think we can sneak away for some coffee?

"Boss, I'm stealing Ned and going for coffee," Elly said, getting to his feet.

"Got it," Tony said, putting his hand over his receiver.

Ned joined Elly and they walked out of the bullpen. Parke got up and moved to look at Ned's computer screen before locking down the computer. He saw the IM to Elly and nodded, then hit control, alt, delete. He didn't know anything about Ned's brother, but Elly must. He felt bad for looking, but he wouldn't pry now that he knew that Elly could take care of it. He'd just keep his ears open. He noticed Tony was raising an eyebrow at him.

"He forgot to lock his screen," he said with a shrug, and then went back to work when Tony nodded.

Meanwhile, Elly and Ned were standing side by side in the elevator, waiting for it to hit the ground floor. They got out and made their way out the front entrance and towards the coffee cart. They ordered, and took the coffees for a walk through the quad.

"So, what did he say?" Elly said, taking a drink of his iced caramel something-or-other.

"Some jerkhole response about how I'm nuts if I think that a job that could kill me was a good thing, and that I'm still nothing in his eyes basically. He threw in that my mother laughed when she heard I'm in the field now, and part of me wanted to laugh too, because I've spent so little time in the field over the past couple of weeks with the op."

"We already knew your brother was an idiot. Maybe we could get Rod or Ed to cough on him," Elly said with a quirked up eyebrow and playfully mischievous glance that made Ned smile and shake his head.

"Only if we could quarantine him afterwards."

"Sounds good," Elly said. "We don't need his type of nonsense loose in this world anyway. I wish we could quarantine all those infected by stupidity."

Ned chuckled sardonically. "I have a feeling the camp would be larger than the rest of the world's population. Plus, you just never know what's going to happen when you put all those stupid people together. They'd probably form a country."

"Ouch! Isn't that kinda how we got here to begin with?" Elly whispered. Ned laughed genuinely. Elly was glad he was able to keep him smiling when his so-called family tried to bring him down. He bumped his shoulder against Ned's, who bumped him back and continued walking alongside him shoulder to shoulder, practically against one another.

"I don't care as much as I would have two months ago," Ned said with a shrug. "Honestly, you guys are more my family than they have been over the past eight years."

"I wonder how much that family is going to change now that Boss and Gibbs are going to be raising a kid? I mean, really? Can you picture either of them with a kid?" Elly shook his head in thought.

"I don't know. I mean, I wouldn't have thought so before moving upstairs, but now that I know them a little better, yeah. This is going to sound totally weird, but when you went home on Saturday, I had dinner with them, and they were actually kind of protective. You know, all worried about me, and it was _nice_. It almost felt like family dinner when I was a kid."

Elly nodded. "Boss _is_ very protective of both of us. Should've heard him in the car on the way home that day."

"I got my own version of it. He kind of feels almost fatherly sometimes."

"I wondered if I was the only one getting that. I thought it was because I'm supposed to be his second in command or whatever, but I noticed he's like that with you and even Parke. So I started watching Gibbs, and he's like that in his own way with Abby, McGee, and Ziva, too."

Ned took a drink of his coffee. "Ooo! Still way too hot," he said with a grimace. "Burnt my tongue."

"Here," Elly said, passing him his cup. "Might make it feel better."

Ned smiled sheepishly and took the cup, sucking some of the cool liquid though the straw as he stared at Elly over the lid. Elly stared back, smiling because of how cute Ned looked, but he wasn't sure why he looked so shy.

"What are you thinking?" he asked as Ned handed him the cup back.

"Well, I don't share drinks with people. Ever."

"You were sharing your drink with me on Saturday," Elly pointed out, raising an eyebrow at him.

Ned nodded. "Yeah, and that was _huge_ for me, you have no idea."

"Then why were you doing it if you were uncomfortable?" Elly asked.

"Because I wasn't uncomfortable. It was you."

"Oh," Elly said, struck by the complexity of such a simple answer and honored by its implications. "I'm touched."

Ned felt his cheeks turning pink as he stared down at the cup in his hand while they strolled along. He couldn't stop smiling.

"Confession?" he said, looking up at Elly.

"Definitely," Elly said, intrigued enough that he stopped walking.

"Sometimes, I just really wish I could be as comfortable with everything as everyone else. So when I _do_ break out of my normal fears, it feels reckless, wild, and it has this kind of taboo feeling that, when in the right setting, can be a total turn on."

"Oh really? So, sharing drinks with someone is a turn on for you?" Elly said with a bright grin.

"With the _right_ person, yes. Amongst other things," Ned said, feeling his face turn bright red as heat raced up his body to give him away. He tried to walk away, but Elly's hand on his arm stopped him.

"Other things?" he asked, his curiosity piqued.

"Yeah. I'm sure you'll find out," Ned said, trying to avoid the question.

Elly's hand slipped down Ned's arm and laced their fingers together. "When?" he asked, scanning Ned's face with a smirk and playful eyes.

"Oh, when the two months are up for sure," Ned said, trying to tap into some of his MTAC confidence, but not too much.

"Oh, that's evil," Elly said, chewing on his lower lip. "Mmmm… You're going to make this really hard for me."

"Keep biting your lip like that and handing me your drinks, and you're going to make it really hard for me not to kiss you right here in the middle of the quad or in the office."

Elly suddenly realized that they were standing in the middle of the Navy Yard quad holding hands, inches from one another. He smiled from ear to ear as he realized he simply didn't care. He was Ned's, Ned was his, and he didn't care who knew.

"You make me feel… fearless," Elly said.

Ned was taken aback by that. "Fearless? How's that?"

"We're holding hands in the middle of the quad, and I wouldn't mind at all if you kissed me right now. You said that, and I thought, damn, I wish he'd kiss me, and then I realized we're out here where everyone can see us, and _then_ I realized, I don't care, I still want you to kiss me."

Ned felt a light, weightless feeling come over him, and it was like he was suddenly ten times more confident than he was in MTAC. He smiled, leaned in, closed the gap between them, and closed his eyes as he pressed his lips against Elly's. It was a gentle kiss, as appropriate as a kiss could get while at work, and yet it was perfect. Ned pulled back just enough to move his mouth close to Elly's ear.

"Kissing you so much harder than that tonight," he said, his voice rough in that way that made Elly shiver, the hair on his arms standing on ends despite the summer heat.

"Hell yeah you are," he said, only able to breathe the words rather than actually speak them. His eyes finally opened, and Ned's were right in front of him, darker than usual, the ring of silver around them taking his breath away even more. He finally inhaled, shuddering, biting his lower lip.

"What are we doing for dinner?" Ned asked, turning to walk back towards the building.

Elly cleared his throat. "I don't care. Should probably actually go somewhere to eat. If we eat at one of our places we may never get to the food."

Ned chuckled. "Probably true."

Elly suddenly had a thought, and he considered whether or not he should ask the question it brought up.

"What?" Ned asked, looking up at Elly, worried about the expression on his face.

"Just wondered if you have anything you worry about at restaurants," he said with a shrug. "You know, since you were saying you never share drinks with anyone, it made me think of it."

Ned nodded, a smile curling on his lips. "That's actually really sweet of you to consider. I don't think anyone has ever asked me that."

Elly shrugged, smiling shyly in relief that it wasn't an offensive question.

"As long as the table tops aren't sticky, we're good. I just try really hard not to think about it, use straws whenever possible, and do a lot of take out so I don't think about the environment around me."

"Sounds good." They approached the building and finally let go of one another's hands when they reached to open the door. As they made their way through security, Elly poked Ned.

"Look!" he said. Ned followed the gesture Elly made with his head, and saw Jethro and Amira walking slowly towards the elevator. Jethro was holding her hand while Dirt was wedged under her arm securely. He held the bottle of Gatorade in his other hand, and he chuckled while Amira hopped from square to square on the marble tiled floor.

"Oh, my god. They are so cute," Ned whispered, following Elly closely as they came up on Jethro and Amira.

"Gibbs!" Elly greeted.

Jethro turned around and found Elly and Ned smiling at him and the munchkin. He smiled back and nodded.

"Hi Amira!" Elly said gently. "Do you remember me? I'm on Tony's team."

Amira nodded and smiled shyly, moving closer to Jethro.

"Hi Amira," Ned said. "I'm Dorney. It's nice to meet you."

"You and Tony's fighting bad guys too?" Amira asked.

Ned and Elly chuckled, bumping shoulders with one another again. "Yeah, we help him fight the bad guys," Ned reassured her.

Amira nodded her approval, and the group started walking towards the elevator again. Amira reached forward, the bear in her arm still as she tried to push the button.

"Nope, the other one," Jethro said when she reached for the down button. Amira stood on her toes and pushed the top button, holding it in as it turned orange. "Okay, you got it."

Amira nodded and stepped back, wiping her nose on the head of the bear.

Ned and Elly watched them in fascination with huge smiles on their faces. As the elevator doors opened up, Amira pulled Jethro in with her, hopping over the crack between the marble floor and the metal edge of the elevator. Ned fought back the squeal he felt inside at the cuteness. He instinctively reached for Elly's hand, and he took it without a thought. The doors closed on them and Amira noticed their joined hands, and gasped.

"Are you two boyfriends too?" she asked excitedly. "Like Gibbsy and Tony?"

The three men chuckled at her innocent excitement.

"Yeah," Elly said, he and Ned looking at each other with bright smiles.

"Cool!" Amira said. "Are- are you gonna get married too?" she asked.

The three men laughed again, and both Elly and Ned turned different shades of pink.

"Maybe one day," Elly said, biting his lower lip as he looked at Ned who smiled sheepishly back with a nod.

"Yay!" she cried as they got off the elevator. She suddenly stopped when assaulted by the bright orange room full of noise and moved closer to Jethro. She looked up at him, and he bent over and picked her up.

"You okay, munchkin?" he asked. She nodded and looked around the room, a little more comfortable now that she could see over the cubicles. "Okay," he said, kissing her forehead and sitting her down.

"Where's Tony?" she asked, her eyes still announcing her discomfort.

"Right over here," Elly said, leading the way.

Halfway through the aisle leading through Tony's side of the bullpen, past the copiers and the empty desks the travelling agents used, she saw him.

"Tony!" she cried, pulling out of Jethro's hand and running over to him. He got up to meet her around the front of her desk, scooping her up in his arms, his eyes closing.

"Hey sweetie," he said. He realized Amira was shaking suddenly. "What's wrong honey?" he asked, holding her tightly. Jethro came to stand next to them.

"Not sure," he said. "She's been great all morning until we got off the elevator just now."

"Big place, lots of people," Parke said quietly from behind them. He'd gotten up as soon as he heard Tony ask what was wrong.

"Aww. It's okay honey," Tony reassured her. "These are all my friends. We all fight the bad guys together," he whispered.

Amira nodded, but didn't let him go at all. She mumbled something, and Tony didn't understand it.

"What?" he asked. "I didn't hear you."

"She said she wants to go home," Ned said quietly.

Tony suddenly realized she had said it in Arabic, and he nodded.

"Soon, honey," Tony said, looking over her shoulder at Jethro who swallowed hard. "You can go to your new home soon. Gibbsy and I have to meet with our boss though for a little bit. Then Gibbsy will take you home."

"You too," she said.

"No, not yet. I have to work still for a while, but I'll be home tonight," he said. Amira pulled back so that Tony could see her face, but she played with his tie instead of looking back at him. Tony knew a pout when he saw one, and Amira was definitely pouting. "You going to be okay if I leave you with the good guys for a little while so Gibbsy and I can go talk to Vance?" He saw her angry pouty look turned scared immediately, and she began shaking again.

"No! I go with you!" she said.

Ned swallowed. He was used to being put in charge of watching people, often getting stuck on protection duty, and he felt like this was somehow his job.

"Why don't you and I sit outside the door of the Director's office together?" he asked. "I can bring paper and we can draw pictures."

"I think I have some markers," Parke said, looking through his door. Elly went behind his desk to try to find something to keep her occupied with too. Tim and Ziva had been watching from their side of the bullpen and started shuffling around in their desks for something that could keep her distracted.

"Dorney," Tim called. Ned looked over, and Tim held up a pack of Twizzlers. Ned nodded and Tim tossed them across the bullpen. He was surprised when he caught them.

"Look! McGee even gave us candy!" he said. She still wasn't letting go of Tony, but she was looking at Ned from over his shoulder with a little less passionate anger and fear than she had been a moment before. "The cool thing about Twizzlers, is when you bite off each end, you can use it like a straw."

"In blue?" she asked tentatively.

"Blue?" Ned asked.

"Her Gatorade," Tony clarified. "You can color with Ned and use candy as straws with blue. If you go to our meeting you have to listen to grown up talk- a lot of it. What do you want to do?"

"But what if the-" she started, then Tony felt the beginning of a sob and he shook his head.

"They won't. Ned knows more about the bad guys than even me. He'll keep you safe, I promise."

Ned nodded. "I promise, too," he said. "Pinky promise." He held out his pinky for her, and she tentatively reached out for it and wrapped her pinky around it.

"Atta girl," Jethro said. "We'll only be a few feet away if you want to check on us." Amira nodded and then pulled back, breathing in another one of those shuddering breaths and playing with Tony's tie again.

"'kay," she said quietly. Not for the first time, Tony realized that she was incredibly brave.

"You are such a brave girl," Tony whispered. "Just like your mom." Amira's eyes came up to meet his and he nodded at her. Amira sat a little straighter in Tony's arms, and wiped her nose on Dirt again.

Ned turned around and took a stack of paper out of the fax machine behind him, and then opened his drawer to take out some pencils. Elly got up and took the markers Parke had gathered and added them to his collection, then put a rubber band around them to hold them together. Ned smiled at him and added them to his stack along with the Twizzlers. Elly held up his finger signaling to wait a second, and pulled his hand sanitizer off his keychain, handing it to Ned who grinned and stuck it in his pocket.

"Thank you," he whispered. Elly winked at him.

When Amira reached out for Ned to take her, he wasn't the only one surprised. Jethro took the supplies from him with a shrug, and Ned suddenly found himself with an armful of little girl clingingly tightly to him.

 _["Are you okay?"]_ he asked her quietly in Arabic. She took a deep breath and nodded. He nodded back. "Okay. Let's go color." He followed Jethro towards the stairs, and Tony followed them all.

The rest of the group watched them as they went, and Parke moved to stand next to Elly who hadn't taken his eyes off of Ned.

"So," he asked quietly. "How do you feel about being a dad?"

"Huh?" Elly asked, finally turning to Parke as Ned disappeared from view.

"He's great with kids," Parke said. "And honestly, you look a little mesmerized by the whole thing."

Elly shrugged with a bright smile. "Feeling pretty good about it suddenly." He turned to sit behind his desk, the smile not fading for a moment, and Parke chuckled as he went back to his desk.

 _Too bad they can't get pregnant together,_ he said, thinking about their earlier IM conversation. _They're going to be great parents._


	36. Chapter 36

Tony, Jethro, and Vance all sat wearily around the conference table. Jethro was surprised at how helpful Vance had been, but he hadn't taken into consideration that he was a father too, and he understood better than most the challenges of doing a job like theirs while keeping his family a priority.

"I think that covers it," Tony said.

"Yeah," Jethro said with a sigh. "Remind me to thank Joan if I ever meet her."

Joan Truxton had called another montessori near them in Alexandria and had given her recommendation that they accept Amira into their pre-K program. They had called Tony to make the arrangements in the middle of the meeting. It eliminated a lot of the what-ifs they'd come across, and relieved the largest part of the burden.

"This sucks," Tony said. "She's so much stronger than I feel like I am right now."

"Welcome to fatherhood," Vance said with a snicker.

"Gee, thanks," Tony said, shaking his head.

"We'll make sure we keep it balanced," Jethro said, looking at Tony.

"Yeah. It's going to suck being away from the two of you as you plan the funeral," Tony said. "I know Leyla would want someone going after these bastards though."

"She would," Jethro confirmed, reaching to take Tony's hand and entwine their fingers. "When I think about it, I keep hearing her saying, "Keep her safe". I know she meant Amira, but I can't help but think she meant Dina, too. That's what she did- she kept them safe."

"I'll make sure her wishes are honored," Tony said, squeezing Jethro's fingers.

"This week, you take care of Dina, and I'll take care of Amira, and when we finally put all of this to rest, we'll work on learning how to balance the load."

Tony nodded.

"Are you going to be able to handle the interrogation?" Vance asked directly.

Tony nodded. "Ned will be in there with me. He'll keep me from killing the prick."

"Good. I'll be on the other side of the glass if you need me," he said. Tony nodded, knowing that he'd be watching as both referee and friend. He felt the support of everyone around him reminding him who his real family was. Vance was there for them, Ned was outside the door babysitting for them, and the team had rallied together around them so quickly, thinking of all of their needs.

"Thanks," he said quietly. "I'm going to go get Elly and Parke out into the field to start questioning people to find out how in the hell he knew how to get to Leyla."

He stood up, squeezing Jethro's hand one more time, and headed for the door. Once it closed, Jethro turned to Vance.

"Every minute he has to work on this case, the guy who drugged Critten and Dorneget is going loose."

"I've thought about that already," Vance said. "Parke has his instructions to keep tracking the man who owns Burgundy. We've frozen every financial asset he has, but he hasn't come forward to find out why. It's obvious it's either him, or someone he's acquainted with and he knew the plan. I've actually spent some time researching him myself. Discovered he spent time in rehab. Voluntarily. Twice. I have a feeling the money he's getting deposited into his account on a regular basis is a cut of what some of his old drug dealer buddies are giving him to allow them open access to sell at the club."

"Tony's going to be pissed when he finds out you've been working his case," Jethro warned him.

"Probably, but his plate is too full, and the only other person he'd trust it with is you, and you have other priorities right now. Let him be pissed. _I'm_ pissed. Someone tried to kill my agents, and for money nonetheless. There's going to be hell to pay."

"Not saying you shouldn't be involved, just saying you should _tell_ him before he finds out," Jethro said.

Vance agreed with a nod. "Planned on it after the Dwahalini interrogation."

Jethro nodded. "Good. I'm going to go take the munchkin home and see if I can't talk her into a nap so I can make calls to plan the funeral." He looked towards the door with a grimace. "She should probably stay with Tony or Ned while I go downstairs to talk to Ducky. I don't want her to know Leyla's body is down there. It's bad enough she doesn't know Dwahalini is in the building. Tony promised her none of the bad guys are here."

"She's starting to ask questions like that already?" Vance asked, obviously concerned.

"Yeah. Leyla had warned her about the bad guys, so she keeps bringing them up. Well, she keeps bringing them up with _Tony_. She never brings them up with me. She's got this odd disconnection thing going on. She's fine with me, but when she's around Tony, it's like she lets it all out. Her fears, her sadness, her anger. Tried talking about it earlier and she changed the topic. Four years old, changed the damn topic. And when we got here, as soon as she got ten yards from Tony, even before she saw him, it was over. She was sad, she was shaky, she wanted only him to hold her, wanted him to take her home…"

"She's got something she connects with him that lets her open up," Vance said with a shrug.

"Yeah," Jethro said with a sigh.

"Are you jealous?" Vance asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

Jethro chuckled. "Yeah! I think I am. Not that I want her sad, I just…"

"Want to feel like she trusts you as much as she trusts Tony."

"Yeah," Jethro said, nodding. He felt somehow closer to Vance suddenly. A part of his respect for the man had been forged over his dedication to his family, and now that he was a father again, he felt like they could relate on that level in a way they hadn't before. He'd figured he'd have one up on Tony in a way since he'd been a parent before, but he never considered getting dad advice from anyone else. He appreciated Vance a little more now.

"I've got to say, I'm looking forward to ending the battle with HR about the two of you never taking vacation time," Vance said with a grin. Jethro smiled and shook his head as he got to his feet.

"This is why we've been racking it up!" he said with a shrug. "We've got a daughter now, a wedding coming up, a honeymoon, and then probably yearly vacations with Amira. Want to make sure she gets to see everything she ever wants to see while I'm alive to witness it."

"I hope she's okay with the two of you leaving for a week for your honeymoon. It's going to be hard on her."

"We have a couple of months. She seems to be taking to Dorneget of all people," Jethro said with a raised eyebrow. "Maybe she can stay with him and Abby. A few days here, a few days there…"

"You'll figure it out."

"Yeah, we will."

"All of it."

Jethro sighed and nodded, then turned to head for the door.

* * *

When Tony left Vance's office, he found Amira sitting on the floor in front of the coffee table, coloring with a highlighter. The picture was flowers and sunshine, all done in neon colors, and a rainbow was being added. As the door closed, she gasped, then looked up at Tony.

"Hey, sweetheart," he said with a sad smile, coming to sit on the couch next to her. "What are you drawing?"

"Flowers. There's pink, and - and orange, and yellow, and blue!"

"Wow! Those are really pretty flowers! Did you behave for Dorney?" he asked. She nodded as she colored her rainbow.

"She was very good," Ned said with a smile. "She lost a Twizzler in her Gatorade though. Bit it down too small, and it's floating around in the bottle." Ned looked at the bottle and grimaced, then looked at Tony who was suppressing a chuckle at Ned's obvious discomfort with that idea.

"Might be time for a new bottle, huh?" he asked.

"No!" Amira said, grabbing the bottle before Tony could take it. "I like it like that!"

"Okay, then!" Tony said. "If you guys can hang out a few more minutes until Jethro gets out, and then come join us in the bullpen, that would be great. I'm going to go get Parke and Elly out to check on-um- those things we were discussing earlier."

Ned looked at him with confusion. "The things?"

"Yeah," Tony said, looking at Amira. "The _things_!"

"OH!" Ned exclaimed, the light bulb flickering on inside his head. "Yeah, the things. Okay, not a problem." He turned to Amira. _["Are you okay if Tony goes downstairs now? Gibbs is still in the room,"]_ he asked her.

Tony smiled at Ned as she nodded, and he wondered if he'd been speaking to her in Arabic the whole time they'd been hanging out. He watched to make sure Amira was okay with it and that it didn't set off any emotional alarms. If anything, she seemed comforted by it, trusting Ned more because of this commonality.

"Thank you," he said to Ned. He bent and kissed Amira on the top of the head. "I'll be right downstairs, and you'll come see me in a few minutes, okay?"

Amira nodded again, and kept coloring. Tony got up and escaped before she could change her mind and get upset, relieved when he started down the stairs and he didn't hear her crying and running after him. He made his way into the bullpen, and sat heavily at his desk. He was exhausted, and now that he wasn't around Amira, he could let the façade that he was okay drop away.

"Okay you two. Time to get to work. Where are you going to start?"

"Uh?" Parke and Elly looked back and forth at each other. Parke shrugged.

"There are currently no missing person reports or any bodies in any morgues in the tri-state area that would have any reason to be involved with the case," Elly said, looking at Tony and then behind him as Tim and Ziva came up to the wall behind Jethro's desk.

"We canvassed the neighborhood really well the other day, and no one saw Dwahalini move in or out of the house," Tim said, making Tony turn around.

"The video should be here by four today from the busses so we can start going through that," Elly added.

"I took the liberty of requesting the video from the pharmacy that he stopped at for supplies," Ziva said.

"And I've been tracking every known trafficker that works the coastline from New York to North Carolina," Parke said.

Tony nodded. "Ziva, when is that video going to be here?"

"It will get here sooner if I go and get it," she said.

"Make sure it's okay with Gibbs when he gets down here. New incoming cases are your priority though. We've left Balboa by himself for long enough," Tony said turning back to Elly and Parke. "He had to have come from somewhere. _Find it_ ," Tony said, looking between Parke and Elly. They both nodded, unnerved by the gruff demand, and got up, throwing together their things to head out.

"I don't care what you have to do, who you have to talk to. As soon as Dorney gets down here, we're going to talk to the people at Epiphany and find out what we can, and then I'm coming back and interrogating this bastard. I want as much information as possible when I walk into that room. I don't care how big or how small. Got it?"

"Got it, Boss," Elly said, practically running from the bullpen with Parke on his heels.

Tony turned to Tim, who looked a little paler than he had a moment before. He had never heard Tony snap at his team, and he wasn't sure he liked it.

"They were looking for people that would be reported missing or dead. We need to find the people who _wouldn't_ be. We need to look deeper."

Tim nodded, following Tony's train of though. "Undocumented, those most likely to slip under the radar. I can do that," Tim said.

"I will help," Ziva said.

"I need to talk to Ducky," Tony said. He turned around and picked up his cell, dismissing Tim and Ziva who exchanged concerned looks as they went back to their desks.

 _TMcGee02_ : Whoa.

 _ZDavid01_ : Indeed. I am not sure what has happened, but this is not like Tony.

 _TMcGee01_ : No, it's like Gibbs. I know he's taking his name, but I'm not so sure I like him taking the obsessive, angry persona.

 _ZDavid01_ : He has a family to protect now. You have seen Gibbs when someone he cares about is affected by a case or missing. It is not pleasant. I expect that we will start seeing the same from Tony.

 _TMcGee02_ : True. I hope he doesn't scare Elly and Parke too much though. They've been waiting for direction, not just sitting around. They haven't stopped working the case. And I shouldn't tell you this, but Parke is actually working the drugging case at the same time. He asked me a few questions on a search he was running, and it had to do with the club owner at Burgundy.

 _ZDavid01_ : Is that Tony's directive?

 _TMcGee02_ : No. The Director's. And no, Tony doesn't know. Though Tony did apparently have him working on the case before Dorneget and Elly knew.

Tim and Ziva both looked up suddenly as they heard voices from above them. Amira was telling Jethro all about the pictures she had drawn, and he was affirming that she had done a good job. Ned was chuckling, and the three walked down the stairs together. Ned made his way towards the bathroom while the other two joined Tony in the bullpen. Tony smiled at Amira as she came over and tried to climb up into his lap to show him her pictures.

"Very nice!" Tony said. "You're a little artist!"

"Thanks!" she said, and then reached for Tony's phone that was sitting on the desk.

"Nope!" Tony said, picking it up from her hands. "That's off limits."

"Awww!" she pouted.

"It's got grown up stuff in it. We'll have to get you something different to play with." Tony tucked his phone into his inside pocket.

"A phone?" she asked excitedly.

"Maybe not your own phone, but something. We'll think about it," Jethro said with a chuckle.

"Ooookayyy," she said with a sigh. Tony looked up at Jethro with a smile.

"I need to go talk to Ducky," Jethro said, looking briefly at Amira.

"He's waiting for you. We need to head out as soon as possible though."

"I'll be brief," Jethro said.

"Okay," Tony said with a nod. "Thanks."

Jethro headed for the back elevator, and Amira turned to watch him go from her position on Tony's lap.

"Where's Gibbsy going?" she asked, looking back at Tony in a small panic.

"Just to talk to his friend Ducky downstairs." He saw that answer wasn't pacifying Amira, so he thought fast. "I have a friend I want to come upstairs and hang out with you. She's eager to see you."

"Really?" Amira asked.

"Yup," Tony said, picking up the phone. Two rings and the phone was picked up. "Hey, Amira is up here if you want to come see her."

"Really?!" Abby asked excitedly. "I'll be right there!" She hung up before Tony could even start to chuckle, and he turned towards Amira.

"See? She's coming right up to see you!"

"It's a girl?"

"Yup," Tony said.

"And she's a good guy?" Amira whispered.

"Of course! I'd never let a bad guy come see you," Tony said quietly back, cupping her face in his hands. "Ever."

Amira nodded and took a deep breath. Before anything else could be said, Abby was coming off the elevator, shuffling across the floor in her big black buckle boots.

"Abby!" Amira said, jumping down from Tony's lap and running for her. Tony laughed.

"Hey, Amira!" Abby said, crouching down to hug the tiny girl. "I haven't seen you in so long!"

"Forever!" Amira said, hugging Abby as tightly as she was being hugged, if not more.

"Did you like the puzzles?" Abby asked, letting Amira out of the hug, but staying crouched down.

"Uh-huh! And I put them all together too! Gibbsy and Mommy helped a little," she said, and then she froze.

Abby smiled at her and reached to pet her hair. "That's because they love you," Abby said quietly.

Amira stood still, looking around the room, unsure of what she was doing or feeling suddenly. Tony could see the confusion on her face and tried to wait it out, but he wanted to jump up from the desk, pick her up, and hold her close. She looked like a lost little girl in a store more than a safe yet grieving four year old. She looked at Tony, her brown eyes full of tears, and Tony tried to smile at her, but suddenly he felt a knot tighten in his chest and he couldn't.

Abby shook her head and picked Amira up, coming around the desk so that she stood next to Tony, leaning against the drawers. Amira reached for Tony, and Tony gladly took her, feeling the knot unravel as he drew her close and held her tightly. Amira sniffled and shook a little, but she didn't cry. He rubbed her back lightly, and finally managed a sad smile at Abby.

"Who's-" Amira started before she hiccupped a little. "Who's gonna help me with my puzzles?"

"I will, and Gibbsy will, and I'm sure Abby will, and Dorney will… we all will," Tony said, fighting back his own choked sadness. Amira nodded, but didn't let him go.

"Mommy makes cupcake cookies, and we do games, and- and- and we put the puzzles on the floor, and she gives me three tries- and-" Amira shook harder and then she started crying those soft quiet tears that broke Tony's heart.

Abby looked over the bullpen wall to find Tim staring at her, waiting for her to summon him with her stare. As soon as she did, he got up and came over. Ziva followed him. Tony noticed she looked as teary eyed as he felt, and he gave her a sad smile.

"I can help you with puzzles," Tim said.

"And I am sure I can learn how to make cupcake cookies," Ziva said.

"We can play lots of games together, and we can do lots of fun things. I know it's not the same," Abby said, crouching down again so that she looked up into Amira's face. "But you have a big family now, and we will all be there for you, and we can hang out, and play games, and do puzzles, and make cookies, and go do fun stuff, and watch movies…"

"And go to the park, and get ice cream, and play on the slides," Tim suggested.

Ned came back into the bullpen to see the group standing around Tony's desk, and saw Amira curled up in Tony's arms. He walked up to them tentatively, unsure of what was happening, but knowing it wasn't good.

 _["Are you okay, Amira?"]_ he asked her. Amira shook her head no vehemently and buried her face in Tony's neck. "Hey guys? Let's, ya know, give her some space," he said. Tony nodded and stood up. Everyone moved out of the way.

"Can you tell Jethro to meet us in the conference room when he gets done talking to Ducky?" he asked Ned quietly.

"Yeah, I'll go tell him," he said.

"Thanks." They walked a few steps together through the bullpen, leaving the rest of the group behind. "What did you ask her?" he said quietly, stroking Amira's head.

"If she was okay."

Tony sighed and nodded. "Thanks."

"Yeah," Ned said, taking the steps downstairs to autopsy. He needed a moment to himself as he felt the urge to cry hit him. He took some deep breaths as he went down the stairs, and then wiped at his eyes before the tears could fall. He closed them tightly, and then blinked a few times, wiping them again. He wasn't sure why it was hitting him so hard, but it felt like a kick in the gut to see her so sad, and to hear the broken voice of Tony thanking him for something as simple as asking Amira if she was okay.

He walked into autopsy to find Jethro and Ducky standing over Leyla's body. They both turned to look at him, and he sighed.

"Tony needs you upstairs in the conference room," Ned said quietly.

"What's wrong?" Jethro asked, turning towards Ned and heading for the door.

"Amira's upset. Well, she's crying, and I'm not really sure what happened, but everyone was trying to make her feel better."

Jethro nodded and left him standing there with Ducky.

"Agent Dorneget! I didn't get a chance to do your examination the other day. It shouldn't take but a few minutes, and seeing as they are probably going to be more than that, why don't we get it out of the way? Shall we?"

Ned shrugged, feeling like anything was better than going upstairs at the moment.

"Are you alright?" Ducky asked, coming to stand in front of Ned who hadn't moved from his spot.

He shrugged again. "It's just… it's so sad that a parent who loved their child so much, who obviously cared about her, treated her well, can be taken away. It's not like _my_ mom, who… who…" Ned felt the tears escape and blinked hard in disbelief that they were there. His voice came out in a whisper. "Who doesn't love me, -and doesn't want me in her life."

Ducky frowned as he watched Ned's heartbroken expression and quiet tears.

"Sorry," Ned whispered, reaching up to wipe his eyes and sniffle.

"My dear boy," Ducky said going behind Ned and leading him to a chair with a hand on each shoulder. "Not all parents are created equal, but as I'm sure you've noticed, being a part of this team makes you a part of a very special family indeed. A family that most definitely appreciates you, and cares for you. Jethro just told me that you have been spending time with Amira today so they can get some meetings out of the way and make some decisions. The fact that she is being entrusted to you at all should tell you that you are regarded very highly in their eyes."

Ned nodded, tilting his head back against the stone wall, grateful to be in such a sterile place that he could do so without worry.

"Why do you believe that your mother doesn't care for you?" Ducky asked gently.

Ned shook his head. "She stopped acknowledging my existence when she discovered I'm gay." He swallowed hard. "Wouldn't look at me, speak to me, move out of the way for me when I was trying to get to the cabinet with the cups in it… She changed the locks on the doors after I went back to school my senior year at UMD so that I couldn't get back into the house. Cancelled my cell phone. Told my brother not to talk to me. Tried to get a refund on my tuition, and to top it off, just laughed when my brother told her that I'm a full field agent now."

"Oh, for god's sake! That is _not_ what a parent should be like. I am very sorry she's become so cruel. You most certainly don't deserve that," Ducky said, trying his hardest to rein in his fury that any parent would treat their child like that, no matter what their differences may be.

"It doesn't matter," Ned said. "I know who my family is now, and it's not her, and it's not my stuck up brother, and it's not the rest of them. My family is here."

"It obviously does matter if it has you this upset."

Ned sighed, the tears streaming down his face again. "I don't want it to."

They sat silently together for a long couple of minutes.

"What's going to make you feel better, Ned?"

Ned's eyes closed and he shook his head. He thought for a moment, sighing. Suddenly the answer was as clear as day. "Elly," he said, surprising himself.

Ducky smiled. "Yes, love can do that- erase the pains of the past."

Ned smiled, wiping at his eyes. "Love. There's a lot of that here," he said softly. "There's so much pain here too, Dr. Mallard. So much pain. I guess that's why everyone on the team, on Gibbs' team too, loves each other so much. It's not exactly a normal love, but it's pretty special."

"It's the healthiest thing that can be borne from so much pain, and the people I've become so honored to get to know here make the most beautiful mess out of the chaos. Give it time, dear boy. You'll find it will heal even your deepest wounds."

Ned nodded.

"I take it this means you and Elijah have been able to reconcile whatever issues you were having when he and I spoke the other day?"

"Yeah. We just had some communication issues. We're better now. A lot better."

"Splendid! So let's talk about the night the two of you were slipped the mickey, shall we?"

Ned took a deep breath and hunkered down to tell the story. He knew it was important, but somehow, he couldn't bring himself to be too angry about it since it had blown the doors open on what was going to be the most important relationship of his entire life.

* * *

Jethro came into the conference room to find Tony sitting in one of the chairs with Amira laying sadly against him.

"Hey munchkin," he said quietly. Amira turned her head so that it was on Tony's other shoulder so she could see Jethro. "Hey- what's wrong? Come here," he cooed, holding his arms out to her. She reached for him, and he had to fight back the smile when she didn't hesitate. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he held her tightly, closing his eyes. "Talk to me, munchkin," he said softly, rocking her back and forth in his arms.

Amira shook her head no, burying it into his shoulder, hiding her face.

"Why not?" he whispered, and Tony could hear the honest pain and confusion in the question. He suddenly realized that Jethro had been hurt by the way Amira hadn't been opening up to him. He played back all of the comments Jethro had made, and he heard them differently now. They weren't just said with Amira's wellbeing in mind, but his own confusion and heartache. He was grieving, and he wanted to grieve with Amira.

"Can we go home and play?" Amira asked Jethro, sitting up and wiping her nose on her sleeve.

"You mean play like Mommy used to play with you?" Tony asked quietly, starting to see the pieces shift into place.

Jethro looked at him with daggers in his eyes, and Tony's own eyes softened, shaking his head. "That's what she's crying about. Abby asked if she liked the puzzles she sent her at Christmas that you and Leyla helped her put together."

Jethro's eyes softened as well, and he looked at Amira who started crying again, playing with Jethro's buttons as she tried to hold back the tears unsuccessfully.

"You remind her of Leyla," Tony said softly. "She _can_ be happy around you, so she is."

Tony felt his eyes burning suddenly, realizing that he wasn't ever going to remind Amira of Leyla, because he hadn't been around them hardly at all. Leyla, Jethro, and Amira had spent plenty of time together, but Amira wouldn't have memories of her mother that tied to Tony. They only had a handful of visits. That wasn't enough to compare four years of time together as a family to. She knew Tony enough that she trusted him to let him see her sadness, but not enough that he would remind her of the fun times she spent with her mom. He was destined to be the one to hold her when she cried, and Jethro would be the one that helped her get past the tears, and move on with her life by bringing her bit by bit back into the fun world that a little girl deserves to grow up in.

"We can go play, sweetie. What do you want to play?" Jethro asked.

"Can we play the puzzles?" she asked, sniffling.

"Yeah, honey. We can play with the puzzles," Jethro said, trying to blink back the burning sensation in his eyes. He came over and gave Tony a quick kiss. "See you at home."

Tony nodded. "Love you."

"Love you, too," Jethro said with a sad smile. Amira reached for Tony, and he came to stand closer so she could hug him.

"Love you sweetheart," Tony said, hugging her tiny frame as hard as he could without hurting her.

"Love you, too," she said, sucking up the sniffles.

"Don't forget Dirt and blue are on my desk," he said, following the two out of the room.

"Oh yeah!" Amira said, starting to perk up. "And my flowers!"

Tony let Jethro and Amira go one way, and he went the other, determined to lock himself in the bathroom until his eyes stopped burning.

* * *

Ned wasn't sure what he was doing, but he had an idea as he was walking out of autopsy. It wasn't the smartest thing he'd ever thought of, but it felt right somewhere in his bones. He'd been wondering about something since he'd been sitting with Amira, and he needed an answer. He couldn't fight it, and he turned in the opposite direction, taking the stairs very slowly as he thought through his crazy, suicidal idea. He knew if he was going to do it, now was his only chance. He wouldn't get the opportunity to sneak into interrogation without Tony knowing again.

He took a deep breath and shook his head, knowing this was irrational, knowing this could cost him so much, but there was something he needed to know before he brought Tony into that room with him. If things went the way he figured, it may be a moot point, but he had to find the answer to one very important question.

He pulled out his phone and text McGee.

_I need to ask Dwahalini something, but I don't want the boss to know. Can you come run the soundboard?_

Tim glanced at his phone and did a double take.

"What the hell?" he looked up from his phone, picking it up and jumping up from his desk. "What does he think he's doing?"

"What?" Ziva asked, getting to her feet.

Tim scanned the room quickly. "Dorneget is in with Dwahalini!" he said. "Go get Tony."

"What?! That cannot be right." She grabbed Tim's phone. "Tony's with Amira though. She _cannot_ know that man is in this building right now."

"Then- then get Vance," Tim said, taking off running for interrogation. He opened the door to the observation room, confirming that Ned was in the next room, then flipped a couple of controls to make sure the camera was on before he went to join him. He jumped back into the hallway and opened the next door, looking at Ned who was sitting calmly behind the table, staring down Dwahalini with a cold stare that unnerved even him.

"Dorneget?" he asked.

"Hey McGee," Ned said, not looking up from where he'd been staring at Dwahalini for the past three minutes in silence.

Tim didn't know what to do. He didn't want to call Ned out in front of Dwahalini, and he didn't want to incur the wrath of either Gibbs or the Gibbs-to-be. He stood by the door, waiting. Hopefully this would be a quick question, and they could get the hell out of there. He wasn't comfortable being left alone with Dwahalini, even if he was bolted to a table, after learning his background.

"Do you have any children Jamaal?" Ned asked, his head cocking to the side the slightest, his voice low and emotionless.

"What is this?" Dwahalini asked.

"A question. Answer it." Ned's anger made Tim raise an eyebrow at him, but he remained a silent guard on the door, not sure if at this point he was more afraid to be _in_ the room or outside of it, and whose wrath he'd rather deal with. He'd never seen Ned like this, and the feeling he was emanating was pretty intimidating.

"No," Dwahalini said.

"Any little brothers or sisters?" Ned watched Dwahalini shift in his chair, and even if he didn't know the answer already, that would have given him away. "Sister."

Dwahalini tried to put on a stony face, gritting his teeth.

"How old is she again? Twenty-five? Twenty? No, wait, she's seventeen- that's right. And how young was she when your parents were killed? Seven, wasn't it? She must be so _proud_ of her big brother. Does she know what you do for a living? Killing people for money? Taking people out just like your parents were taken out?"

Tim's eyes were locked on Ned, and his mouth began hanging open. His head turned to look at Dwahalini, but he couldn't take his eyes off of Ned. When their suspect didn't answer, Ned continued.

"Yeah. I didn't think so. She probably thinks you're _some_ kind of mercenary, but an assassin? No. She's going to though. She's going to know, and you know what else she's going to know? How you left a four year old girl without a mother yesterday. How you took someone else's mother's life, running a knife through her stomach, letting the blood drain from her body, letting that little girl's hopes, dreams, and happiness drain from this world. She's going to know. She's going to know every single bit of your ruthless story, and about how you did it all for money.

"And you know how she's going to know? I'm going to go find her, and tell her. I'm going to show her pictures of Leyla Shakarji, and pictures of her beautiful little brown eyed daughter, with her curly hair, and the flowers in her hands that she's going to leave at her mother's grave, and I'm going to show her what you've done. I'm going to show her exactly the monster you are. And then, I'm going to bring her back here, to look into your eyes through jail cell bars, and tell her how much she hates everything you are, and everything you stand for."

Tim swallowed hard, unsure if Ned was the stupidest or ballsiest person he had ever met. He finally broke away from the view of Ned's stone cold gray eyes and turned to look at Dwahalini, who looked furious enough that he was going to explode any minute now. He instinctively took as much of a step back as he could before he ran his ass into the door.

"Tell me, who else's mothers and fathers did you kill to get to Leyla? Who else's children did you leave without parents along the way to sneak into whatever cargo hold you snuck into to get into the country?"

Ned's voice was rising, and his face was turning pinker and pinker as Tim watched. He flicked his eyes towards the two way mirror, and wondered if anyone else was seeing this. Ned got to his feet leaning over the table, his voice rising more and more until he was screaming.

"Who else? Who else are you going to leave crying in the arms of practical strangers while they beg to go home to a house stained with the blood of people martyred because of your greed? A house whose walls have absorbed the pain of the screams of an innocent woman, and the tears of her innocent daughter?!"

Dwahalini tried to stand up to scream back into Ned's face.

"There is no such thing as innocence! Whatever innocence you believe there is, it was not in that woman! It was not her daughter, whose blood is tainted by her sins! It is not in the people they are hiding who have taken many lives of parents, sisters, brothers , all for their, and _your,_ political causes! What is it to you if one more child cries if it gets us one step closer to ending the lives of tyrants like Dina Ta'anari, who takes lives one by one without care in order to gain the smallest scraps of information!"

"How _dare_ you act so noble like you give a _damn_ about the Qureshi's causes?!" Ned yelled in the man's face. "You don't have any ties to them, any reason to give a damn about them and their losses! This is about you, and your filthy greed! There's no humanity in there anymore! _None!_ And your sister is going to see that! She's going to know, and she's going to understand that _you_ are the monster that she's afraid of when the streets are dark and the lamp goes out!"

Dwahalini let out a noise that was like a growling howl, and he jerked his bulky arms so hard that the bracket that chained him to the heavy wooden table pulled up through the wood, and immediately, the chains of his cuffs were around Ned's neck, pulling him across the table. Tim drew his weapon, and turned it on Dwahalini.

"Let him go now, or I'll shoot," he announced. Dwahalini jerked the chain tighter around Ned's neck as he scrambled to try to get it loose before it killed him. The door opened behind Tim.

"Take it, McGee," Vance said. Tim didn't hesitate to pull the trigger, landing a bullet right into Dwahalini's skull, sending brain matter across the wall, and causing the man to fall to the floor. Vance and Tim were already racing forward, trying to untangle Ned from the chain around his dark red face. He gasped for air over and over again.

Voices and footsteps came running down the hall towards the door. Vance's eyes met Ned's, and nothing had to be said. Vance gave him one small nod, letting him know that he approved, and that was all that Ned cared about. Tim turned to Ziva in the hallway.

"Go get Ducky," he ordered, and Ziva nodded before running off for the doctor. Balboa and Daniels were in the doorway, holding people back. Being in the offices closest to the interrogation hallway, they had gotten there first, other than Ziva who had been on the other side of the glass with the director.

The three sat in silence, Ned's eyes on the dead man next to him. He swallowed hard as he considered the blood and other things that were on his clothes, and he shook his head as he thought that there wasn't enough hand sanitizer in the little bottle Elly had given him to clean up this mess.

Ducky and Ziva came rushing in, and Ducky froze when he saw the scene before him.

"My god… When you left me twenty minutes ago, I had no idea you were on the way in here to interrogate the man," Ducky said, shaking his head.

"I wasn't," Ned said quietly. "I was just going to ask him a question. Tony told me that he wanted me to help him with the interrogation because I'd remind him that Dwahalini was an actual human being, and not just someone he wanted to kill. I needed to find some part of him that was worth protecting, so I only meant to get his reaction on his sister. I didn't expect it to turn into this."

Ducky bent down to check the bruising on Ned's neck. "Uh-huh. And did you get your answer?"

"Yes," Ned said somberly. He turned to look at the dead man next to him, and then looked back at Ducky. "Only someone holding on dearly to his last shred of humanity could have turned that violent that quickly. Otherwise, what else is there to protect?"

Ned broke into a fit of wheezy coughs as Ducky nodded. "Let's get you downstairs. I want to x-ray your neck to make sure there's no damage, and then send you for an MRI."

"I'm okay," Ned said, taking Tim's hand to help him up. He held on to it for a moment, looking Tim in the eyes. "Thanks," he said softly.

Tim nodded, raising an eyebrow at him. He suddenly saw Ned differently, and he realized that there was a lot more to him than any of them realized. He noticed that his gray eyes were sad, and it made him wonder just how much he'd regret this in the morning.

Tony suddenly came through the crowd of people, pushing them out of the way. He got to the door of interrogation just as Ned was coming out, Ducky, Vance, and Tim all behind him. They all came to an abrupt stop, as Tony's eyes widened in shock at the sight before him. Ned was already bruising around the neck in a deep purple circle matching the chainlink pattern of Dwahalini's shackles, and when Tony's eyes flicked past him, he saw the blood spatter on the wall. Confusion took over.

"What happened?" he asked, looking into Ned's eyes for an answer.

"Just watch the video," Ned said quietly. "Ducky?" he said over his shoulder.

"Anthony, we need to get him checked out. Your questions can wait."

Tony moved to let the group of people through, staring after Ned and feeling completely lost. Vance took Tony by the shoulder, and showed him into the observation room.

"You need to see this," he said going over to the board and rolling back the video. "Kid messages McGee and says he needs to ask Dwahalini a question, wants to know if he can run the boards for him real quick while he does. McGee tells David to come get me, and then comes in here after him. This is what we saw."

Tony picked up the headphones on the desk, and sat down in the chair, leaning forward to squint into the tiny monitor. He watched Ned sitting in silence until the moment Tim closed the door, like he was waiting for him. His eyes burned as he spoke of Amira and Leyla, the part about them being strangers hurting somewhere deep, and touching his own fears like a flame to gas. It was true- as much as he cared about Amira, loved her, and would do anything for her, they were practical strangers to one another.

He listened though as Ned spoke out of that passionate side that he only brought to the table when it was needed most, tearing into Dwahalini, reminding him of his most human parts. He flinched when he called Dwahalini the monster his little sister would be afraid of, and then sat back a little when he growled, broke partially free, and started strangling Ned. The next couple of seconds went by in a blur as Tim took the kill shot, and the two men rushed to free Ned from the chokehold.

Tony listened as Ned explained to Ducky why he had gone in, and he shook his head, taking the headphones off. He reached forward and hit pause.

"He did it on purpose," Tony whispered. Vance leaned back against the soundboard, crossing his arms and his feet. He looked at Tony, who looked up to meet him in the eyes.

"I know that," he whispered. "You know that. A jury isn't going to know that. I think McGee only just now realized what that kid's potential is; how precisely he can plan that next move. Dorneget knew he was going to tap into that most primal part of Dwahalini. Like he told Dr. Mallard- only someone holding onto that last little bit of their humanity could turn that quickly. He knew. Like you said, he's studied this bastard more than any of us. He may lack social skills, but did you know that he aced every psych class he took?"

Tony shook his head.

"I made sure to look since it's a field of interest we share. He knows how people tick just as well as how to plan an operation. He could plan wars if he wanted to, and whatever side was lucky enough to have him would win, no doubts."

"I'm gonna kill him, hug him, and kill him again."

"You'll have to wait. I'm sending him to Sudan to tell Dwahalini's little sister he's dead."

"What?!" Tony said, turning to Vance with a gaping mouth and wide eyes.

"He wanted to know what it's like in the field? He's going to get his chance. Consider it his penance for pulling this stunt."

"He's dead meat if you send him out there by himself," Tony said.

"I'm not sending him by himself."

"I can't go right now. Not with Amira the way she is. She'll have a-" Vance held his hand up and shook his head.

"I know who Dorneget's CIA contact is. I'm going to have him meet him in Israel and go from there together."

"Who is it?"

Vance smiled. " _His_ mark, _his_ story to tell."

"When will they leave?" Tony asked quietly.

"I'm going to need him to finish the op first, and then he'll have two days' rest, and be on his way."

Tony shook his head. "I don't want him to go by himself."

"No other choice. He needs to do this one on his own."

Tony stood up so that he was eye to eye with Vance. "You know this family doesn't do _anything_ on their own, Leon."

"Trust me, he won't be alone."

Tony turned and began walking angrily towards the door.

"Tony."

The use of his first name stopped him, but he didn't turn around.

"Why do you think he did that just now?"

Tony leaned against the door with one hand, looking down at the floor.

"You've given that kid the keys to the city, opened the world up to him. He feels like he owes you his everything, but at the same time, he wants to prove to you he's worthy of the chance you've given him. You know just as well as I do that he calculated every second of that, every move, every word, every breath. He knew the chances going in there that the outcome wouldn't be good, that McGee would hesitate just a moment, or that the way Dwahalini would have broken free would have allowed him to completely break his neck. He did it anyway. He did it knowing you, me, Gibbs, the entire free world would be pissed at him, but he didn't want you to have to face him. He faced him for you."

"Then let me face the next step with him," Tony said.

"You said it yourself- you've got a little girl to worry about. She's your family now."

Tony turned around and looked back at Vance. "Ned, Elly, Greg, Ziva, Tim, Abby, Ducky, Jimmy, Jethro- they're my family too. Even you. I promised him that I'd push him, but that I'd always be there for him. They're my team, Leon, and I look out for my own. They're my family, and they mean everything to me. I can't let him go out there by himself with someone I don't know! I can't send him halfway across the world to a country he's never been to, to search village after village for a girl that he may never find, or die trying! And to do what? Admit that he orchestrated some kind of plot to be almost murdered so another agent could kill her assassin brother? It's Sudan for crying out loud! He tells this girl this, and she's going to have him hung from village square."

"He's not going to tell her all of that. He's just going to tell her he's dead and that he's an assassin. And like I said, he won't be going alone."

"If he's not going with me, Jethro, or one of our team, he might as well be going alone."

"You'd feel better if someone else from the team went? Then you'd be down two men and worrying about two of them."

"But at least I know they'd be able to watch each other's backs!" Tony said, frustrated.

"Fine. He can take Critten. I'll put it on the papers that he's going for tech purposes, but you need to warn them that they cannot so much as touch one another while they are there. You know the consequences could be lethal."

Tony swallowed hard. He wished more than anything Vance would relent and let him go, but if he left anytime over the next few weeks, even for just a few days, Amira would panic. He didn't like the idea of having to send two of the most touchy-feely men he'd ever met into a religious nation state where homosexuality was punishable by the death penalty.

"You're going to get them killed," Tony whispered.

"No. They're going to do just fine," Vance said, stepping up to Tony. "You want to prove to them that you have their backs? You want to prove to your team that you believe in them and their abilities? You let them do this."

Tony sighed, glaring at Leon. "I hate you when you're right," he said, and turned around and stormed out of the room. He was glad the crowd of people in the hallway had vanished, and he passed Jimmy and security coming through the corridor.

"Hey, Tony! Dr. Mallard wanted me to tell you that Dorney is going to be fine, be he's still gotta go to the hospital to get checked out. Standard procedure."

"Thanks, Jimmy," Tony said and continued down the hallway. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and called Elly. He shook his head and ducked into a nook in the hallway, not ready to face the bullpen yet.

"Uh, hi Boss," Elly said, wincing as he looked at Parke, not sure what to tell their boss about how they'd found absolutely nothing.

"Get back here. Both of you. Dwahalini is dead."

"What?" Elly asked.

"Yeah. Actually, where are you?"

Elly looked at the street sign of the intersection they were passing through. "Uh, Cherry Terrace and Horseman. Why?"

"Okay, turn around and head up to Bethesda. I'll be meeting you there shortly."

"Whoa. What happened? Turn around Greg. Go to Bethesda."

"What?" Tony heard Parke ask in the background.

"Just do it!" Elly hissed. "Who's at Bethesda Tony?" he asked frantically.

"He's fine, but it's Ned," he said.

"What?!" Elly asked. "Move it, Greg. What the hell happened?"

"He went in to clarify something with Dwahalini without permission, and all hell broke loose. See you in fifteen. I'll explain it then."

He pushed the button on the top of his phone to end the conversation and shook his head, unsure of how to explain exactly what had happened. He turned to go back to the observation room and make a copy of the interrogation so Elly could see it for himself. He walked in to see Vance pulling the copy he had just burnt out of the disk drive. He snatched it from his hand, and then walked back out of the room.

"Hey!" Vance called after him.

"I'm going to Bethesda!" he called over his shoulder. "My team is going with me!" Tony grabbed his gear and headed for the car, swearing up one side and down the other that he was going to find a way to get Ned and Elly out of this mess.


	37. Chapter 37

Jethro answered the phone with a smile, watching Amira crawl around the coffee table and try to figure out where the puzzle piece she was holding would fit in. She tried it in one place, only to shake her head and pick it up again, which required fixing more pieces she had accidentally disconnected in the process.

"Hey," Jethro said, realizing Tony wasn't saying anything. "What's going on?" he asked, trying to mask his concern when he heard Tony's wavering sigh on the other end of the line.

"Dwahalini's dead," Tony said, swallowing hard.

"I'm going to grab some coffee, munchkin. I'll be right back," Jethro said, getting to his feet to head for the coffee maker, afraid of what Tony was about to tell him about how exactly Dwahalini died in an NCIS interrogation room. "What happened?" he asked quietly, shuffling around to make a fresh pot.

"Ned and McGee," Tony said, shaking his head.

"What?" Jethro said, stopping to put the tub of coffee down and listen. "How in the hell did McGee get involved with this?"

"Ned got an idea, drug Tim into it with him, Dwahalini broke free, started strangling Ned, and Tim shot him."

Jethro ran his hand down his face, then leaned forward over the counter. "This still isn't going to look good."

"Actually, Vance is the one that told Tim to take the killshot."

"Leon was there?" Jethro asked in confusion.

"Ned had texted Tim to come run the sound in observation so he could ask Dwahalini a few questions. Tim sent Ziva for Vance, and he went to interrogation to try to figure out what Ned was doing. Ned laid into the bastard. He was actually pretty impressive, digging into Dwahalini's family relationship, telling him he was going to go find his little sister and let her know that he was such a horrible person. That's when Dwahalini tried to rebuttal, and Ned shut him down, calling him a monster. Next thing you know, Dwahalini is pulling his chains straight up through the table, breaking it, and wrapping them around Ned's neck. Tim raised his gun, Vance burst in and told him to take the shot, and that was that. Ned's at Bethesda getting checked out, and I'm sitting here in the parking lot trying to calm down before I go in and kill him."

"That's…"

"Insane? Ridiculous? Incredible? Yeah, all of those. What's really got me freaking out though is that Vance said that he's going to send Ned to Sudan to find Dwahalini's little sister like he said he would."

"What!?" Jethro exclaimed as quietly as he could without alarming Amira.

"Yeah. When the average person sees this video, they're not going to notice, but I know Ned. He planned this thing through from start to finish. He was expecting this outcome. Vance saw it too, and he's going to make him follow through on his statements."

"So you're going to Sudan." Jethro sighed. He didn't like the idea of going through the next couple of weeks without Tony by his side, but he understood the job better than anybody.

"No," Tony said. "That's the problem. Vance won't let me. He finally relinquished, and he said he could justify sending Elly with him as-"

"He's signing their death warrants," Jethro half-growled, half-whispered.

"That's what I tried to say. The two are very handsy, but in the cute, sappy, sweet kinda way, you know? It's going to be impossible to see them together and know that they aren't, you know, _together_. Vance wants me to let them do it though to prove to them that I believe in their abilities."

"That's a dangerous game to play. The benefits don't seem to be weighted correctly."

"He said to consider it Ned's punishment," Tony said, sighing heavily.

"You want me to talk to him? I don't know if it would do any good, but I'd try."

"No, but thanks. I need go figure this one out." Tony smiled gently at Jethro's attempt to fix things, and then opened the car door. "I need to get in there and check on Ned. Ducky said he was going to be alright, but I need to see it with my own two eyes."

"Yeah. Let me know how it goes, and I'll see you soon," Jethro said, finally pouring himself a cup of coffee.

"Hopefully! I have to keep from killing Ned first."

"Don't do that," Jethro said with a smirk. "Have him orchestrate his own murder for you. Again."

Tony opened the back door to get his back pack. "Yeah, really. I love you, Jethro."

"I love you, too."

"How's our girl?" he asked as he walked towards the building.

"She's good. She's putting together a puzzle in the living room."

"Good. Save me some," Tony said with a smile.

"We'll see," Jethro said with a chuckle.

"See you in a few hours."

"We'll be waiting for you."

Tony shook his head as he smiled and hung up the phone. He would be coming home to his family that night. To puzzles and dinner and hugs and kisses. He just had to tackle the issue at hand first.

He pulled up his contacts and called Ducky to see what room Ned was in as he walked into the building, knowing his signal would cut out much further in. Ducky answered with a quiet tone, his voice distorted as the signal faded in and out.

"Hey Ducky. What room is he in?"

"Room 145 in the East Wing. I will meet you at the entrance to take you back."

"Thanks. See you in a few," Tony said, hanging up before he could say much more. He wandered the corridors, unfortunately familiar with the layout of the building. He cut through an outside atrium and re-entered the building in the wing he needed, seeing Ducky waiting for him already near the information counter with two cups in his hand. He sighed in relief, knowing one of those would be for him.

"Anthony," he said, meeting Tony in the middle of the waiting room he was cutting through. He handed him the cup in his left hand, and Tony smiled.

"Thank you. I need this," he said. "Well, actually I need a drink, but this is a good second choice."

Ducky chuckled and began walking back towards the door, punching in a code to let them through.

"I didn't realize you had access codes for Bethesda," Tony said.

"Yes. I have them for those times we need to get into the morgue at night, and often times, supplies we need will be delivered here and I will need to make the trip to get them." Ducky stopped in the hallway right before he would need to choose to go left or right, and turned to Tony. "He's very lucky. The ligature marks on his neck show that he quite easily would have died if only seconds longer under that man's hold. I am grateful that Timothy did not wait to bring Dwahalini to his end, otherwise we would all be grieving even more than we already are."

Tony swallowed hard, not liking the way that sounded.

"He is going to be tender for a while, and he will not be allowed in the field for the next week until we're sure swelling doesn't occur to restrict his airways." Tony nodded, restraining himself from showing Ducky just how pissed he was and giving Ned away. "The MRI results have not come back yet, so this is only a preliminary diagnosis."

"Are Parke and Elly here yet?" Tony asked.

"Not that I have seen," Ducky said.

"Once we get connected here, will you go wait for them and bring them up? Elly is panicking."

"Of course," Ducky agreed and guided Tony around the bend and a few doors down. Ned was lying back in the hospital bed, a gown on and a sheet over him, sipping water from a little white cup.

"Hi Boss," he said quietly, looking from Tony to Ducky and back.

"I will go and wait for your team," Ducky said, squeezing Tony's shoulder as he passed him.

"Thanks, Duck," he said, turning to close the door behind him.

Tony noticed that Ned went a little paler when he turned back around, making the purple, blue and red marks around his neck stand out even more. He shook his head, coming to sit next to him, pulling up a chair, and dropping the bag on the floor.

It surprised both of them when Tony's voice broke as soon as the words started leaving his mouth. "What were you thinking?"

He felt a rush of anger, of sadness, of fear and relief go through him, and he felt his eyes burning. He knew that this was his breaking point. He wasn't going to be able to keep himself from crying this time. He reached up and wiped his eyes. "I'm already dealing with losing a friend, having to help her daughter grieve, my husband grieve, and then you go and almost get yourself killed? What would that have done? You're lucky Elly doesn't know it was intentional. He'd finish the job." Tony was shaking he was so mad.

Ned stared back at Tony in disbelief, first at the fact that he was crying, and second that he was aware that he'd gone into that room with the full expectation that something would happen during the confrontation to lead to a struggle. He'd meant to make things easier on Tony, not harder. He realized that no matter how much he'd thought the actual situation through, he hadn't thought through the aftermath at all.

"That's why I called McGee in," he said with a sigh. "I knew that he'd be compelled to tell someone else what was happening, and that it would get back to someone. I also knew that he'd either come in with me or send in Ziva, and that I wouldn't be completely defenseless. Wasn't going to start asking him questions without backup. I didn't mean to make you mad."

"Mad?! Mad is only the beginning!" Tony said, wiping at his eyes again. "I get what you were trying to do, I do, and I appreciate it, honestly, but you're more important to me than his confession. Haven't you guys figured that out yet? Haven't I proven to you guys yet that I'd be…" Tony shook his head, trying to blink back the tears that were betraying him.

The way Tony spoke about them felt like a kick in the gut to Ned. He had just talked to Ducky about how his team was his family now, and then he thought he was doing what he needed to in order to protect them. He had never considered that Tony would be this upset just because he was hurt. He'd lived through it, but he was realizing that wasn't a big enough goal.

Tony gave up fighting the tears and let them fall. "Congratulations. Now you and Elly get to go off to Sudan to find this girl and tell her everything you said you were going to tell her, and then let her know that her brother is dead."

"What?" Ned said, sitting up. "Elly is _not_ coming with me!"

"Yeah, he is. Vance has decreed it. I can't get you out of this."

"No, I'm going, like I said I would. Elly is _not._ "

"What?" Tony said, confused that Ned had planned on actually going to Africa.

"I meant what I told him. I want to go find Namoda and let her know that her brother is a horrible person, and if I have to tell her that he's dead, I will, but Elly _will not_ and _cannot_ come with me, Boss. He'll get us killed." Ned was panicking, shaking his head, and finally got up out of bed, wrapping the sheet around himself so he could pace the five feet that the IV would let him pace.

"What are you talking about?" Tony said, getting the drift that something bigger was at play here.

Ned looked at the door and shook his head before he started whispering. "Elly told me that when his mom died, his family wasn't very affectionate, and now he's got an issue with constantly needing to touch and be touched. He doesn't even realize when he's doing it. He also said that when he feels the urge to touch someone and he can't, or they don't touch him when it seems like they should be, he feels really rejected and gets upset. He's gotten pretty good about rationalizing it to himself over the years, but now that we're together, that's going to be a nightmare. We both know what's going to happen if we're demonstratively affectionate in Sudan. We're going to get ourselves killed, or more likely, he's going to get us killed."

Tony had stopped crying finally, and now he was staring back at Ned in worried disbelief. Ned was staring back at him, breathing so heavy that his heart rate monitor started beeping faster next to him.

"We can't go together, Tony," Ned said sadly.

There was a knock on the door before it opened without waiting for a response, and Elly, Parke, and Ducky came into the room. Elly rushed up to Ned and took in the bruise around his neck while his hands went to the sides of Ned's head, holding it tenderly.

"What in the hell happened to you?" he asked. Ned's hands reached up to touch Elly's, resting them there a moment before pulling Elly into a tight hug. He realized Tony was right- if Elly knew this was intentional, he'd finish the job for Dwahalini. He hated lying to him, but he knew it was for his own good.

"I went in to talk to Dwahalini for a minute, he broke free and got his shackles around me. McGee was with me, and had to shoot him to get me free."

"Oh my god," Elly whispered, shaking his head as he held Ned tighter, resting his cheek on Ned's shoulder. "Don't ever do that to me again."

"I…" Ned said, swallowing, not sure how to proceed. He knew their job was dangerous, and there was always going to be the chance they'd get hurt in the field or worse. He couldn't promise anything. "I'll do my best," he said, knowing anything else would be a false platitude.

"I just… I can't…" Elly was shaking, and Ned swallowed hard, realizing that now Elly was close to tears. He'd brought two of the most important men in his life to tears today, and he felt like he was going to cry himself for the second time that day. This wasn't part of the plan.

"I'm right here," he said, sitting on the bed and leading Elly to it with him to sit down, his head still on Ned's shoulder. Elly nodded. "I'm fine, honestly. It looks a lot worse than it is. I'm okay, I promise." Elly just nodded again, and sat there. Ned gave Parke a sad smile, and then looked over his shoulder at Tony who stared back with damning eyes.

"Can you guys give us a few minutes alone?" Tony asked the group. "We need to tie up some loose ends."

Elly sat up, wiping his eyes and nodded. Ned felt horrible as he looked back at them, the reddened glossy orbs full of so much trust and love.

"I'll be right outside if you need me," Elly said. Ned nodded, taking his hand. Elly leaned forward and kissed him, and Ned couldn't breathe. The guilt that kicked him was devastating, and the love he felt hurt even more. A moment later, it was over, and the three men left Ned and Tony sitting silently in the room.

"If you ever, _ever_ , put yourself intentionally in harm's way every again, I'll have your badge," Tony said quietly. "There have been times I've done it, Jethro's done it, but now that we're together, neither of us would ever take that chance. We have too much to lose. Now you know that you have it too. Can you imagine what would have happened to him if something worse had happened to you?"

Ned stared down at the white sheet as he felt Tony's condemning stare.

"We're a team, Ned," Tony said. "As much as I get what you were trying to do, you gotta remember that we do this together. Always. You're one of us, and we need you, in one piece, being your quirky self…" Tony stopped and swallowed. "You guys are my family, and I don't want to lose you."

Ned's eyes met Tony's, and he saw that they weren't angry anymore, just sad.

"I need you to help me talk Vance out of making Elly go with me to Sudan," he asked quietly, his voice rough with his own emotions. "Please."

"I'm sure if you talk to him, he's going to let you go alone. He said that he knows who your CIA contact is, and he was going to have him go with you. I had said I didn't like that you were going without one of us, and he said he would send Elly. If you ask him to rescind that, he will. I don't like you going by yourself though, and I can't leave right now."

"Wait- how does he know my contact?" Ned said, feeling himself blush.

"I don't know. Why?" Tony asked, noticing the way his agent was turning pink.

"Elly definitely isn't coming with me," Ned said, shaking his head. "That would be all sorts of bad."

"Why?" Tony asked again.

"My contact is an ex-boyfriend, and not just any ex-boyfriend, but my high school sweetheart. We went our separate ways during college, got back together when he was in town the summer between my third and fourth years, and he's the reason my family found out I'm gay. We're just friends now, but if Elly knew that… well he'd kill me himself."

"Oh, you need to make sure he knows that before you leave. That's the kind of thing that comes back to bite you in the ass," Tony said, shaking his head at his agent. "Take it from someone whose ass has been thoroughly bitten. Tell him that the very first chance you get!"

"But then he's going to make it a point to push to come with me. I know him, and I don't want him there."

Tony saw his opportunity and jumped on it. "Then maybe you shouldn't go at all," he said. "Going off to a new place with an old flame, in all sorts of possibly dangerous situations together, could be a bad idea. You might still get charged if you get what I'm saying."

Ned's face turned red as he laid back on the bed and looked at the ceiling. He tried not to think about how hot and steamy things always were with Andy. Getting back with him had been a purely sexual experience, and they had both known it at the time. He was glad that he was half a world away. They were toxic together, but delicious at the same time.

"Yeah, you shouldn't be going anywhere with this guy," Tony said as he watched Ned's expression.

"No, I shouldn't," Ned said, shaking his head and running his hands down his face. "There's a reason we stay as far away from each other as possible."

"Bring out the worst in each other?"

"And the best," Ned said sheepishly.

"Okay, never say that where Elly can hear you," Tony said through his shock.

"I have a feeling when we finally cross that bridge, things will be even better than with Andy," Ned said without thinking.

"I think we've reached the overshare portion of the night. Are they giving you pain meds?" Tony asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Just a muscle relaxer to help keep my shoulders and neck loose," Ned answered.

"Uhuh. It has your tongue kind of loose too. Be careful with that thing. It's a dangerous weapon right now," Tony said, terrified of what Ned might say in front of Elly that he didn't need to hear. "I'm going to go talk to the guys. I brought the video from your interrogation so Elly and Parke can watch it."

"Oh man. I'm screwed. Elly's going to know!"

"Maybe. Time to see how well he knows you," Tony said, standing up. "He needs to see it now. You should probably just be honest with him. You know, I usually live by the "Beg for forgiveness, not ask for permission" motto, but I think in your case, you may want to start asking first."

Ned groaned, and Tony headed out into the hallway.

"Come with me," Tony told them.

"But-" Elly started, pointing to the room.

"We're only going to need a few minutes and then you can spend the rest of the day with him," Tony said. Elly looked at the door regretfully, but nodded and followed Tony. He sat at a table in a corner of the lobby, and pulled his laptop from his backpack. He slipped the DVD into the drive, and hit play.

"What are we watching?" Parke asked as the group gathered around Tony.

"What led to this mess," Tony said, turning up the sound as loud as he could without the entire lobby hearing.

"Ouch," Parke hissed as Ned started explaining to Dwahalini what he was going to do in telling his sister.

"Tim's expressions are pretty awesome," Elly said, a small grin on his face as he stared proudly at Ned.

"Yeah, they kinda are," Parke said with a smirk. "He looks almost as scared as Dwahalini, if not more."

When Ned stood up to yell in Dwahalini's face, Elly sat up, and Tony watched his expression as he saw the light bulb go off over his head. Thirty seconds later when Ned was being choked, Elly looked pissed beyond belief, and then the sound of gunfire brought him to his feet. Tony pulled him back to his seat.

"Just listen to this first," he whispered. A couple of minutes of video went by before Ducky joined the group and Ned explained that he had gone in in search of Dwahalini's humanity. The video came to a close, and Elly stared at the table as he took deep and controlled breaths. He got to his feet again, this time much more confidently, and headed back towards the room.

Parke shook his head, his mouth agape. "He's gonna kill him."

"No, I think that would defeat the purpose, but it's not going to be pretty." Tony picked up his coffee and took a drink.

"It's not just me, right? He should never have stood up and leaned over the table like that. It was like he was inviting Dwahalini to choke him." Parke rubbed his face in frustration.

Tony stared back at him silently, confirming his suspicions.

"Damn him," Parke said, sitting back. "Why would he do that?"

Tony sighed. "He knew I was having a hard time with it all, and he thought he was helping."

"This is going to get messy, isn't it?" Parke asked.

"Oh, yeah," Tony said. "Fasten your seatbelts, we're in for a bumpy ride."

* * *

Elly walked into Ned's room and closed the door behind him. He turned and crossed his arms, staring at him. Ned's heart sank.

"I'm sorry," he said before Elly could lay into him, and he meant it. "I just thought with my head, which I've been doing so much of lately, and I didn't stop to think with my heart, because let's face it, there's not usually anyone else for me to think about until very recently."

"You-" Elly cleared his throat as his voice cracked. "You went in there and tried to get yourself killed. How am I supposed to feel about that?"

"Pissed beyond belief," Ned answered with a swallow.

"Well, yeah. There's that. I mean, if we were at work I'd be dragging you to the gym to kick your ass, but really? I know we're just figuring this thing out, but I thought I meant at least enough to you that you'd want to stay alive."

Ned tried to get out of bed, the IV pole trailing behind him for as far as he could bring it with him. He still couldn't reach Elly.

"I'm sorry, Elly, and I'll never do anything like it ever again. It's just been a crazy week, and tensions were high, and my emotions were high, and I just wanted it all to end. I wanted to put Amira's fears to rest, and let Tony off the hook so he wasn't so… crazy about the whole thing, and I just wanted it all over with so that we could move on with our lives. All of us. I wanted things to go back to normal."

"Normal wouldn't be the same without you now," Elly whispered. "I want to start a new normal with you. You need to promise me that when you're going to do something crazy like that, I'll be right there with you to have your back and be crazy too."

"I don't know if I can do that. I want you safe."

"And I want you safe, you idiot!" Elly shouted. "I can't do this unless I know you're going to trust me enough to have your back!"

Ned nodded slowly. "Come sit with me?" he asked.

Elly sighed and moved towards the bed, but he didn't let Ned sit down. He wrapped his arms around his shoulders, his hands on the back of Ned's head, and pulled him close to him as he kissed him. Ned's hands went around Elly's waist, pulling him closer so that their bodies were pressed against one another. Ned lost himself in that kiss, taking it greedily, grateful that he still had the opportunity to do so, and even more grateful that Elly wasn't so mad at him that he was leaving him.

Elly finally stepped back, pulling Ned down onto the bed next to him. They kissed again, gently this time, the passion changing to relief and reassurance.

"Don't be mad at me," Ned whispered.

"Oh, I'm still mad at you, but I love you, so it's okay."

Ned froze, looking into Elly's blue eyes in awe. "I love you, too," he whispered. "And I never want to hurt you."

Elly realized what he had said, and then what Ned had said in return. The awe settled over him too that they'd officially said the words, and he felt emotions flood him like a dam bursting inside.

Ned took his hands. "I'm going to ask you to do something, and I need for you to trust me."

Elly nodded. "I can trust you without agreeing with you," he stated pre-emptively.

"Maybe, but I meant what I said to Dwahalini. I'm going to Sudan to find his sister and tell her the kind of person he was and that he's dead."

"What?!" Elly asked.

"The Director is going to try to make me take you with me, and I don't think that's a good idea."

"What?!" Elly asked again, even more confused. "Why wouldn't it be a good idea?!"

"Because if people figure out we're a couple, they'll kill us. It's Sudan."

"Oh," Elly said, realizing how warranted Ned's fears were. "So if we go, we have to act like we're just coworkers."

"Yeah. It gets worse though," Ned said, trying to keep a straight face.

"Worse? This can get worse?" Elly said, looking at Ned with his mouth hanging open.

"Yeah. Apparently Vance wants us to meet up with my CIA connection and go from there."

"I know there's a general distaste for the CIA at work, but why would this be a bad thing?" Elly asked.

"Because my CIA connection is my first boyfriend," Ned said, wincing.

"Oh," Elly said. "I see."

"We had dated for most of my senior year of high school and the following summer, but then we both went off to school, and we knew how that would go, so we split up. Ended up hooking up for the summer between my junior and senior years at UMD while we were both home, and that's how my family found out about me. They kinda walked in on us."

Elly just nodded, trying to take it all in.

"I need for you to trust that, no matter what happens, the only person I want in my bed, in my arms, in my life is you."

Elly couldn't help but smile a little at that. "I do trust that," he said. "But if you think you're going traipsing around Sudan with another gay man who has already had the chance to sleep with you, and you're not taking me who hasn't had the chance to sleep with you, you're fucking crazy."

Ned couldn't help but laugh at Elly's expression. He shook his head though. "Elly, I don't want to stop touching you when you're around me. It takes everything in me to keep my hands to myself. And when I know you want to be touched, and I can't do it, I'm going to have to look into that pained expression, and it's going to kill me. And if one of us slips up, and we have to run for our lives, what are we going to do then? I _know_ I can stay away from Andy. I know that I _can't_ stay away from you. If we go together, we're going to die together."

"This sucks!" Elly said. "You're asking me to be okay with you going off to a country where most of the people want you dead, with your first love, who you must have had serious chemistry with because you got back together after three years of nothing, while I stay at home doing nothing to protect you or help you or-"

"I'm asking you to trust me," Ned said.

"I'm sorry, but I'm having a hard time trusting your judgment after making the call you did today! Look at you! You've got a purple chain tattoo around your neck! You've got an IV in your arm and electrodes on your chest…"

Elly was exhausted. He hated this. Why did he have to go and fall for someone he worked with? Someone who frustrated him so maddeningly, while at the same time making him fall in love with him more and more? He hated it, but he knew he could trust Ned to stay away from Andy, and he hated it even more that he knew Ned was right- they'd give themselves away in Sudan.

"When are they letting you out of here?" he asked in resignation.

"They're just waiting for the MRI results. Should be back in an hour or so," Ned said quietly.

"Okay. Then you're coming straight home with me," Elly said. "We'll talk about this more after a good night's sleep."

Ned nodded, knowing that he would do anything Elly asked him right now except to let him come with him. He laid back on the hospital bed, and pulled Elly towards him. Elly was surprised, but gladly moved to lay his head on Ned's chest, and they held each other tightly. Elly loved listening to the sound of Ned's heart beating under his ear, reminding him that he was alive and well.

 _At least for now,_ he thought with the slightest shake of his head.

* * *

Ziva was sitting at her desk going through the video from the busses around Leyla's house. Tim was sitting at his desk running some searches between reels as he helped her through them. They were both anxious and tired, and Tim was watching the clock as it counted down towards five.

The elevator door chimed, and he looked up, hoping it was Abby coming for a visit to break up the tension, but what he saw surprised him even more.

"Jackson! Shane!" he said, getting up with a smile.

Ziva jumped to her feet, then turned back to her computer to pause her video before coming around to greet the two. They both smiled broadly at them and exchanged hugs with Ziva and handshakes with Tim. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I had a couple of days off, so I talked Jackson here into bringing me down for a visit," Shane said with a happy smile.

"Where's our boys?" Jackson asked with a chuckle.

"Oh," Tim said, his expression falling. "You don't know yet."

"What are you talking about, Tim?" Jackson asked, taking the seat Ziva pulled out for him.

"Gibbs is home with Amira," Tim said quietly, looking at Ziva for confirmation that he was doing the right thing by explaining.

"Oh! The baby's at the house?" Jackson said with a smile.

"Yeah. Well…" Tim said. "She's always going to be at the house now."

"What?" Jackson said. Shane looked back and forth between the three in confusion.

"Who's Amira?" he asked.

"Gibbs' and Tony's goddaughter. Her mother was murdered this week," Ziva said quietly.

"Oh my god," Jack said, looking down at the floor. "Why didn't he call me?"

"It just happened yesterday morning. He's grieving and helping her grieve," Tim said.

"And it is related to a case that Tony is working on," Ziva added. "Anyone who knew the details would have been in danger."

"Oh. Well, I need to go see him. Where's my future son-in-law?" he asked, getting to his feet.

"He's at the hospital," Tim said with a cringe.

"Why? What happened to him?" Jack asked with an expression that could only mean "what's next?".

"One of his team was attacked in interrogation. I've heard from him and everyone is fine. They're just spending some time together while they wait for some tests to come back."

"Greg?" Shane asked.

"No, Dorney. If you want, we're thinking about going over to check on him. We can take you with us, and Jackson can go meet Gibbs at the house."

"Aw man! What did he go and get himself into?" Shane asked, shaking his head.

Tim and Ziva exchanged looks at how perfectly that expression summed up their own questions.

"A mess," Tim said, shaking his head as he went behind his desk to get his stuff together. Ziva exchanged another kiss on the cheek with Jackson, and he assured them he'd come see them again before he left.

"Actually, everyone was going to help me and Abby move this weekend," Tim told him. "I'm not sure that's still going to happen with everything else going on, but if it does, we'll all be getting together in one place. Would be great if you could stop by." The four started walking to the lift together.

"Not much moving left in these bones these days, but I'm sure I can do a thing or two," he said with a smile.

"Or you could keep Amira busy while the rest of us are carrying things in and out," Ziva suggested.

" _That_ sounds like something I can do," Jackson said with a smile. "That little girl's precious. Leyla was a good woman. What happened?"

They all loaded onto the elevator as Tim began telling the story.

"Well, Gibbs had three friends from an old op get involved with a new op in March. They had to escape and came here to the U.S. from Afghanistan. We've been protecting them, and the other side sent assassins after them. They opted to leave our protection and try to fend for themselves, and that's where Leyla got involved. She worked with an organization that helps refugees find safety here. The assassins were tracking them, came across Leyla, and there was a struggle. Leyla didn't make it."

"Leroy told me he was worried about her. She's a strong one, a spitfire for sure, but he'd never tell me what she was tangled up in. Guess now I know why." Jackson sighed, leaning on his cane. "I'll see you folks this weekend if not sooner," he said.

"Yes," Ziva said with a sad smile.

"Take care," he said, turning to head for the front entrance. Tim moved to take the stairs the last floor down into the parking garage. Ziva and Shane followed him.

"So what did Dorney do that got him landed in the hospital?" Shane asked.

"He was interrogating a suspect that decided to try and strangle him," Tim answered.

"Damn! That sucks," Shane said, echoing through the stairwell.

"Yeah, especially since I had to shoot the guy to get him off of him." Tim shook his head as he thought of the brain matter that exploded on the wall behind Dwahalini and Dorney.

"Did he make it?" Shane asked.

"No," Tim said, the tone of his voice making it clear that he was done talking about it. Shane nodded slowly and exchanged glances with Ziva. She raised an eyebrow at Shane, then got into the passenger side of the team's assigned Charger.

Tim pulled his phone out and dialed Gibbs' number before he started the car.

"Hey, Boss," he said when he answered.

"How you doing, Tim?" Jethro asked, knowing how McGee got whenever he had to kill someone.

"Been better, been worse. I wanted to warn you that your dad is on the way over. He and Shane came into town for a surprise visit, and he's been briefed on the situation. We're taking Shane over to the hospital to meet up with Greg now."

Jethro looked at Amira and realized he should have called his dad already. He shook his head at himself, but then went back to the conversation.

"Heard Vance told you to take the shot," he said, not letting Tim off the hook.

"Yeah," Tim answered, starting the car.

"Heard you weren't given any choice one way or the other," Jethro tried to reassure. "It was either him or Dorneget."

"Yeah," Tim said, backing out of the space.

"Should have never been in that position," Jethro said.

"I don't know," Tim said with a shrug. "He made a choice, and I understood it. Tony's been… stressed this week. Not sure things would have ended much differently if he was the one in that room. This way at least it's not going to lead to some horribly dramatic investigation."

Jethro nodded, running his hand over his face. He had known Tony was feeling the burden of this, but he hadn't thought it was that bad yet. He'd seemed to be putting his emotions aside when he needed to, but apparently he'd seen what he'd wanted to see.

"Thanks, Tim," he said.

"Thank Dorney. He's the one that took the brunt of this," Tim replied. "About to hit the Beltway, so I'm gonna go." Tim hung up on Jethro, avoiding the rest of the conversation and the stares from Ziva and Shane as they worried about his side of the conversation.

They got to the hospital and made their way to information. After wandering through the building they found Tony, Parke, and Ducky sitting in the lobby together.

"Greg!" Shane shouted, earning stares from the entire lobby full of people.

"Shane?" Parke said in happy surprise. "What are you doing here?" he jumped to his feet and met Shane in the middle of the lobby for a hard hug.

"Had a few days off, and I wanted to spend them with the family." They started heading for the table the others were sitting at, and Tony heard Shane tell Parke that Jackson had brought him.

"Wait. Jack's here? Does Jethro know?" he asked.

"Yeah. I called him," Tim said. "Jack's on his way to your house now."

"Oh man. I should be there," he said, torn between his obligations.

"Maybe you should go home, Anthony," Ducky said. "You've had quite a hectic week, and today is coming to a close. We can take care of Ned from here."

"Okay," Tony said with a nod. "Let me go say goodbye to him."

Ducky followed Tony to the door to enter his code, and Tony went in alone from there. He rounded the bend and saw the closed door, and wondered if he would find Ned's corpse in there after Elly had gotten ahold of him. They'd been alone for over half an hour, and Elly hadn't come back out to update them, and they'd all agreed that they weren't going to interrupt the conversation the two were no doubted having.

He creaked open the door as quietly as he could, afraid of what was going on on the other side, but what he saw touched him. He slipped into the room and closed the door behind him, only to lean on it and stare at his agents asleep together in the bed, Elly's body laid out across Ned's, and Ned's hand in Elly's hair from where he'd fallen asleep running his fingers through it. He took a shuddering inhale and sighed.

That's all he could ever want for both of them. He knew that comfort, knew that peace, and he knew that the fact they were together like that, despite the conversation that they would've had beforehand, meant that they could make it through anything and everything. It was a beautiful thing, and Tony suddenly wanted to be home more than anything in the entire world.

He weighed his options, deciding if waking them up would be a horrible crime or the smart move since the MRI results were due back any time, and the staff would be coming in. He sighed, hating the idea of waking them up but knowing it was the right thing to do. He moved to the side of the bed, staring down at their peaceful expressions, and had to fight back the urge to run his fingers through their hair like he did with Amira.

"Hey guys?" he said quietly. Elly stayed in his deep sleep, but Ned opened his eyes in a flutter, looking up at Tony through their glaze.

"Hi Boss," he whispered, resuming his ministrations through Elly's hair like he had never stopped.

"Hey," Tony said with a smile. "You have visitors."

"Oh?" Ned said, his eyes still on Tony despite his fingers in Elly's hair.

"Yeah. Ziva and Tim are here, and Shane is actually here."

"Why is Shane here?" he asked.

"He and Jackson came into town to visit us, and it just so happens this is where the party's at."

"Oh. Does Elly have to get up?" he asked. Tony smiled and chuckled softly.

"It's probably a good idea if he does, especially since you're due a nurse and a doctor anytime now."

"Elly?" Ned said gently, shifting slightly so he sat up a little. "Elly, we gotta get up." Elly shifted, but snuggled down against Ned, avoiding waking up.

"I'm going to go. Jackson is heading for my house, and Jethro and Amira are going to have to deal with his arrival alone."

"Go ahead. I'll take care of him. Just tell everyone to give us about give minutes?" he asked.

"Sure. We'll talk tomorrow," Tony said.

"Tomorrow," Ned echoed.

As Tony left the room, Ned looked down at Elly, thinking of the best way to wake him up. His fingers were still running through his hair, and he decided to test something. He slid his fingers down to the roots and suddenly jerked, pulling his head back so that Elly had to look up at him.

"Uhhhhhh… yes…." Elly moaned, looking up at Ned, his cock twitching hard. "Oh my god, what are you doing?"

"Testing something," Ned said with a smirk. "We have to get up. Boss just came in and told me that Tim, Ziva, and Shane are here."

"Testing?" Elly said, his mind too fuzzy to take in anything else.

"Uh-huh," Ned said with a smirk.

"Testing what?"

"Your likes, your triggers, your needs," Ned said roughly, bending to talk directly into Elly's ear.

"Oh, this is so not fair," Elly said, panting. "I just want to…"

"What?" Ned asked, his hand jerking through Elly's hair again as he talked in his ear. "Tell me what you want."

"You."

"You can have me later," Ned said. "For now, you have to get up."

"Oh, I'm up! Trust me, I'm up. I'm so up I might need to sneak away to the bathroom and pray no one notices just how up I am."

"Mmmm…" Ned said, reaching shamelessly to palm Elly's erection through his jeans.

"Jesus fucking Christ, Ned! You're going to kill me!" Elly said, jumping out of bed.

Ned just smirked. He took a few deep breaths, willing his own erection down before the group came in.

"I'm never going to make it two months," Elly whispered.

"You don't have to with me," Ned said. "I'm not going anywhere, Elly. Two months, two years, forty years, I want it all. Just us."

Elly sighed, coming to sit next to Ned in the chair Tony had pulled up earlier. "I don't want you to get sick," he said quietly.

"But you're not sick, El. You've done everything right, and we'll still be safe for as long as you want us to be."

"God, I want you. I just really thought I could make it at least a year."

"You didn't plan on falling in love in the process," Ned said, taking Elly's hand.

"True," he said, his eyes locked on Ned's sparkling gray ones.

There was a knock on the door and then a nurse came into the room, followed by the doctor. They saw the two men sitting there holding hands, and the doctor nodded.

"Ned Dorneget?" he asked.

"Yeah," Ned said, recognizing the nurse but not the doctor.

"I'm Dr. Castro, and I'm an orthopedic surgeon. Dr. Fennel had me look over your MRI and asked for me to come up and talk to you about it."

Elly and Ned exchanged worried glances.

"Nothing too severe, but there is some damage to the tendon right along here," he said, coming up to run his finger along Ned's neck, making Ned hiss.

"I didn't realize how tender that is compared to everything else," Ned said. Elly leaned over and whistled low.

"It's swollen there and sticking out of your neck like a rod," he said with a grimace.

"Well that sucks," Ned said with a sigh.

"Yeah, but it's a vertical tear, so it should heal pretty quickly and you won't have much limiting your movement. It would be best normally to brace your neck so you can't move it, but with the strangulation, we can't do that. You're just going to have to be extremely careful with it."

"How long does it normally take to heal?" Ned asked.

"Completely? Four to six weeks. I'm going to suggest that you not be in the field until we do a follow up MRI in four weeks to see how the tear is doing. Right now it's not too bad, but it can get worse easily. I'll be giving you anti-inflammatories and a muscle relaxer to help with the pain. If the pain gets worse as the swelling goes down, call us and we'll send you in a couple of days' worth of something stronger."

Ned nodded.

"Try not to nod or shake your head," Dr. Castro said. "I know it's going to be hard, but limit the movement as much as possible. If it's still tender in a week, and your ligatures are healing well, we may halo you just to ensure it heals properly."

Ned groaned.

"I'll make sure to stay on him," Elly said, looking at Ned with a stare that said, _You WILL do what the doctor tells you._

The nurse smiled at him as she unhooked the IV and electrodes from Ned.

"You can use cool rags to help with the inflammation, though I wouldn't suggest actual icepacks unless they are wrapped up well in a towel. It's too close to your arteries. Heating pad for the upper back and shoulders when they get tight, or microwave a damp towel. Hot showers may help with the tension too. Light massages, but don't use one of those neck warmers with the beans in it. They're too heavy and can put a strain on you for this kind of injury." Ned and Elly both nodded at the doctor, and Elly looked up at Ned.

"Nope! Stop that."

Ned rolled his eyes, but the doctor laughed. "He's right. Think of it this way, every nod is more time you are out of the field. I'll be sending your report with Dr. Mallard. He's waiting patiently to report back to your superiors."

Ned looked at Elly as he realized that he wasn't going to be able to go to Sudan if the doctor told Vance he wasn't allowed in the field for the next month. He wanted to go, but maybe Tony was right- maybe he shouldn't. Elly was obviously distraught over it, and he wasn't looking forward to thwarting the temptation that was Andy. He hadn't been looking for an excuse, but now that he had one, he felt like it was a sign that he wasn't supposed to go.

"Anything else?" he asked the doctor.

"Not unless you have questions."

"No, I'm ready to go home."

"Okay. Margie will get your prescriptions and your discharge paperwork, and I'll go talk to Dr. Mallard."

Ned started to nod, and Elly made a noise at him. Ned sighed. "Okay," he answered instead. Elly smirked up at the doctor who chuckled and then walked out of the room. Margie followed him to get the necessary paperwork, and Ned sighed, looking at Elly.

"You wanna know the worst part about this?" Ned said, swinging his legs over the side of the bed so that Elly was sitting between them and looking up at him. He watched Elly's breath hitch, and leaned down to whisper in his ear. "This means I can't blow you like I've been dying to."

Elly groaned and stood up, letting his hands coast up Ned's body until his mouth was against Ned's ear.

"No, but I can blow you," he said before pulling back. "Get dressed. I'm taking you home." He turned and left Ned sitting on the bed, his eyes closing and his mouth hanging up as he envisioned Elly going down on him. As he closed the door behind him, Ned tore out of his hospital gown, grabbing his clothes and started putting them on. He quickly realized that was a mistake though as his neck and shoulder began throbbing. He sat on the bed and took a deep breath.

"This so isn't right," he whispered as he slowly slipped his shirt over his arm, buttoning it down the front as he looked it over to make sure it didn't have any blood on it. Most of the biomatter had ended up on his jacket, which he was bummed about because it was one of his favorites. It was gone now, and so was his tie. The pants he slid on were sweatpants the hospital had given him, and he cringed as he thought about the blood that had seeped into his pants. He was eager to get in the shower and clean himself from head to toe, despite the alcohol rubdown they'd given his leg. He put on the slipper socks that he'd been given, and opened the door.

"I feel naked," he said to Elly who turned to greet him.

"Sweatpants and a button down really don't go together," he joked. "But those rockin' socks are sexy as hell!"

"Bite me," Ned said with a smile.

"Do you like that?" Elly asked quietly, stepping towards him with a mischievous smile and flashing blue eyes.

"Mmmm…" Ned groaned. "Sometimes."

"I'm definitely going to find those times," Elly said. The moment was broken between them as the nurse came over with the paperwork. They exchanged glances with one another as she rambled off the details of the papers, and Elly smirked.

He watched Ned's eyes as he turned back to the nurse to listen to what she was saying, and he felt a swell of love rising within him. That was his Ned, absorbing all information someone tried to give him. His serious gray eyes looking over the paperwork, the way he clicked the pen twice before he signed, a quirk Elly realized Ned didn't know he had, and that he wasn't about to point out to him to obsess over, and the gentle nature in his movements.

Ned was right- he hadn't expected to fall in in love when he pledged himself to a year of celibacy. He'd promised himself though that he'd never sleep with someone again he didn't care a lot about, and now that he was head over heels in love, he wanted to take Ned home and show him everything he loved about him and express that love. He wanted to revel in him, enjoy him and let himself be enjoyed. What could possibly be wrong with that?

He reached over and took Ned's hand, and Ned looked up and smiled at him, holding his hand in return. Margie smiled at them and Ned thanked her before they headed for the lobby. They emerged to find Parke, Shane, Tim, Ziva and Ducky all waiting for them.

"Holy shit," Shane whispered, looking over at Parke. "When did that happen?"

"You mean them getting together?" Parke whispered back, noticing the joined hands. "Just this past week. Long story. I'll tell you tonight."

"We have a lot to talk about tonight," Shane said.

"Yeah, we do!" Parke said.

They all got to their feet and met Elly and Ned.

"I have been told you are restricted from fieldwork for the next four to six weeks," Ducky said. "I fully intend to make sure you are held to that."

"I can still work the op though, and right now that's what's important," Ned said.

"Yes. I don't see why you wouldn't be able to do that, granted you may want to stand further back from the screen so you don't have to tilt your head up."

"I'll do that," Ned said. "For now, I just want to go home."

"You look horrible, Dorney," Shane said bluntly. Parke slapped him in the arm, but Shane just shrugged. "What? He does. He looks like someone in a biker gang got to him."

"Pretty close," Ned said with a smirk. "Terrorist funded assassin."

"See?" Shane said, smirking at Parke who rolled his eyes. "Well I'm glad you made it out in one piece, man."

"Me too," Ned said, his eyes meeting Tim's. "Thanks for that."

"That's what I was there for," Tim said, letting Ned know that he'd figured out the plan as well. Ned nodded.

"Knew I could count on you," he said with a shrug.

"Anytime and every time," Tim said, letting him know that he wasn't really mad at him, and it was the biggest relief Ned could have asked for.

He'd not realized until right then how unfair it was to put Tim in that position. He hated the idea of taking a life, and putting someone else in the position to have to do it for him wasn't right. He sighed, adding it to the list of ways he'd screwed up that day, and he wondered if he was ever going to live it down or be able to fix the damage he'd done.

"I'm going to go ahead and take him home to rest," Elly said, pulling on Ned. "We'll see you tomorrow."

Ned followed Elly closely, the two of them strolling out of the hospital like it was nothing that Ned was in his sock feet and clothes that barely fit him, his neck brutally bruised in a way that made people stare. They were together, they were safe, and that's all that mattered to them.


	38. Chapter 38

Jethro sat on the couch and looked at Amira, wondering if he should tell her that his dad was on the way over, of if it should be a surprise. Jack had met Amira, but he wasn't sure if Amira was going to remember. It was a year or more ago, and he was unsure of what her reaction would be when she saw him. He decided to take the safer route and give her a heads up.

"Hey munchkin? We're going to have a visitor," he said.

"Abby?" she asked, thinking of how Tony had presented her visit earlier.

"No. My dad," he said. "Do you remember Jack?"

Amira looked confused. She shook her head no, and he was glad he was bringing it up.

"He came to your house once last year. He's older than me and a little shorter. White hair, had a white shirt on and blue pants. Walked with a cane." He watched her blank expression and knew she didn't remember. "It's okay if you don't remember, but he remembers you. Now that me and Tony are taking care of you, he's kind of going to be like your grandpa. Is that okay?"

Amira came and sat next to him on the edge of the couch. She looked nervous, and then she looked up at Jethro and crawled up into his lap. He helped her up, and she knelt on his legs as she met him face to face, playing with his collar.

"What are you thinking?" he asked her quietly, pushing her hair out of her face.

"Mommy told me if the bad guys got her that you and Tony would become my daddies," she said hesitantly. Jethro smiled sadly.

"Yeah, we are now," he said. "You don't have to call us that though if you don't want to. I'll always be your Gibbsy."

Amira nodded. "What's his name?" she asked, looking more at his buttons than Jethro himself.

"You can call him Jack if you want, or you can call him Grandpa I guess. Whatever you want. He's going to be okay with whatever you want to call him, and so will Tony and I."

Amira nodded again. "'kay."

"Are you worried?" he asked, still not sure why she wasn't meeting his eyes.

Amira shook her head no and then laid it on Jethro's shoulder. He held her close, his eyes falling shut, and rocked her gently in silence. He heard her breath evening out, and knew she was falling asleep. He waited another couple of minutes and then stood up, reaching for Dirt, and carried her upstairs to her room. He got her tucked in, and she curled up with the bear, sighing as she fell into a deep sleep.

Jethro sighed as well, glad to have a few minutes to himself to think, and went downstairs to wait for his dad. He unlocked the door and poured himself another mug of coffee, emptying the pot and putting fresh half-caff on for Jack. He felt somewhat wired himself, and he decided that the change might be a good thing. He was shuffling around in the fridge for something to make for dinner when he heard the front door open.

"Leroy?" Jack called hesitantly.

"In here, Dad," he called. He had pulled some of the veggies Tony bought from the fridge and pulled out a cutting board. He got some frozen chicken breasts from the freezer and found a large baking pan.

"What are you doing?" Jack asked.

"Making dinner while I have the chance. Amira just fell asleep. Hoping it'll last a little while so we can talk," he said, turning to look at Jack. "What's the occasion?"

"Well, Shane called the other day and asked if I'd bring him down to spend some time with the family while he had a four day weekend. Told him I'd be glad to. Didn't know I'd be walking into such a mess."

"So you've heard?"

"The bare bones. Wanna fill in the gaps for me?"

Jethro sighed, pulling a knife from the butcher block. He stared at it with a heavy heart as he tried to figure out where to start.

"Got involved in an op, oh, over fifteen years ago. Made some allies that pulled me out of something I didn't see any way out of. Ran into them while running an op from here in D.C. a few months ago, and when things got sticky, we pulled them out and they landed here in the States." Jethro took the knife and began cutting the vegetables. "They've had it rough, and Tony and I invited them to stay here, figuring it would be safer for them than a motel. That meant revealing our relationship, and one of them balked. The other two wouldn't let her go off by herself, so they all three took to the streets.

"Leyla helps-" Jethro sighed again and stopped chopping, turning to look at his dad. " _Helped_ people in their situation. She'd told Tony and I to refer them to the organization she worked with, and apparently connected with them. This group in the Middle East sent a couple of assassins after one of them, and while tracking her, found Leyla. She tried to put up a fight, but the knife was turned on her, and it killed her."

"Son of a bitch," Jackson whispered. "Was Amira home?"

"No. She was at school."

"School? Is she that big now?"

"Four going on five," Jethro said with a smile.

"Mmmhmm. Time flies," Jackson said.

"Yeah. I wanted to warn you that she doesn't remember you."

"Aw, that's okay."

"I told her that, and let her know she can call you whatever she wants to."

"What's she calling you and Tony?"

Jethro smirked as he tossed the veggies into the pan, and then laid the chicken breasts in amongst them.

"Tony is Tony, and I'm Gibbsy."

"Ah, yes! That's right." Jack chuckled. "Only a little cutie like her could get away with that."

"Well, Tony probably could, but let's not encourage that," Jethro said with a chuckle. He reached for the cabinet over the counter and took out a can of soup, pouring it over the chicken and vegetables, and then opened the stove to slide the pan in.

"Are you planning the service?"

"Yeah. I have no idea what I'm doing though. I'm meeting with one of Amira's coworkers tomorrow to get a better feel for what she'd want."

"This coworker would know better than you?" Jack asked.

"Well, he's the priest she's been working with her to run what Tony's calling the Islamic underground railroad in D.C. so I'm hoping he might have some ideas."

"I think you have your religions confused," Jack said, sounding confused himself.

"No. The group rents out the basement of the church for weekly prayer services, and the priest found out about their needs and knew that no one would suspect him helping."

"Ahh," Jack said, understanding now.

"Tony and Dorneget were supposed to go talk to him today about Leyla and what had happened, but then Dorneget got it into his head to question Leyla's murderer without anyone knowing but McGee. McGee had to shoot the bastard when he tried to kill Dorneget right there in interrogation."

"Something was mentioned about that as well," Jackson said. "Sounds like the boy's gonna be alright though."

"Yeah. It was a stupid move, but it had the best of intentions behind it. As messed up as it is, I have to admit I'm kind of grateful, and more than a little relieved that Tony doesn't have to be the one to question him now." Jethro refilled his mug, topping it off with the hot stuff, and then poured one for Jack.

"Would it have been a problem?"

"Not sure," Jethro said, sitting down at the table. "He's trying to carry so much of this, and Amira, she's clinging to him whenever she wants to cry. It's only been a couple of days, but she won't talk to me about it, and she's asking Tony all these questions about the bad guys because of what Leyla warned her about. It's just too much."

"That's a lot for anybody to take on," Jackson said, sipping on his brew.

"Yeah, and this is only the end of a long chain of events that have him worn down. Dorneget and Critten were at a bar this weekend, and someone drugged them. They're a couple now by the way."

"Critten? That's Elly, right?" Jack asked.

"Yeah."

"Didn't know he, well, you know…"

Jethro snickered. "Don't worry, neither did any of us. Took everyone by surprise, including Dorneget."

"Funny how that happens," Jack said, raising an eyebrow at Jethro and making him roll his eyes.

"Not having this discussion with you, Dad," he said.

"No, we've got bigger fish on the line," he said. "What are the two of you going to do with a rambunctious four year old?"

Jethro smiled. "Well, we're still trying to figure all of it out, but she's going to start school this fall. The program she was in was year-round, but where she's going is not. They have a summer daycare though, and they do a monthly enrollment thing. She can start July first. I'm taking leave the next two weeks, and then Tony's got two weeks after that he can take if we need to. We need to find a sitter we trust and that Amira likes to pick her up from school and stay with her until we get home. Not to mention, the wedding is September 2nd, and then we're gone for a week after that in Italy. We'll need someone to stay with her that whole time. And then there's the weekends when we're on call."

"But you're not on call the same weekends."

"No, but the weekends that I'm first call, Tony's the second call."

"Ahh, yeah. I see what you mean," Jack said, drinking back some more of his coffee. "Sounds like you're in a pickle. You need to find someone who can keep up with her, and keep up with you and Tony."

"Yeah. I'm hoping we find someone we can really hang on to until she's old enough to start doing after school activities. If she did some kind of sport after school or some kind of, I don't know what they call them, organizations, like student council or something, she could be involved and enjoy herself instead of just being stuck here with a sitter. If we only had to manage getting her a couple of days a week, that would be so much easier, but we have a couple of years before she's ready for that." Jethro sighed and ran his hands down his face.

Meanwhile, Tony was doing the same thing as he sat in his car in the driveway. He rubbed his eyes and sighed, enjoying a brief moment of solitude to think. He was glad to see that Jack was there, and was hopefully inside catching up with Jethro and Amira. He wanted to do the same thing, but he needed a minute. He ran the past week through his mind's eye, and shook his head.

Ned. What in the hell was he thinking? Sure, he wanted to help, he got that, but getting himself killed wasn't going to help anybody. He was pretty sure he'd gotten that point across, but he was surprised that it hadn't been made clear before. He cared a lot about his team, and he couldn't think of any way he could let them know that more than he already did.

He smiled to himself as he suddenly remembered Elly lying on Ned in the hospital. They really were too sweet, and he was somewhat surprised at the dynamics developing there. He'd assumed that Elly would be the one that kept it together while Ned kind of followed along, but so far Ned had proven to be the more independent of the two. He tried not to think about the sexual dynamics that went along with that, but his tired mind strayed and he had to shake himself from the thought.

He didn't know what he was going to do about Vance's decision to send them to Sudan. He didn't like the idea any more now than he did when Vance announced it, especially now that he knew that their touchy-feely tendencies were engrained by Elly's psychological trauma. He was surprised by how vehemently Ned was protesting him coming along on the trip, and he had to agree that this was one gigantic clusterfuck of an idea. It had been from Ned's first thought to walk into that room.

Relief poured over him though as he realized just how much was over now that Dwahalini was dead. He suddenly wanted to drive back to the office or hospital, find McGee, and hug the stuffing out of him. He turned on his phone and opened a text to him instead.

_-Thanks for having his back today- and mine._

He waited a few minutes, and stared at the house, wanting to go in but feeling too heavy to actually move. The phone chimed in his hand, and he turned the screen on to read the message.

_\- -Always have, always will. Can't figure out if he's brilliant, or an idiot._

Tony laughed.

_-I'm going with brilliant idiot myself._

_\- -I can see that. He was pretty terrifying._

_-I know. I watched the video. Parke, Elly and Ducky did too. You're probably going to get teased for your facial expressions_. _You looked like you were going to crap yourself._

Tim rolled his eyes.

_\- -Not until they started screaming into each other's faces. That's when it got really screwed up._

_-Yeah. He should never have leaned over the table like that._

_\- -Yeah, but he did._

_-Yeah, he did._

Tony knew what wasn't being said. He knew that Tim knew it had been done intentionally. He also knew that if Tim would have just told Dwahalini to back up, or sit back down, he probably would have broken the chain of events, and Ned wouldn't be in the hospital, and Dwahalini would still be alive.

_-When did you know?_

Tim sighed. This was the moment of truth he had hoped he wouldn't have to cop to.

_\- -The moment he stood up._

_-If he's a brilliant idiot, what does that make you?_

_\- -His trusty accomplice? The predictable fool? He knew what I'd do, how I'd react, who I'd inform… it was creepy just how well he had it all figured out. Is that what he's like in MTAC?_

_-Yeah. And what he's like when planning for MTAC? Now that's terrifying to watch. It's like watching a war-planning super-computer running tacticals._

_\- -He said he wasn't ready to be in there yet. That he wanted more field training first so that he'd bring some heart to it._

_-He's going to get it. Vance is sending him to Sudan. Wants him to take Elly._

_\- -He's not taking Elly to Sudan with him._

_-Vance won't let me go, so he's sending Elly. Parke's pregnant wife would have a fit if he went to Sudan right now. Vance isn't going to let that happen. Same reason why he won't let me go- Amira._

_\- -Why doesn't Ziva or I go with him then?_

_-Then both of our teams would be down a person, and you guys are already one short._

_\- -Well he can't go for at least a month anyway since the doctor is pulling him out of the field until the tendon in his neck heals. Maybe we'll have a fourth by then._

_-Wait. A month?_

_\- -Uh? Yeah? Has Ducky called you yet?_

_-NO, I'm about to call him though._

Tony closed the texts and pulled up his contacts. He hit Ducky's name and waited for the phone to stop ringing.

"Hello, Anthony," he answered.

"Ducky. What's this I'm hearing about Dorneget being out of the field for the next month?"

"If not longer, I'm afraid. He's got a vertical tear in a tendon in his neck. He may actually need to wear a neck brace, but right now they need to allow the rest of his neck to heal, so it's being postponed."

Tony was torn between being saddened and ecstatic. "So, he's not allowed in the field, but he is allowed to work in the office?"

"Yes. He should handle MTAC operations just fine, but he will not be allowed out on cases."

Tony's gears were turning, and he was excited that he may have found a way out of sending Ned to Africa.

"I'm not sure how I feel about this," he said more to himself than to Ducky.

"I have already told the Director. He took it fairly well. I'm not sure I understand what's going on. Did Agent Dorneget actually mean to push Leyla's killer into trying to kill him as well so that Timothy could shoot him?"

"Yeah. Tim didn't understand what was happening though, and slipped right into the plot like Ned anticipated he would. It's backfiring on him though. Now he actually has to go to Sudan to tell Dwahalini's sister that the bastard was an assassin."

"Oh my."

"Yes, and Vance wants him to take Elly."

"I don't think that's a very wise decision," Ducky said. "I am sure you know their political stance on same-sex relationships is rather more than harsh."

"Yeah, Ducky, I'm aware. Ned doesn't want Elly going with him. At least now we have four weeks to figure out a way to get him out of this."

"Let me know what I can do," Ducky said.

"I will. Thanks," Tony said, sighing. "I'm home now. Jack is here. I'm going to head on in and see what everyone is doing."

"Delightful! Enjoy your evening the best you can, and get some rest."

"Thanks, Ducky."

Tony got out of the car, walked up to the house, let himself in, and flopped down on the couch.

"Tony?" Jethro asked, getting to his feet to stand in the doorway.

"Hi," Tony said.

"Hey," Jethro said, trying to smile at him. "Dad's here."

"Hi Jack," Tony shouted.

"Hello, son. Heard you've had a rough time of it," he said, coming into the living room and sitting down in the chair next to the couch.

"Yeah! I guess you can say that. I'm pretty sure you can say a lot more than that, actually," Tony said.

"Beer?" Jethro asked.

"God, yes. Please. Something smells good," he said as Jethro turned to head towards the kitchen.

"He's got chicken and vegetables in the oven," Jack offered.

"Oh! Nice!" he said. "He ever make you his chicken and vegetables? Simple, and I don't know what he does to them, but it's always good."

"I have. Watched him tonight, and I can't figure out what he's doing that makes it so much better than when I make it though." Jack chuckled as Jethro came in and handed them both a beer.

"Ah, thanks, Leroy."

"Where's the munchkin?" Tony asked.

"She actually fell asleep an hour or so ago. She probably should get up or she won't sleep tonight."

"I'll go get her," Tony said, taking back a deep drink of his beer before heading for the lockbox to put his gun away. Jethro smiled at him, turning back to the kitchen, and Tony followed him in there once he knew his weapon was secure.

"Hey," he said, turning to find Tony inches from him.

"Hi," Tony said, wrapping his arms around Jethro and kissing him deeply. Jethro held him tightly, grateful to have Tony home and in his arms. Tony sighed and broke the kiss, holding Jethro back just as firmly. "I'm glad I'm home."

"I'm glad you're home too," Jethro said. "Been a hell of a day. This is where you belong."

"Yes, it definitely is." Tony kissed Jethro again, and then pulled back with a smile. "I'm going to go get Amira."

"Careful. She hasn't met Jack yet."

"Wasn't he there-?" Tony asked, confused.

"Yeah, but she was so little she doesn't remember. She knew he was coming though."

Tony nodded. "Got it."

He walked back through the dining room and living room, hiding from Jack's stare as he tried not to think about how he probably just witnessed their kissing, then took the stairs to Amira's room. The door was wide open, and Amira was sound asleep. He stared at her as the sunlight filtered through the curtains, landing across her face. She looked like she was grieving even in her sleep, and he swallowed hard as he moved towards the bed. He gently scooped her up in his arms, trying not to wake her quite yet, and sat down on the bed, his back against the wall.

Amira snuggled against him automatically and he closed his eyes, holding her close. He pulled the blanket up over her, and in turn, himself, and he sighed in relief that he could honestly tell her that the bad guy was gone. He leaned his head back, and within a minute, he was asleep.

Ten minutes later, Jethro came upstairs to see what was taking Tony so long, and he looked into Amira's room to find them curled up together. He watched them for a long couple of minutes as he leaned against the doorframe, and sighed. He thought of Tony and his phone, taking pictures of him and Amira the day before, and pulled his out of his pocket. He knew he had seen a button on there for a camera somewhere and opened the menu. He maneuvered the buttons until suddenly Tony and Amira came up on his screen, and then he pushed the button in the middle. He smiled broadly at himself for being able to snatch a photo of the two of them, and he closed the phone to watch them some more.

Finally, he went over and tapped Tony's shoulder, making his eyes flutter open.

"Dinner's ready," he said with a smile.

"I'm okay," Tony replied, holding Amira closer with a smile.

"But she's not. She needs to eat," Jethro said.

"True," Tony said, sighing. "Sweetie?"

Amira opened her eyes, saw the sunlight and turned her head away from it, laying it back on Tony's chest as she tried to go back to sleep.

"Dinner's ready," Jethro told her, sitting on the edge of the bed. "And Jack's here."

Amira nodded, but then sighed as she started drifting back to sleep.

"Come on, sweetheart. Gotta go get some food in us," Tony said, standing up. Jethro got up with them, and followed Tony downstairs as he yawned. Amira looked over Tony's shoulder at Jethro, her eyes open, but glazed with sleep.

"There she is!" Jack said with a smile. Amira wasn't having any of it though. She clung to Tony harder, and he looked over at her as she buried her head in his shoulder.

"You want a blue?" he asked her.

That got Amira's attention, and she sat up a little in his arms. He made his way to the fridge and opened the door to pull out a Gatorade for her. She took it from him and hugged it without even opening it, and laid her head back on his shoulder.

"Hey, sleepyhead. You okay?" he asked. She nodded and looked around the room. When her eyes met Jack, she buried her head back against Tony. "Are you going to be shy now?" he said chuckling. Amira nodded and rubbed her eyes.

Jack and Jethro both chuckled lightly.

"It's okay, munchkin," Jethro said, brushing her hair out of her face. "That's Jack. He's my dad."

Amira peeked over Tony's shoulder, staring at the older man in the living room cautiously.

"You want to say hi?" Tony asked.

"Hi," Amira said, her voice still rough with sleep.

"Hello there," Jack said, staying in the living room as not to spook her.

"You hungry?" Tony asked.

Amira shook her head no.

"You gotta eat a little for me," Tony said. "I heard you were doing puzzles today."

Amira nodded. "We got it almost all done," she said, sitting up and playing with Tony's buttons.

"You want to show me?" he asked. She nodded again and he sat her on the floor so she could lead him into the living room. She sat on the edge of the couch, and Tony sat with her. "Wow! You really did get almost all of it done. It's very pretty. They're flowers just like the ones you drew today."

"Did you see she left those for you at your desk?" Jethro asked from the dining room where he was sitting the casserole pan full of chicken on the table.

"You did?!"Tony asked, looking at Amira. "I get to hang them up?"

Amira nodded with a smile.

"That's so great! I have my very own artist making me special pictures!" Tony said, squeezing her and kissing her on the head. He reached for her Gatorade and twisted the cap off for her. She immediately took a drink, letting it dribble down her chin. He chuckled, and thought that it might be a good idea to get the sport cap version for her so she could close it and open it herself. Those bottles were a little bigger, but if he could find them in the low-sugar variety, it might be okay. He was again amazed at how he was starting to think about things like that as if though it was second nature.

"Why don't we wash our hands for dinner," Jethro said.

Amira nodded and ran into the kitchen, where Jethro scooped her up with a smile. He sat her on the counter while he turned the water on, then picked her back up so she could reach for the soap and then stick her hands under the water.

"Rub them together," he said. "Gotta get 'em all soapy and clean so we can eat. I'm hungry." Amira did as he said, and she giggled when Jethro pretended to start eating her arm. Tony and Jack came into the kitchen and smiled at each other. Jack refilled his coffee mug, and Tony picked up his beer from the kitchen counter. Jethro handed a dish towel to Amira to dry her hands with, and then sat her down on the floor before washing his own. Amira moved to stand close to Tony, wrapping an arm around his leg and leaning on him, but she was smiling shyly at Jack.

"Go ahead and pick a seat at the table," he told her, reaching to ruffle her hair, and then took his turn washing his hands. Jack followed Amira into the dining room, and Tony and Jethro both arched their necks to see what was going to happen.

"She's met a lot of new people today," Jethro whispered with a shrug.

"Yeah. She'll be okay. Just needs some time," Tony agreed.

"You going to be okay?" Jethro asked him, sliding his arms around Tony's waist.

"Yeah," he said. "Eventually. Just need a good night's sleep."

"You and me both," Jethro said, letting him go to grab plates from the cabinet. "Can you get some silverware?"

"Sure," Tony said, turning to pull out enough for four people.

They took the dishes to the dining room and Jethro cut a piece of chicken up for Amira, adding some vegetables to her plate. She wrinkled her nose at the celery and zucchini, but took her fork to a piece of squash.

"You know, the yellow and green ones are the same thing, just different colors," Tony said with a smile.

"Really?" she asked.

"Yup," Jethro said. "Pretty much."

"Oh," she said. She still ignored the green zucchini and ate a carrot instead.

"She told me she likes carrots," Tony said, smiling at Jethro.

"I'll remember that," Jethro said with a wink at Amira.

"I like carrots, too," Jack said, popping one into his mouth. Amira smiled at him and ate another one.

"We need to remember to change the sheets in the guest bedroom," Tony said quietly to Jethro, who nodded as he thought about how the last people to sleep in there were Elly and Ned.

"No, you don't have to do that," Jack said. "Shane and I went ahead and got a room for the weekend because we knew we were surprising you. Didn't want to be an inconvenience."

"You didn't have to do that, Dad," Jethro said.

"Yeah we did! We weren't sure how Greg and his missus were going to handle a surprise guest, and it made sense for us to share a room. Besides, you need some space right now to get everything settled. Let me know how I can help, though. I'll be around until Sunday night when I have to get Shane back home to the park."

Jethro nodded. He understood the sense in that, and Tony was relieved because Amira was being so shy around Jack.

"Thanks, Dad," Tony said.

"Sure thing, son. I mean it, too. You need me to do something to help, I want to know."

Amira looked at Tony funny.

"What's wrong?" he asked her.

"Is he your dad, too?" she asked.

Tony laughed. "Well, kind of. He's not my real dad, like he is Gibbsy's, but when people get married, you kind of share parents."

"Oh," she said. "That's why you call him dad? And he calls you son? 'Cause you guys share him?"

Tony chuckled at how that sounded coming back at him. "Yeah, kind of," he said.

Jethro and Jack smiled at each other. Amira got down from her chair and tried to climb up in Tony's lap. He sat back so she could. She leaned in and whispered in his ear, taking his face in her hands.

"I can have more than one mommy and daddy, too?" she asked. Tony smiled, closing his eyes and held her close to him.

"Yes," he whispered.

"Okay," she whispered back.

"You have both me and Gibbsy now," he whispered. "But your mommy will always be your mommy."

Amira nodded and sighed. The room was so silent that Jethro and Jack both heard the conversation plain as day, and Jethro and Tony's eyes met. Tony swallowed hard and closed his eyes. He needed this day to end. He blinked back tears that were threatening, and reached for his fork, spearing a piece of chicken and got Amira's attention. She reached her neck out to bite the chicken off and nodded, chewing hungrily. Tony reached for her plate and turned Amira so she sat in his lap. She started eating her own food, and he kept a balancing arm around her as he ate his.

"Tim said that he and Abby are moving in together this weekend," Jack said, moving the conversation to neutral waters.

"Oh, yeah," Tony said, wincing at Jethro.

"We're supposed to be helping them," Jethro said as he reached for his coffee.

"Abby?" Amira said, looking up at Tony.

"Yes," he said. "You want to help us?"

Amira nodded. "I like Abby. She's funny."

Tony and Jethro smiled at each other, and Jethro sighed in relief.

"Okay, then," Jethro said. "We'll help her and Tim on Saturday. Maybe give us a little bit of something to take our minds off this horrible week."

"Sounds good," Tony said.

"I told Tim that I'd like to help," Jack said. "Not sure how much I can do, but I'll do what I can."

Amira pushed her plate back and curled against Tony. Most of her chicken was gone and half of her vegetables. Tony took another bite of his chicken, and stared from her plate to Jethro, who nodded his approval.

"Have you had a bath yet today, munchkin?" Tony said.

Amira sat up and looked at him, shaking her head. Her eyes were bright and Tony looked at Jethro as he thought about her washing her hands in a sink full of water and playing with the bar of soap that morning.

"Well, she likes that idea," Jethro said with a chuckle.

"You like the water, don't you?" Tony said. Amira nodded emphatically, and he chuckled. "You like to swim?" She nodded again.

Tony and Jethro exchanged a look that said they'd flush that idea out later, and then Tony took another bite of his chicken, adding a piece of squash. He washed it down with what was left of his beer, and then looked at Amira.

"Okay, bath and then bed," he said. Amira jumped down, reaching up to snag her Gatorade, and then ran for the stairs.

"Well, at least that's one battle we'll never have to worry about," Jethro said with a chuckle.

"I wonder if she's actually taken swim lessons," Tony said. He picked up his plate and Amira's to take to the kitchen, stopping to drop a kiss on Jethro on the way by. "Thanks for dinner."

"You're welcome." Jethro's eyes followed him out of the room and then turned back to Jack, who smirked at him. "What?"

"Oh, nothing," Jack said chuckling. "Nothing at all."

"Uh-huh. That's why you're smiling like that."

"Just glad to see you're happy, that's all."

"Mmmmhmm," Jethro said, stabbing the last bit of chicken on his plate.

Tony headed past Jethro and upstairs towards Amira's room. She was pulling all of her drawers out, and Tony realized she and Jethro had put some of her clothes in them.

"Whatcha doing, sweetie?" he asked.

"Picking out PJs," she said matter-of-factly.

"Oh, yeah? What did you decide," he asked. She held up a nightgown that had a dolphin on it, and he nodded. "Okay. Now we have to put the rest back."

Amira started shoving stuff in her drawers and trying to close them. He watched her and chuckled, then finally stepped in to help. They got them all closed, and she raced past him towards the bathroom. He was about to follow her when he stopped and got back into the drawer with her underwear and grabbed a pair. It was a little awkward, and he couldn't remember ever holding such a small pair of underwear. He shrugged.

"Welcome to fatherhood," he whispered to himself and then headed for the next room. "Forgot something," he said, handing the underwear to Amira, who nodded and sat them with her PJs on the toilet. He was glad she put the seat lid down first, and then reached to pull the stopper on the tub. He turned both knobs, and tested the water to make sure it was okay. It was warm, but not too warm.

"Feel that and tell me if that's how you like it," he said. She reached her hand into the water excitedly, and nodded.

"But where's the bubbles?" she asked.

"Uhhh…" Tony said, looking around. He bit his lip a moment, and then turned the water off. "Wait here." He went to their bathroom and looked through his soap, and finally settled on his body wash, hoping it made enough bubbles for Amira's liking. He knew he'd have to get some real bubbles for her soon, but tonight, this would do. He made his way back to the tub, added some to the water, and turned the faucet back on.

Amira nodded as she approved of the bubbles that started filling the tub, and Tony smiled. Jethro came to stand in the doorway and watched them. He reached up into the medicine cabinet and found a new bar of soap. Tony turned and saw him and smiled. Jethro unwrapped the white rectangle, and handed it off to Tony, who sat it on the ledge of the bathtub.

"You okay by yourself if we go to our room?" Tony asked. Amira nodded, already peeling her shirt off. Tony chuckled and turned the water off, and he and Jethro moved to leave the room. Tony reached up above the toilet for a bath towel, and sat it with her PJs.

"Holler for us when you're ready to get out," Jethro said, and they left her alone to splash in the tub.

They kept the door cracked and headed for their room, leaving their door cracked as well. Tony started taking his clothes off, glad to be alone with Jethro where he could let all of the walls come down.

"Did Jack leave?" Tony asked quietly.

"Yeah. Just headed out. He said he had to go get Shane, but he'll be back tomorrow to try to keep Amira occupied for me so I can make the funeral arrangements."

"Hell of a perfect time for him and Shane to show up," Tony said, sighing with relief as he slipped a t-shirt on. "Can use all the help we can get."

"Yeah, no kidding," Jethro said. "I can't believe I hadn't called him yet. I didn't even think about it."

"Things got crazy fast," Tony said, moving to sit on the bed next to Jethro.

"Yeah, they did. It feels like a month, but it's only been a couple of days."

"Tell me about it. I didn't know so much could happen in a week," Tony said, flopping backwards on the bed.

"Amira asked me earlier what to call Jack. She said that Leyla told her that if the bad guys got her, we'd be her dads."

"That explains her question at dinner," Tony said.

"Yeah. I think she's trying to figure it all out in her own way," Jethro said, laying back with Tony. He took a deep breath and then sat right back up. "Can't do that. I'll never get up."

"How long should we leave her in there?" Tony asked.

"Maybe fifteen minutes," Jethro said, rubbing his eyes.

"We need to find somewhere she can go swimming," Tony said.

"Yeah, but we need to make sure she can actually swim first," Jethro said.

"Maybe we can find a year round program for her that will let her swim after school," Tony said, shrugging.

Jethro nodded. "We can look."

"I'm so confused," Tony said after a long moment.

"What about?" Jethro asked.

"Everything. How this all feels like first nature, how things got so screwed up so quickly, how my team can be such idiots and yet how much I love them. I can't believe he did that."

"Wish I could have seen it," Jethro said.

"I have the DVD with me. Let me go get it. You _need_ to see this." Tony got up and got his backpack from the living room, and then came back up to the bedroom. He and Jethro sat on the bed and he pulled the video up. They watched it, and Jethro winced as Dwahalini broke through the table, and nodded when Tim took the kill shot.

"Looks perfectly innocent," Jethro said. "No way to know he'd be able to break free from the table."

"Yeah, unless you knew that the prick had mastered multiple forms of martial arts, which Ned did."

"Oh, he definitely planned it. I'm not saying he didn't. It was a good shot, but no one outside of our teams and Leon would know the extent of this."

"That's not my worry," Tony said. "The crazy attempt is, and the fallout of Vance suddenly wanting to see Ned follow through is. What's even crazier is that Ned seems like he _wants_ to go to Sudan and tell her, he just doesn't want Elly to go with him. OH! And I found out who his CIA contact is."

"Oh?" Jethro said, looking up at Tony.

"Yeah. It's his ex-boyfriend from high school," Tony said with a raised eyebrow.

"No kidding?" Jethro asked.

"Nope. And apparently there was some serious chemistry there, and he _really_ doesn't want Elly going if he's going to be meeting this guy. He said his name was Andy."

"Andy, huh? I don't know any Andy, but if he's about Dorneget's age, I probably wouldn't."

"Yeah, me neither. This is so messed up."

"Why doesn't he want Critten to meet Andy?"

"Would you want to meet my first boyfriend?" Tony asked.

"Eh, not really," Jethro said.

"Yeah. Especially since Ned said they brought out the worst and the best in each other."

"Maybe he shouldn't meet up with this guy," Jethro said with a raised eyebrow of his own.

"That's what I said. I also told him to be very upfront with Elly about it."

"You sure that's a smart move?"

"I guess it was. When I went back in to check on them, Elly was asleep with him in the hospital bed."

"Oh. I guess so."

"That is, if he actually told him."

"Yeah." They both sighed and Tony shut down his laptop, slipping it back in the bag.

"Should probably go get the munchkin out," Tony said.

"You go ahead and lie down. I'll get her out and tuck her in," Jethro said.

"You sure?" Tony asked.

"Yeah. Tomorrow night is your turn though."

Tony chuckled. "Sounds like a plan."

Ten minutes later, Jethro was in the door with Amira, who broke free and ran up to jump on the bed.

"She wanted to say goodnight," Jethro said with a smile.

"Oh!" Tony said, hugging her tightly. "Goodnight sweetheart," he said. He didn't let go, and she didn't let go, and he knew if he waited much longer, she'd be sleeping with them again that night. He picked her up, getting to his feet, and followed Jethro to Amira's room. He gave her a kiss on the forehead, and she gave him one on the cheek back, and then he laid her down on the bed. Jethro pulled the covers up over her and handed her Dirt.

"You got everything?" Jethro asked.

Amira nodded.

"Okay," Tony said. "Sleep well. We're right down here if you need us. I'll leave your door open a little so you have light."

Amira nodded, watching the two men leave, and they headed back to their bedroom.

"This is going to be hard," Tony said.

"What?" Jethro asked.

"I don't know which is going to happen first- her coming into curl up in bed with us, or me going in to curl up in bed with her."

Jethro chuckled. "She's going to be fine. She needs to try to do this on her own. The sooner the better."

"Yeah," Tony said. "I'm exhausted. I know it's early, but are you ready for bed?"

"Oh, yeah," Jethro said. "Just going to change into something I can sleep in a little easier, and I'll be right there."

By time Jethro had gone to the bathroom and changed into some shorts, Tony was curled up in bed with the lights off. He got under the light blanket with him, and wrapped him in his arms. Tony's arms went around him tightly, and Jethro realized Tony was shaking. A minute later, and he realized Tony was crying. He closed his eyes and swallowed, and ran his hand up and down Tony's back. He didn't know what to say, so he just held him.

This week was too much for anybody, and they were both at their breaking points. He laid his cheek across the top of Tony's head and tried to blink back his own tears unsuccessfully. Neither of them acknowledged it aloud, but they held each other desperately, and the silence of the night worked its magic on their weary souls.

* * *

Elly pulled up at the drive-thru pharmacy window, and handed over the prescriptions. Ned tried to duck his head to see the clerk, and hissed in regret.

"Oh! Baby, don't do that! That's not a good sound," Elly said, grimacing as he looked at Ned, who smiled through the pain at Elly calling him baby. He'd always had a soft spot for that pet name, though he couldn't say why.

"It's really hard to remember not to move your head. Have you ever tried it? It's like what it would feel like if you actually had to remember to breathe."

"Ooo. That doesn't sound fun, and no, I haven't tried it. Don't think I want to." The clerk told them the scripts would be filled within twenty minutes, and Elly nodded, intentionally stopping himself as he thought about what Ned had just said. He turned forward to drive, consciously thinking about every movement. "Want to go pick up some take-out? I don't think we're going to get to go out tonight."

"That's okay, because I'm looking forward to staying in," Ned said, very carefully turning his head the slightest bit to look at Elly with a playful smirk.

"Mmmm…" Elly said. "You are making this so fucking hard on me."

"What? I'm sorry. I only heard "fucking hard on". I'm pretty sure there was more to that. Can you repeat yourself?"

"Ahhhhh!" Elly growled with a laugh. "You little fucker. I swear, if your neck wasn't about to pop off your shoulders, I'd show you a fucking hard on."

"Who do you think you're calling little?" Ned asked, making them both laugh again.

"Oh, don't worry. I know better."

"Whoa. How?" Ned said, trying to think back to when Elly would have seen him naked.

"When we were making out this morning?" Elly said, reminding Ned.

"Oh! I didn't realize you were paying quite so close attention," Ned said, turning red.

"Um, kinda hard not to when you're more sexually frustrated than a fourteen year old virgin and your sexy ass boyfriend has his tongue down your throat and his giant cock in your lap."

Ned groaned, leaning his head back on his headrest as gently as possible.

"Anyway!" Elly said with a chuckle. "We've got the usual fast food joints, Chinese, Thai, Indian, Greek-"

"Let's do Greek!" Ned said excitedly. "That sounds really good. I want some fries with Greek dressing all over them and crumbled feta."

"That sounds really good," Elly said, turning down a road towards where he knew a little corner gyro place was.

"Never had it like that?"

"Nope. I have a feeling you're going to introduce me to all sorts of things I've never enjoyed before." Elly's voice trailed off as he thought about the plethora of things he and Ned could be doing together as soon as Ned's neck healed, if he could only get past his fear.

"Now who's making it hard?" Ned said, leaning in to speak low near Elly's ear.

"You!" Elly exclaimed. Ned bent at his waist so that he didn't have to stretch his neck so he could get even closer.

"Not yet, but soon," he whispered.

"You're going to hell," Elly said, pulling into a parking space and moving to get out of the car. "I'm totally going with you, but you're going to hell!"

"Grab me a gyro too!" Ned called after him.

"Yeah, yeah," Elly said with a chuckle as he headed into the building.

Half an hour later, Elly was following Ned up the stairs of his apartment rather slowly. Each jostle was hurting Ned now that the first dose of medication was wearing off.

"As soon as I eat I can take one of those pills, and this will all stop hurting, and I will be a lot more fun, I promise," Ned said, unlocking his door. As it shut behind them, Elly reached out to snatch Ned's hand. Ned turned to look at him, and Elly saw the slightly embarrassed look on his face. He smiled and shook his head, stepping closer to Ned.

"As much as you make me want to hump the crap out of you, your neck is severely injured, Ned. We're going to have to postpone things for a little while longer," he said.

Ned sighed. "Sorry," he mumbled.

"Don't be! Shit. You know how badly I want to do this the right way," Elly said, sliding his arms around Ned's waist, a bag of pills in one hand and food in the other. He gave Ned a sweet kiss that was tender, loving, and held a taste of fiery passion. "We'll get there," he whispered as they pulled back. Ned started to nod and winced.

"This is going to suck," he said, reaching to gently run his fingers over the sore tendon.

"Yeah it is, but just think- the better you take care of yourself now, the quicker you'll heal, and the sooner we can start discussing what we'd like to do to one another. Consider it incentive to stop moving your head."

"I'm going to screw my neck in place!" Ned whispered, his expression in awe.

"There you go!" Elly said, letting him go and moving towards the kitchen table. Ned's arms were suddenly around his waist, and it made him smile. He sat the food down and rested his hands over them and sighed.

"You know that if you want to wait the full year, I'm actually totally okay with that, right?"

Elly sighed in relief and closed his eyes. He had known it, but he hadn't _known_ it.

"Thanks," he whispered.

"That doesn't mean I'm going to stop talking about what I want to do to you, because you deserve to know just what you do to me, and how great you are. Plus, it kinda gives me ideas when I see your reactions," he said as he tried to lean his cheek against the side of Elly's head. "I want to do this right, too. I personally don't think sex is going to mess anything up for us, but if you'd be more comfortable finishing out your year, then that's fine. If you need more than that, that's fine. Just let me know, and we'll take it at your pace."

Elly turned in Ned's arms, slipping his arms around his chest. He looked over his face, taking in the honest and open expression in his big gray eyes, and smiled. "That means a lot to me. Thanks."

"I want you, but I want you happy more."

Elly leaned forward and Ned tried to lean forward to meet him. The kisses they shared were soft, gentle, sweet, and numerous. By time they stopped, their food had gotten cold.


	39. Chapter 39

The phone started ringing at a little after four in the morning, waking Jethro and Tony up with unison groans. Tony reached for it, fumbling around on the nightstand, and sighed when he saw it was Parke.

"Boss?"

"Yeah," Tony said, already turning to get out of bed. "Where we going?"

"Maybe nowhere. Look, I really hope you're not mad at me, but the Director has had me tracking anything and everything to do with Harry Slight, and essentially we've been working the whole drugging case with Tim and Abby while you guys have been dealing with Dwahalini and Amira."

"What?" Tony asked, rubbing his eyes and trying to figure out if he was dreaming.

"You'd told me to work the case, and then Vance found out I was working the case, and started working it with me, and then McGee found out, and he's been working it, and then Abby got involved, and it turned into this hodge-podge team, and I'm sorry we didn't tell you, but-"

"Greg!" Tony snapped. "I know you didn't call me at four in the morning to clear your conscience. What did you find?"

"Harry Slight."

"Okay. Where is he?"

"Queens morgue."

"Wait. What?"

"He's a John Doe in the New York morgue, Queens borough. Or, was a John Doe, you know, before I found him."

"What's he doing there?" Tony shook his head in confusion, sure that he was still dreaming.

"Well, it was a suicide. He stepped in front of a train. I got ahold of a lead, and I've been going though the subway footage. It's definitely him stepping in front of the train, and when we traced his steps, he had just tried to take out money at three different ATMs using multiple cards at each one.

"I called Tim, and we realized I'd set up the finance parameters wrong, and we weren't getting pinged for all of Slight's attempts to use the cards because it was set to alert only authorized transactions. We'd frozen the accounts, so nothing had been authorized, therefore, no hits. We don't know the extent of it yet, but if I had to guess, it looks like he made a break for it to New York to get lost in the crowds, and then he planned on escaping either by train or plane, and found out once he got there that his funds couldn't be accessed. He panicked and decided to end it all."

"When did this happen?" Tony asked, shaking his head.

"Two days ago."

"He can wait in the morgue until tomorrow then. Just call Queens and let them know we'll be there to claim him sometime tomorrow afternoon."

"I _can_ do that, and I _will_ do that. And Boss?"

"Yeah, Greg."

"I'm sorry we didn't tell you. We just didn't want to worry you."

Tony sighed. "I've gotten the feeling everyone's a lot more worried than they've let on. I'm not awake enough to decide if I'm pissed or touched yet. I'll decide tomorrow."

"Sounds fair. See you in a few hours."

Tony disconnected the call and rolled over to put the phone on the nightstand. Jethro's arms came around him. "You're not going in?" he asked, his voice rough with sleep.

"Not yet. They found the prick that drugged my guys."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. I'm going to have to go to New York tomorrow. He was trying to escape. Jumped in front of a train when he found out we were on to him."

"Did he live?"

"No. Sleep," Tony said, snuggling back into Jethro to feel him hard against him. He smiled as Jethro pulled him closer to him, snuggling against him and running his hands down Tony's body sleepily.

"You sure?" he mumbled. The sound of Jethro's rough, half-awake voice and the feel of his hands against him made him feel more and more awake. It was after four, and they had gone to bed just a little after nine the night before. He rolled over to face Jethro, deciding he'd slept enough, and kissed he sleepy lover.

"Mmmm…" Jethro moaned as he kissed Tony, his hands working their way up Tony's back. "Gotta close the door."

Tony nodded into the kiss, and then rolled out of bed as quickly and as quietly as possible to shut the door soundlessly. He stripped out of his clothes as he came back to bed, and made sure at least his boxers were close at hand if needed. He pulled the blankets back as Jethro kicked off his shorts, and crawled across the bed so he was straddling him, bending over to kiss him while Jethro's hands ran up his naked body.

"You feel amazing," Tony whispered.

"Mmmm…" Jethro moaned again. "So do you. So damned incredible." His hands started at Tony's hipbones and slowly ran up his torso, feeling the ridges of the muscles there, and the hair that led from his chest in a trail down to his cock. His hands coasted over Tony's chest, running his thumbs back and forth over Tony's nipples, making them hard.

Tony bucked his ass over Jethro's hard cock, indicating how he was hoping this would go, and when Jethro growled underneath him, he knew he had gotten the verification he needed that they were on the same page. Jethro reached over and fumbled for the lube in the drawer, and Tony bent down to kiss him, distracting him. It only took a moment after that for Jethro to snag the bottle of lube he'd brought in from the shower the day before since their water-based bottle was completely empty. He kissed Tony back, unable to complete a thought.

Tony's fingers coasted down Jethro's arms, feeling the strength he had in them, and while his left hand folded into Jethro's for a moment, squeezing his fingers, his right was snagging the lube from him. He flipped the cap and held it out, waiting for Jethro to offer his left hand. It took him pulling out of the kiss to free Jethro's attention enough to realize what he was expecting, but as soon as Jethro saw the bottle poised in midair, he was reaching out.

He slicked up his cock and then reached to slip a finger into Tony. Tony shook his head though, already reaching for Jethro's rod.

"Need this hard," he said, gasping as he started lowering himself on Jethro's slick cock, letting it stretch him as he went. He dropped down, letting it fill him, and the burn felt incredible. He rocked forward and backwards, barely actually lifting himself at first. Then he got into a crouching position over Jethro, his hands on Jethro's chest, and began a fast, hard ride.

Jethro groaned underneath him, barely able to breathe as the pace Tony set from the gates had him flying. Tony sat up straight, no longer supporting himself on Jethro's chest but his own knees. He gasped for air as he rode Jethro as hard as they both could take it, and he could feel the sweat trickling down his back.

There was a passionate urgency in every movement they both made, and it filled the room. Jethro bent his legs so his knees would be there to catch Tony if he lost his balance and fell backwards, and he watched Tony in the streetlight as he started glistening in sweat. He slammed down again and again on Jethro, setting a hypnotizing rhythm they got lost in. When Tony's phone started ringing again on the side table, they both groaned and Tony slowed down as he reached for it. He saw it was Vance and silenced it so it wouldn't wake Amira, and the urgency in the room exploded into panicked frenzy.

Jethro started thrusting up as Tony returned to his breathtaking pace, and started pulling on his cock. They were both breathing hard, and Jethro watched Tony's silhouette stroking himself. Tony started flexing his anal muscles, trying to tighten them around Jethro, and Jethro felt the grip and groaned. He thrust back up as hard as he could into Tony over and over without throwing off his balance.

The jerky movements that followed let Jethro know that Tony was close, and he felt himself letting go. A few seconds later, Tony was leaning on Jethro's chest again by one hand as he tried to continue fucking himself on the cock that was unloading into him. He put a painful twist on his strokes, and shuddered as he pushed himself over the orgasmic edge, gasping for breath.

They laid in a sticky, heaving mess for a couple of minutes when the phone rang again.

"Jesus fucking Christ!" Tony exclaimed. "Can't I even make love uninterrupted!"

"That's _my_ phone," Jethro said, reaching for it. He saw Vance on the caller ID and sighed, handing the phone to Tony, who growled.

"DiNozzo," Tony said tersely as he flipped the phone open to answer it. The only consolation Tony had was that Vance sounded just as perturbed as he was.

"DiNozzo, Vance. I just got off the phone with the NYPD. Apparently their ME got a call from Agent Parke in regards to Harry Slight's body being in their Queens morgue."

"Parke called me before he called the morgue," Tony said, trying not to sound as aggravated as he was.

"Good. I explained the situation, and they told me that Slight had been followed to the subway station because he first met with a known distributor in the area. He knew he was being followed, and they believe that's why he felt cornered to make the dive."

"He could've just gotten on the train and been out of town if he made it that far. I don't get it," Tony said, running his finger over Jethro's mouth as he lay on top of him.

"Yeah. I informed them about his multiple ATM attempts before the jump, and they figured that he knew he was screwed. We were after him, they were after him, and if he was supposed to be dropping off cash to his distributor, then they were probably after him when he couldn't get it from the ATMs he'd tried."

"Okay, so they're turning over the body, right?" Tony asked.

"Yeah, what's left of it. There's a bigger picture at play here though. They'd been following him for over a month, and they had D.C. Narcotics sitting on him. He wasn't at the club the night of the drugging. He may have given the word, but he wasn't the one that actually slipped the drug in the drink. Someone else is involved."

"Damn it!" Tony exclaimed, shaking his head. "I wondered if that was going to be too easy." He bent his head to rest it on Jethro's shoulder, and Jethro began running his fingers through Tony's damp hair.

"Looks that way. Now that Dwahalini is dead, you can hopefully wrap up that part of the case and focus on the op. I'm going to pull Parke, McGee, Ziva and Abby and put them on the drugging. With everything else going on right now, I think it's best that Critten and Dorneget don't work their own case."

Tony sighed. He didn't really like it, but he knew it made sense. "Okay. Are they going to report to me or you?"

"Both of us. I don't want you out of the loop, and the op is going to be delayed another two days until we get word back anyway, so for now, we have a window of opportunity that if we divide and conquer, we can."

"I understand. Ned, Elly and I will do our part, and then Parke can work with Ziva and McGee to work through the drugging, and then we'll take it from there when the op moves forward this weekend."

"You really _are_ tired. You're not fighting me on this. Gibbs would be throwing punches right now."

"Yeah, well I'm not him, and I know my agents. They need the division as much as I do right now. Is that all you needed from me?"

"Just wanted to warn you that McGee and Parke are taking a red eye out to New York in an hour."

Tony nodded. "Okay. Thanks."

"See you sooner than either of us would like," Vance said with sardonic chuckle.

"Yeah. Bye," Tony said, flipping Jethro's phone shut.

"What just happened?" Jethro asked.

Tony turned his head so he could look up into his eyes.

"Vance is having fun playing agent. He, Parke, McGee and Abby have all been working my team's drugging case together. NYPD called him and let him know they'd been working with DC Metro to watch Slight because he has connections to a distributor in NYC. They had eyes on him the entire night of the drugging, and he wasn't at the club. He couldn't have been the one to drug my guys."

"He's working with someone."

" _Was_ working with someone. We've been following the wrong guy. The trail's probably too cold now. Vance is commandeering Parke, Tim, Ziva and Abby to all work together on the case. He's decided it's too risky after yesterday to let Ned and Elly work their own attempted murders. He's going to focus on that, and the rest of us are going to focus on how Leyla was found."

"You're letting him take over?" Jethro asked with a raised eyebrow.

"It makes sense. Divide and conquer. We can't move forward with the op until our info comes in this weekend, and that leaves us with this nice little window of opportunity. We're kind of sharing custody of the drugging case, but the other part is all on me, Elly and Ned."

"If that's what you're comfortable with, then good."

Tony chuckled, smiling down at Jethro as he propped himself up. "He said he was surprised I wasn't fighting him on it like you would. Told him I'm not you."

Jethro chuckled too in that quiet intimate way that lovers do. "No, you're not. Good thing, too."

Tony shook his head. "Only room enough on this ride for one Leroy Jethro Gibbs."

"And you're the crazy fool that claimed me," Jethro said with a smirk.

"Hell yeah I did, and don't let anyone try to ever say differently." Tony leaned down and placed a quick kiss on Jethro's lips. "Tim and Greg are on the way to New York."

"That kind of sucks for Greg since Shane just got into town."

"They're flying, so they'll be back pretty soon."

Jethro nodded. "We should probably jump in the shower and get clothes back on before the munchkin wakes up."

"Good point," Tony said, rolling off of Jethro and out of bed. Jethro followed him into the shower, and when they were finally crawling back into bed with their clothes on, their door slowly creaked open.

Jethro reached under the blankets and squeezed Tony's hand, and they looked at each other with a smile. Amira stood in the doorway with Dirt in one arm, her other hand on the doorknob, looking up at them. Her hair was sticking up everywhere, and she had droopy eyes.

"You okay, munchkin?" Jethro asked.

"I got scared," she said, standing tentatively across the room.

"Come here," Tony said, holding his arms out for her. Amira ran across the room and jumped on the bed. Tony snatched her up and pulled her against him, turning so he faced Jethro. Jethro laid down and got comfortable next to them, and Amira made her way under the blankets. "Why were you scared?" Tony asked.

"It was dark, and I didn't know where I was," Amira said.

"It's okay. You know you're safe," Jethro said, rubbing her back. She nodded and snuggled between them. "Try to sleep a little more."

Ten minutes later, Tony and Amira had fallen asleep, Amira's head across his chest, and Tony's arms around her. Jethro laid awake and watched them until the sun came up, casting beams of light into the room and over his family.

* * *

For the intense pain Ned's neck was in the night before, he had slept pretty great. He knew that part of that was the muscle relaxer, but most of it was because he had Elly asleep on his chest, which not only felt amazing in and of itself, but it kept him from rolling over in the night and moving his neck. He woke up to find that Elly was snoring lightly, and that made him want to laugh. He restrained himself to keep from jostling and waking him, and he reached for his phone to record the event.

_He can never say I'm the only one that snores! Granted, he snores much more quietly, but at least he's not completely perfect._

He caught a minute of the noise and stopped the video before he put the phone back on the nightstand. It was going to go off in another thirteen minutes, so he just laid there running his fingers through Elly's short, very blonde, spikey hair. He always gelled it down for work, but Ned loved how it stuck up at all angles first thing in the morning. It had the day before as well, and he had it styled that way intentionally the night he DJed. Ned approved, and was smiling as he thought about all of the other things he enjoyed about the physique of the man on top of him.

He was slender and lean, with the body of someone you would never suspect to be as lethal as he could be when fighting. He didn't have bulky muscles, but his arms were solid and taut, and his abs rippled in what would have been a six pack if he were just a little thicker. What little body hair he had was as pale as the hair on his head, and his skin was just slightly kissed by the sun, causing freckles to break out on his shoulders and arms. His legs, that were currently tangled with Ned's, were lightly hairy, and his thighs were tone from his martial arts training, which Ned had to admit he loved to watch. He moved with such skill and grace, and yet Ned knew just how dangerous those movements were when used against another person.

As he watched him, Elly's lashes fluttered to reveal the cornflower blue eyes that Ned loved so much. He smiled even brighter at him, and Elly smiled back shyly.

They'd finally eaten their dinner last night, and then Ned had taken the muscle relaxer. It made him a little silly, and Elly had suggested they go to bed early to keep Ned from saying anything he shouldn't. Ned said there wasn't anything he couldn't tell Elly, and they had spent the next half an hour talking about things they would never tell anyone else. Elly thought for sure that Ned would regret it in the morning, but the smile on his face let him know that he was content, and that made him feel relieved.

"Good morning," Elly whispered.

"Good morning to you," Ned whispered back. "We didn't move all night."

"No reason to. No place I'd rather be than right here where I can listen to your heart beating."

Ned felt himself melting like a teenage girl, and he didn't care at all. "That's super sweet," he said.

"And also super true," Elly said with a grin. "I like how I can say things like that to you and you don't roll your eyes and try to be all gruff and macho."

"I take it you've experienced that before," Ned said with a raised eyebrow.

"Only with every guy I've ever been with," he said with a scoff.

Ned reached down and took his chin gently in his hand so he could look into his eyes. "What was wrong with them? Who wouldn't want to hear something so awesome from you?"

Ned's hand ran up Elly's jaw to cup his cheek, and Elly immediately nuzzled into it. Ned watched as Elly's face contorted in almost painful ecstasy, and his heart broke a little. He got the distinct feeling that was the exact kind of tender touch Elly craved, but rarely got.

"How…" Ned started, barely stopping himself from shaking his head.

"How what?" Elly whispered, his eyes closed as he ran his face along Ned's palm.

"How could anyone have ever denied you affection? I don't get it. You're so affectionate and responsive, and it just makes me want… well it makes me want to hold you, and cuddle you, and kiss you, and nuzzle you, and prove to you that you're so _fucking_ lovable."

Elly laid his head back on Ned's chest and sighed as Ned's fingers moved to card through his hair. "I'm so happy right now," he said quietly.

"Me, too," Ned said just as softly.

"It's terrifying."

"Don't be afraid. I'm not going anywhere, Elly. I'm looking forward to taking on the world with you."

"Sometimes choices are made for us. People we love are taken away from us. It opens you up-"

"It's worth it." Ned said, cutting him off as he shook his head the tiniest bit, and swallowed. "It's all worth it. I've had a week with you, and we've been arguing half of it, and it's still been the most amazing week of my life. I've had an assassin try to kill me, ordered the death of over a dozen people, and been drugged at a rave club- still the best week of my life."

"That's… well that's sad," Elly said, looking up at him. Ned shrugged as his phone started buzzing and then chiming on the end table. He winced at the pain that shot up his neck and back down his shoulder as he turned quickly to grab the phone to stop the offensive noise.

"Careful!" Elly said with a grimace.

"Yeah. I might welcome that brace in a few days. And I may need a painkiller today while I don't have the op to worry about."

"You have a break from the op?" Elly asked.

"Yeah, for the next day or so."

"Then you are sooooo mine tonight. Pack some clothes and a nasal strip, because you're spending the night at my place."

"Oh, really? In all of the time we've known each other, I've never been in your place. You've practically moved in here, but I've never even crossed your threshold. I'm stoked!" Ned smiled down at Elly who was starting to lift himself off of Ned, a hand on both side of him sinking into the mattress.

"That's because if you would've come over sooner, I probably would've scared you away. I'm kind of a slob."

"I reserve the right to start cleaning anything I want to. Only fair," Ned said, trying hard not to shake his head.

"Well, I'm definitely going to have to change the sheets and blankets on the bed before you get in it," Elly said blushing as he planted a quick kiss on Ned and tried to roll off of him. Ned grabbed his arm first and Elly grinned in embarrassment as Ned bent over him now that he was flat on his back.

"And why would you need to do that?" he asked with a smirk, letting his finger trail down Elly's shirtless chest.

"Dude, I've been celibate for ten months, as in, I haven't had sex with anyone but myself. We need to change the sheets, and probably the blanket too."

Ned raised an eyebrow at him. "That might be something we can do together once you're comfortable," he said with a shrug as he ran his finger along the muscles on Elly's stomach.

" _Mayyyyybe,_ " Elly said, thinking about how it felt to have Ned's hand palm his cock in the hospital the day before. He would much rather have Ned's hand around him than his own. He'd gotten quite used to that, and the change of pace was getting him hard just thinking about it.

Ned snickered. "Damn, you need to get laid," he said glancing at the evidence in Elly's half-erection tenting his underwear.

"You little fucker," Elly said, trying to roll out from under Ned, but Ned held him in place, moving to straddle him, his hands going to Elly's, and after entwining their fingers together, he pinned them above his head. Elly started breathing heavily immediately, his heart pounding so hard he was afraid he was going to stop breathing altogether.

Ned bent carefully to kiss him, and he moaned into the kiss.

"Holy shit, Ned. I don't want our first time together to be a quick hump before work," he barely whispered. "You're making this so fucking hard though. God what are you doing to me?"

Ned looked down at Elly's flushed face. He thought about what Elly had just said, and he smiled. There was something so sweet about Elly caring about what their first sexual encounter was like. They'd have thousands and thousands of other encounters, but they only got one first, and he liked the idea of making it something memorable.

"I love you, Elly," he whispered. Elly smiled up at him with a sigh.

"I love you, too," Elly whispered back, afraid if he said it much louder, the words would shatter through into reality and burst the happy bubble around him. He wondered when he was going to wake up, and then when Ned winced as he bent to kiss him again, he realized this was reality after all, and he was going to have to learn to be happy, because happiness wasn't going anywhere. "I am going to have to get used to this."

"Get used to what?" Ned asked, taking in the contemplative look on Elly's face.

"Being happy," he whispered. "Being honestly, truly happy. I want to run through the hallways, do cartwheels in the quad, drive around town screaming out my window, and yet none of that would be as powerful as that peaceful moment of waking up in your arms, my head against your chest, your heartbeat pounding, reminding me that life is mine, and it's perfect now. It's like the biggest relief- like everything that has ever been wrong isn't wrong now, and I'll never feel that edgy, lost, lonely feeling ever again."

Ned ran his hand across Elly's cheek, letting it fall back into his hair and stroked his head. "You um," Ned began slowly, having to clear his throat. "You know that fairytale perfect moment people always talk about? The one where they suddenly realize that this is _it_? When they just _know_ that the person they're with is the person they're going to be with forever, and there isn't a single bit of-of-of doubt, of-of fear, of concern; where they _know_ that the person they're with is their perfect match, their soul mate, the love of their life?" Elly's eyes were big and bright, his mouth parted just enough to breathe the shallow breaths of a racing heart. "I didn't think it was real. I know better now." Ned ignored the pain that shot up his neck as he bent to kiss Elly slowly.

Elly felt like he could feel a part of him leave in that kiss and give itself up to Ned, and when he inhaled at the same time that Ned exhaled, he felt like he was breathing in his very soul. This was it- this was forever, and he was going to do it right. He was going to find every locked door in his mind and break them down to make sure he didn't have any skeletons in them that Ned couldn't handle, and he was going to let them free. No surprises, no secrets, no lies, no hiding. He knew Ned could handle it as long as he was honest. He could feel that in his bones. He could feel that trust coming from him, and he gave it back with everything in him. He knew that if they built their relationship on that trust, nothing, and no one, would ever keep them apart.

* * *

Ziva was watching Dion sleep in the rays of sunlight coming into the room. There were only a few, but they fell across his face, and she smiled as she thought about how perfect that was. She knew Dion's past, knew that it wasn't perfect, and she knew that's why he was able to appreciate her so fully. They had both had to give up so much of themselves in order to move forward at one point, but Dion was teaching her that didn't mean that forward had to be towards something that made her unhappy.

She thought about that past Saturday at Burgundy with her team, doing their job and having fun with it. It reminded her of why she became an agent, and it became clear to her that when NCIS had adopted her, she equally adopted them, and she had made that choice to become part of something better, something good. It wasn't the same as being in Mossad. It was a choice, and it was the right one for her.

Dion had chosen to leave Greece and come to America in order to follow his passions while leaving his painful past in the rocky cliffs he'd grown up in. He went back to visit his friends, but he had chosen his home, and he was choosing his family. Ziva was suddenly startled as she realized that she was now the cornerstone of that family. She knew it in her very bones. Dion had been in the States for ten years, but only now had he really decided where he was going to settle and with whom. She was honored that he chose her to share his home and life with, and she was incredibly grateful to have met a man full of so much passion for life that encouraged her to find hers and live it no matter where that led her, promising to love her no matter what.

When Ziva had told Dion that she had realized that NCIS was home, and she couldn't leave it, he smiled brightly and pulled her in for a surprisingly powerful kiss. He'd pulled back finally, looked into her eyes, and said, "I know."

It had surprised her. She thought he'd be upset that she wasn't going to go into the business with him, but he shook his head, looked into her eyes, and he said, "Ziva, you are happy with me at the restaurant, but it is not something that ignites the fire in your eyes the way a satisfying day at work does. You are always welcome at the restaurant, but your life, your zeal, is wrapped up in your work, and that is a good thing! You can have more than one source of happiness."

If Ziva didn't already love him, she would have fallen in love with him in that moment. She knew she didn't want to let him go, and she wanted to show him that in an enormous way, so she told him that she was willing to try living with him to see if they were ready for it, but deep inside, she knew already. She wanted mornings just like this one, where she awoke to the beauty of the man next to her outshining the sun that fell on his face; where she felt completely safe, secure, wanted, loved, and home.

She knew what she had to do, and she leaned forward to kiss Dion, who stirred in his sleep.

"Good morning, gorgeous," he whispered with a smile. She smiled back.

"Good morning," she whispered.

They stared at each other for a long minute, both of their faces showing nothing but happiness.

"I am so glad you are here," he said, reaching up to cup her face.

"Me, too." Ziva's smile grew to reach her eyes. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Ziva. Very much."

"I have to get going, but I did not want to start my day without hearing those words." Ziva felt an odd shyness come over her at admitting something so intimate. They had no problem telling each other they loved one another, but they reserved the actual words for moments where they really meant it, and didn't throw them around casually.

Dion pulled her down towards him for another tender kiss, and she accepted it gladly. After she was thoroughly reassured that their love wasn't going anywhere, she got a shower and got dressed, skipping her morning run in lieu of the larger task at hand.

She pulled up in front of Gibbs' and Tony's house, and saw that both of their cars were still there. She walked up to the door, wondering if she should knock, but the lock made up her mind for her. She knocked hesitantly, and a moment later, Tony was opening the door was a smile.

"Hey, Ziva! To what do we owe the pleasure?" he asked, stepping away and motioning for her to follow him in. She closed the door behind her as she watched Tony head for the dining room with a lighter step than she'd seen from him all week. She smirked to herself as she thought about how that could have happened, and followed him.

"I needed to talk to you and Gibbs," she said coming into the room to find that Jethro and Amira were sitting at the dining room table with bowls of cereal. Amira got up immediately and went to Tony, who picked her up without thinking.

"It's okay, sweetheart. It's just Ziva. You remember her? She's one of the good guys on Gibbsy's team."

Amira gave Ziva a long look, taking her in from head to toe. Ziva smiled at her, and then remembered the moment she'd realized Dorney had talked to Amira in Arabic. She had responded well to it, so she gave herself a mental shrug, and tried it for herself.

" _[It is okay. Tony and Gibbs are not afraid of me, are they? They would not let anyone hurt you, nor would I.]"_

Something changed in Amira's eyes, and Jethro, Tony and Ziva all saw it. It was sadness, but it was recognition. Amira nodded, but she laid her head on Tony's shoulder.

Jethro shrugged and gave Ziva a sad smile. He appreciated her trying, but a part of him was kind of glad that Amira was even more standoffish with her as she was with him. If Amira would have latched onto Ziva the way she did Tony, he would have been really hurt, and he wasn't sure he would have been able to keep it to himself.

"I wanted to come by and tell you that I have made up my mind," Ziva said, her eyes locked on Jethro's, who tried hard to school himself. He knew what was coming, and he was going to miss her, but he wanted her to be happy.

"Go eat your cereal before it gets soggy, munchkin," Tony said, sitting Amira down with a kiss on her forehead. She snuck behind Jethro's chair, watching Ziva the whole time as she made her way back to her Cheerios.

Tony sighed. "Coffee?" he asked her.

"Sure, thank you." She followed him into the kitchen, and Jethro got up to follow both of them, getting the idea that this didn't need to happen in front of Amira. Tony handed her a cup, then tilted the milk over it until she held up her hand. He put the cap back on and slid it into the fridge, then turned to pick up his mug while he leaned on the counter opposite of where Jethro had already took up residence on the other side against the sink.

"So how much longer do we have you?" Tony asked.

Ziva was startled for a moment by the question, but shook it off as she took a drink and then sat the mug on the counter.

"I am hoping another twenty to thirty years. I enjoy working with Dion, but I belong at NCIS. It is home," she said with a smile that grew as Jethro and Tony's did. She was completely taken aback when Jethro stepped forward and wrapped her in a hug, and Tony smiled brightly to see his lover showing such outright affection. This had been a big decision, and he was glad that Jethro was showing an appropriate amount of appreciation for it. He smiled as Ziva laughed, and then saw Amira in the doorway staring at them. He reached out his hand for her, and she came over to stand next to him, holding his hand and leaning against him. She looked up at him in confusion at the hug happening in the middle of the room.

"How did Dion take your decision?" Tony asked as Jethro stepped back and smiled at her.

"He was proud of it," Ziva said with a smile of contentment so pure that Tony squinted his eyes at her.

"There's something else," he said. "I know that smile. I've seen it before."

Ziva nodded. "We are doing a, run? Trial run," she corrected herself as she thought of the words. "We are living together this month, and trying it out to see if we are compatible enough to share the same space. It has been one week, and so far, I am enjoying it immensely."

"You've been living together for a week and you didn't tell anybody?" Tony asked, stroking Amira's head thoughtlessly.

"There has been so much happening this week, and it has all held much greater importance than this. And with it being a trial, I did not want to get anyone's hopes up that might work in a lab and get extra-excited about this kind of thing."

"Abby would be more upset to be left out. Now that we know, you gotta tell her," Jethro said, picking his mug back up and raising it to his lips.

"I plan on it. I wanted to talk to the two of you first. After all, I would not be here at all without both of you and McGee."

Amira pulled on Tony's hand, and he looked down at her. Her eyes were imploring and full of questions, and he picked her up so that they were face to face as he held her against him. "What's going on in that beautiful head of yours?" he asked her, giving her a kiss on the forehead.

Amira took Tony's face in her hands like she had the night before at dinner, and put her mouth to his ear, whispering. "She's pretending to live somewhere?" she asked.

Tony shook his head and put his mouth to her ear and whispered back. "She's trying to live with her boyfriend to see if they like living together."

Amira's eyes got big, and Tony didn't like the fear he suddenly saw in them. He gave Jethro a raised eyebrow and then took Amira into the living room where she might feel more comfortable speaking openly.

"What's wrong?" he asked her. She shook her head and looked around the house, then back into the kitchen. He could see her swallow, and he took a deep breath. "No," he said, plucking up the courage. "That's not how we do this." Amira looked at him in confusion, and he started talking to her quietly and gently. "When Gibbsy or I ask you what's wrong, you need to tell us, otherwise we can't fix it, and we don't ever want anything to be wrong with you because we don't want you sad or upset. We'll always try to fix it."

Amira started playing with Tony's tie, and he knew she was processing in that way she did.

"I know that sometimes the answer is going to be that maybe you don't really know what feels bad, or what feels not right, and it's okay to tell us that. You can say "I don't know", or you can say you're figuring it out, but if you have questions, if you are afraid of something, you can _always, always_ tell me and Gibbsy. Okay?"

Amira nodded.

"So what's wrong?" he asked again.

"Are- are yous guys- what if you don't like living with me?" she asked quietly. Tony felt his eyes filling with tears, unable to hold them back after finally letting go last night.

"I really, really like living with you," he said quietly. "And I know Gibbsy really, really likes living with you too." Amira nodded and let out a shuddering sigh of relief. "Do you like living with us?" he asked. Amira looked up at him as she nodded emphatically. She saw Tony's eyes were glistening and turning red, and her eyes got big. Her hands went to his face again and she looked at him closely.

"Why are you sad?" she asked.

"I was afraid you didn't want to live with us anymore," Tony said with a small smile, wiping at his eyes. It wasn't exactly the truth, but when Amira kissed his cheek and wrapped her tiny arms around his neck tightly, he held her back like she would evaporate any minute.

"I want to live with you forever and ever," Amira said with such fierce passion that Tony couldn't bring himself to laugh.

"Okay," he said. "Forever and ever."

Ziva and Jethro had been watching them from the doorway of the kitchen.

"He is surprisingly good with her," Ziva said, looking over at Jethro who nodded.

"Yeah," he said. "He's incredible with her."

"He told everyone that the two of you were considering adoption before this happened," Ziva said quietly, her eyes on Tony and Amira more than Jethro. Jethro turned and looked at her, unaware that Tony had spilled the beans.

"We were."

"Maybe you still should," Ziva said with a shrug.

"I think this is going to be a one kid household."

"You had that when you moved Tony in," Ziva said with a chuckle, earning a light bump of the shoulder from Jethro who chuckled. "Honestly, if Amira ever becomes settled enough to be okay with it, it is not the most ridiculous idea. I have always known that you have a way with children, but I am surprised to find how well Tony is doing."

"It might just be Amira," Jethro said with a shrug. "She's taken to him like I've never seen. I've known her since she was an infant, but as soon as I started bringing Tony around her, she took to him like a magnet. Even now, whenever she's upset, it's him she wants. She likes to play with me, and goes to him for comfort."

Ziva looked up at the slightly sad expression on Jethro's face. "That will change," she assured him, seeing the heart of the matter. "The time will come when her grief will swell so large it takes both of your loves to hold her steady. You have not even had the funeral yet."

Jethro turned and smiled sadly. "Thanks, kid," he said.

"Let me know if you need help with anything. I would be glad to do whatever I can."

Jethro nodded.

"I am going to head into work. I have heard I am going to be working with Abby and the director today on the drugging case, and I need to read on it."

"If he starts stepping out of line, you let me know," Jethro said, his Gibbs-voice suddenly in place.

Ziva smiled at him. "I will let Tony know. Your attention is needed elsewhere." She pushed off the doorframe, taking the last drink of her mug of coffee before putting it in the sink, and turned to walk past Jethro and out of the room. "I will see you at the office, Tony," she said. " _[Goodbye, Amira. It was nice to see you again!]"_

Amira waved at her tentatively, and Tony smiled. "Bye, Ziva. See you in a few."

"You finish your cereal, munchkin?" Jethro called from the dining room.

"Yes," Amira called back, leaning back so she hung upside down from Tony's tie to look behind her at Jethro.

"Whoa!" Tony said, pulling her back up. "Nope! Can't do that. You'll choke me, if you do that."

"Oops," Amira said, looking like a deer caught in headlights.

Tony chuckled. "I'm not mad, sweetie. Just letting you know that's not something we can do."

Amira sighed and nodded anxiously.

"Hey," Tony said, tapping her chin so she looked at him. "Are you still afraid you're going to have to go somewhere else?" He had felt all of the anxiety off of her he could take, and it reminded him of when he first got to NCIS and he kept waiting to do something wrong enough for Jethro to kick him off the team.

Amira looked down at his tie and started playing with it again. Jethro suddenly plopped down on the couch next to him, and he noticed immediately that something was wrong.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"Amira thinks we're going to suddenly want to get rid of her one day," Tony said softly. Amira gave him a dirty look like he was telling her darkest secret. "I'm trying to let her know that we're never, ever, _ever_ getting rid of her, but she's having a hard time believing me." Tony turned to Jethro, who held out his arms for Amira. She lunged off of Tony's lap and into Jethro's arms, and Jethro looked past her to see Tony's face contorted in pain. He crossed his legs and let out a deep breath, puffing out his cheeks, and Jethro couldn't help but bust out laughing.

"I think you may have accidently squashed Tony's man-parts," he said through his chuckling. Amira buried her head in Jethro's shoulder with a squeal of laughter.

"I'm glad you think it's funny!" Tony said. "I happen to like them all in one piece."

"Yeah, me too," Jethro said under his breath, and then turned back to Amira. "Listen to me, Amira." Jethro had never used that tone with Amira, but she knew it meant business and she sat up at attention to look into his eyes.

"This is _your_ home. It's _our_ home. We're a family now. Family doesn't just kick someone out. We will _always_ love you, no matter what. No matter how mad we get, how sad we get, you will always be welcome here, and we will always, _always_ love you." Jethro's voice softened some, and he pushed Amira's hair behind her ear. "One day, you're going to go off to college, or fall in love with someone, and you're going to want to travel the world, and have a family and a house of your own. Even then, when you're all grown up, wherever Tony and I are is home. You are always welcome where we're at. Forever." Amira swallowed and nodded much more confidently this time.

Tony smiled at Jethro. He'd basically just said the same thing, but Amira believed it so much easier coming from Jethro. He nodded to himself. They made a good tag-team. He could get the problem out of Amira, and Jethro could solve it.

"I've got to go to work," Tony said, leaning over to first kiss Amira's forehead and then Jethro's lips. "Love you, and love you."

Amira reached up and he gave her a big hug, picking her up, squeezing her tightly, and then sitting her back on the couch next to Jethro. When Tony turned to leave, Jethro got up.

"Hey! Where's mine?" he asked jokingly. Tony turned back around like he'd simply forgotten. He wrapped his arms around Jethro and picked him up a couple of inches off the ground, and squeezed him, making both Jethro and Amira laughed. He then sat him down with a laugh himself, and Jethro shook his head, his smile wide and his eyes bright. "Love you."

"Love you, too," Tony said, leaning in to kiss him again. "See you later. Call me if you need anything." Jethro nodded, and Tony turned to head towards the door. "Bye munchkin!"

"Bye, Tony!" Amira shouted. "Love you!"

"Love you, too!" Tony shouted back as he picked up his keys and opened the front door.

When Tony got to work, he found that Elly and Ned were already there, and Elly was leaning back on Ned's desk, talking to him in a hushed voice. Both of them were smiling from ear to ear. He smiled brightly as he thought about how great it was that they were all so happy. He suddenly turned around and knocked on his desk so hard it got Ned and Elly's attention. Elly jumped and headed towards his desk, thinking Tony was upset.

"I just jinxed the hell out of all of us," Tony said with a grimace, looking at both of them apologetically. "I'm sorry. If all of our lives fall into the crapper, it's my fault."

Elly and Ned looked at him, at each other and then back at him.

"What did you do?" Elly asked.

"I came in, and saw you two looking so happy, and then I thought about Ziva telling Jethro and I that she was moving in with Dion, and that made me think about Tim and Abby moving in together, and I wondered if they were going to ever have kids like Parke and Tiff, and then I thought about how happy Jethro and I have been despite everything… and I thought the magical words, "It's like nothing could go wrong"."

"You bastard!" Elly said mockingly. Ned laughed.

"Really, Boss? Nothing can go wrong? How about possibly getting strangled within an inch of my life?" Ned asked.

"Or getting drugged by a rival club owner with a date rape drug at a club I'm working the DJ tables at," Elly said.

"Or your fiance's friend dying and you having to adopt her daughter?" Ned shot back.

"Or finding out our prime suspect for the drugging wasn't the guy and he's dead?" Elly fired off.

"Or having your in-laws come into town unexpectedly the week you're learning to be a father?" Ned asked, raising a questioning eyebrow at Tony.

"Or having to move two of your best friends into their apartment on a day we're expecting some pretty badass storms and bad news from Afghanistan about an op?" Elly said with a twisted frown.

"Or finding out that your tie has Rice Krispies or something stuck to it? What is that?" Ned asked, trying to look closer, but then hissing when he realized that motion was probably the most painful he'd done all day.

Tony looked down at his tie to find Amira had left part of a Cheerio stuck to it. He burst out laughing as he sat down. He started laughing manically, laying his head down on his desk to try and stop and catch his breath but he couldn't.

"Boss? You okay?"

Tony sat up, wiping his draining eyes. "I'm never going to be alright again! I'm a father!"

Ned and Elly looked back and forth at each other. "Uh oh. Someone get Ducky! He's losing it!" Elly said jokingly, giving Ned a wink. Ned smirked back.

"I think he's beyond that. I think he's lost it somewhere in the bottom of Amira's toy box."

"Good chance," Tony said, shaking his head. "Okay. So! We have a small window of opportunity here to try and figure out how Dwahalini got into the country, whether or not he is responsible for any other crimes while he was here, and how exactly he tracked down Leyla."

"Got it," Elly said, sitting behind his desk and starting to type stuff into his computer.

"Nope. You and I are going to have to hit the streets for this one. Ned's bound to his desk, so he's going to be working the computer angle."

Elly shrugged, and then got up to grab his gear. "Sorry," he mouthed to Ned, who tried not to shrug the side that had the torn tendon. "Where do we start?"

"We need to go see the priest," Tony said. He started coming around the desk and then stopped. He looked back and forth between his guys, and sighed. "Jethro's going over there this morning to ask him his thoughts on the funeral. Amira can't find us there. She'll get scared."

"Okay?" Elly said, looking at Ned and then Tony. "What do you want to do?"

Tony looked back and forth between them again with a sigh and sat down at his desk, dialing Jethro on speaker. "Hey," he said when Jethro answered. "It's me."

"What's up?"

"When are you going to see Father O'Brien?"

"We're getting dressed now. Why?"

"Because we're about to go over there to talk to him, but we can't do that if Amira's around."

"We have to go see him now because he's leaving for some retreat thing this afternoon and this is the only time he's got open."

"I can't ask him these questions around Amira."

"I'm not really comfortable asking him what I have to ask him with her around either, but you know, this is just going to get ugly at some point."

Ned's voice piped up from the sidelines. "Why don't I watch her, and then both you and Gibbs can go ask your questions together."

"I'm not sure she should be hanging on you with your neck the way it is," Tony said.

"I can stay with them, too," Elly said with a shrug. "She didn't seem like she absolutely hated me the other day or anything. When you guys are done, Gibbs can come back to the house, and we'll come back to the office."

"What do you think? Did you hear that?" Tony asked Jethro.

"As long as Amira doesn't mind staying with Dorneget and Critten. We'll have to see how she reacts. You'll have to leave right now in order to get here and then to the church on time."

"Heh," Elly said, coming over to help Ned grab his stuff. "You two have gotta get to the church on time."

"Ha-ha. Very funny," Tony said standing up. "See you soon." He disconnected the call and the three of them headed for the elevator.

"This should be interesting," Ned said as the elevator door closed.

"Tell me about it," Tony said, shaking his head.


	40. Chapter 40

Tony pulled up to the house and led Ned and Elly inside. Amira was sitting and waiting on the couch with Jethro as they came in. Elly looked at Ned and smiled sheepishly as he remembered the last time they were in the house together. Ned smiled back and turned a faint shade of pink, and then rounded the corner to find Tony already crouching down in front of Amira. She looked up and found Ned and Elly standing in the doorway together. She gasped and smiled.

"Boyfriends!" she exclaimed. Jethro, Ned and Elly laughed, remembering her discovery on the elevator the day before, and Tony looked back and forth between them all in confusion.

"She figured out we're a couple yesterday, and started asking questions on the elevator ride up to see you," Elly explained.

"She was really excited to find another pair of boyfriends like us," Jethro said, raising an eyebrow at Tony.

"Ahhh, I get it," Tony said, looking down at her. "Are you okay staying with Dorney and Elly for a while so Gibbsy and I can go talk to some people?"

Amira looked at the two men standing in the entrance and chewed her lip a moment, then nodded resolutely.

"Atta girl!" Jethro said, standing up. He bent down and scooped her up in a hug. She hugged him back fiercely, and then repeated it with Tony.

"You're hurt!" Amira announced as he saw Ned's black and green bruises over Tony's shoulder. "Tony! He's hurt!"

"I know, munchkin. He's going to be okay though. You have to make me a promise that you won't hang on to him by the neck. He has to be very careful not to move his head. Can you help me and promise that you'll be very careful?"

Amira nodded seriously. "How did-did-did he get hurt?" she asked quietly, looking at Ned but talking to Tony.

"He took on a bad guy," Tony said, looking over his shoulder at Ned with eyes that said he'd better not explain the full story to the little girl.

"But I had help from McGee, so we won!" he said, coming into the room and up to her and Tony.

"Does it hurt?" she asked quietly.

Ned tried not to nod. "Yeah, a little. But it's going to get better pretty quick, because I'm going to do everything the doctor told me to do."

Amira nodded.

"And I'm going to kick his butt if he doesn't," Tony said with a smile, making Amira giggle. "We've got to go though, so promise me you'll be gentle with him?"

"I promise."

"Okay," he said, sitting her down. They said their 'love yous' quickly and headed out before she could change her mind, and before Tony could change his. The front door closed and Ned and Elly came to sit with her on the couch.

"What do you want to do?" Ned asked.

"I don't know," Amira said quietly.

"You wanna show us your room?" Elly suggested.

"Sure! It used to belong to an angel!" Amira said, jumping down off the couch and running for the stairs. Elly and Ned headed up after her.

"Slow down there! Don't want to see you get hurt on the stairs," Elly called, then turned slightly towards Ned to whisper, "Especially not while we're in charge of you because Agent Gibbs will have us put in front of a firing squad."

"Uh, I'm more worried about what _Tony_ would do to us than Gibbs," Ned said hesitantly as he climbed the steps.

"Come on!" Amira said, urging them to hurry from the top of the stairs.

"We're coming!" Ned assured her, and Elly snickered.

Meanwhile, Tony and Jethro were driving across town to the church where the organization Leyla worked for was housed. Tony kept looking at the phone in his hand while Jethro drove. Elly had the keys to the sedan in case something happened and they needed to take Amira to the hospital or get her to safety, and he was praying that they didn't receive a call asking for them to return because Amira was upset or hurt.

He suddenly felt Jethro's hand take his.

"It's going to be okay. She'll be fine."

Tony sighed.

"Do you realize this is the first time we've really left her alone since she came home to us?" Tony asked.

"Yes, and it's a good thing that she's open to letting someone stay with her so soon. I have to say, I'm a little surprised by her choice in who that would be, but I know they won't let anything happen to her."

"Yeah. I was thinking, if she's so comfortable with them, maybe we should think about naming them her guardians if something happens to us." Tony shrugged, squeezing Jethro's hand. "I know it's kind of early in their relationship, but she's comfortable with them, and I know it's probably stupid, but I have a really good feeling about them, ya know? In my gut. I think they're good for each other."

"Maybe. We have a lot of strong couples in our lives right now, but I don't know if any of them are really ready to have that kind of a responsibility."

"Who do you think is going to actually get married first?" Tony asked with a touch of gossip in his voice. "I mean, really? Abby and Tim are about to move in together, Ziva and Dion are living together and they didn't even tell us, and Ned and Elly are going at about breakneck speed, pun completely intended, and will probably be looking for a bigger place to merge their chaotic lives into sooner than we can picture it."

"Abby and Tim have both already thought about it," Jethro said with a shrug. "They'll probably be the first to get engaged, but I think Abby will drag it out. First from nerves and then because she's going to want to plan something big. I think she kinda gets into it."

"Oh, yeah. She definitely wants to do her own version of a fairytale wedding. It's going to be more like the Nightmare Before Christmas version, but it'll be very elaborate. I can't see Ziva and Dion's temperaments really meshing with Amira though. I know they'd take good care of her, but the dynamics there seem off."

"Yeah," Jethro said. He sighed, his mind wandering back in time. When he started talking again, his voice was lower. "When Shannie and I wrote up our wills, we always figured if one of us were going to go, it would be me. We saw it more as a domino effect. It was always, if I died, and then for some reason Shannon died, what would happen to Kelly? We had a life insurance policy for Shannon, and then what smaller one we could scrounge up on top of the widow benefits if I were to go. I'd forgotten about it until they contacted me. I'd always thought of that as Kelly's money, you know? Something to take care of her since both of us would be gone. I didn't know what to do with it."

Tony looked over at Jethro when he went silent, and watched his lover as he thought.

"I paid off the house, paid off the truck, put some in an off-shore account just in case, and then the rest became divorce lawyer fodder later on."

"That sucks," Tony said, thinking about the exes going after that money.

"Yeah. Leaving twenty grand to collect interest for twenty years makes it multiply though."

"Wait," Tony said, really taking in what he was being told. "You mean to tell me that there's a nest egg sitting out there somewhere in case you ever had to flee the country?"

Jethro shrugged. "I don't ever think about it. I promised myself I wouldn't touch it unless I really needed it and Hernandez came back to bite me."

"Hernandez _did_ come back to bite you," Tony said.

"Yeah, but by then, I had you and Abby… Ziva and Tim… Ducky and even Leon backing me up. If I would've ran, what would I have run to? A bank account. At least if I would have been thrown into jail, I know you guys would come see me, write, do whatever you could to appeal. I can't leave now. Tried to leave once. Didn't like how that turned out. I had to find out what really mattered to me I guess, but in the process I hurt the most important people in my life. Won't do that again. If anything happens, I'm going to stick it out. I figure that will become Amira's college fund now, or if it's not needed, it'll go towards our retirement."

"It's so weird to think of us just starting off as a family and yet contemplating retirement at the same time," Tony said, shaking his head. "We're doing this ass backwards."

Jethro chuckled. "Aren't we?"

"We really would've done it, wouldn't we?" Tony asked quietly.

"Done what?"

"Adopted," Tony answered, looking over at Jethro.

"Yeah," Jethro said, nodding slowly. "We would've. Ziva told me this morning we still should."

Tony chuckled. "We are."

"I mean, on top of Amira. Taking in another kid."

Tony thought about that. "I don't know if that would be such a good idea with Amira already terrified we're going to get tired of her and kick her out or move her on to someone else."

"That's pretty much what I told her." Jethro turned into the church parking lot, and pulled into a spot next to the building off on the side. They got out and went up to a door that said "Rectory" and knocked. A short, petite, elderly lady answered the door.

"May I help you?"

"Jethro Gibbs for Father O'Brien," Jethro answered with a faint smile.

"Oh, yes. Come on in," she said, moving back into the hallway as Jethro and Tony followed her. "He's in his office down that hallway on the left."

"Thank you," Tony said with one of his charming smiles, and followed Jethro off down the corridor.

"Hello?" Jethro called into a doorway.

"Come on in," came a voice from around a bend. Jethro moved into the large room to find it opened up off to the right. Tony followed tentatively, eyeing statuettes and paintings as he passed them with discomfort. It had been a while since he'd been in such an ornate place, and it gave him the willies to feel the eyes of all the relics on him.

"Agent Gibbs?" a middle aged man asked, standing to greet them.

"Yes," Jethro said, reaching to shake the man's hand.

"And you are?" the priest asked, though not at all unfriendly.

"Special Agent Tony DiNozzo," Tony said, feeling like it was foolish to flash his badge given the circumstances. "I'm leading the case into Leyla's death."

"And you're also raising Amira now," the man said with a sad smile. "Leyla spoke highly of both of you. Please, have a seat. Sorry it's a little cluttered, but we're having an auction next month, and all sorts of things are coming in on a daily basis now. I can't wait to leave this afternoon and spend a few days elsewhere. This room is getting a little stuffy for me."

Tony smiled, deciding he liked the man.

"Honestly, I think I need the time to step away. Leyla was a sweet woman. You didn't want to be on her bad side, but she had a heart of gold, and our loss is going to be felt so far beyond this building." He shook his head, looking around at nothing in particular, and swallowed hard.

"Father O'Brien, I was wondering if I could get some information from you," Tony asked.

"Please, call me Sal, and of course. Anything."

"So far, we know that Leyla worked with an underground group helping to transport Muslim refugees to another location, most likely helping them set up new identities, get paperwork, that kind of thing. Our friends Malek, Talia, and Dina are some of her most recent clients, and they are who Leyla's murderer was tracking. They'd been working with us on an operation overseas and sought safety here, but when they found out who was coming after them, they decided to try to hide on their own, and that's when they made contact with the group."

"Sounds right so far," Sal said. Tony nodded.

"What we need to figure out is how Jamaal Dwahalini knew about Leyla. How did he connect the dots? Until we find that out, no one in the group is safe. Have you had any security breaches?"

"None of our digital services have been compromised in any way that we can find. We're not the best at all of that though, so I can't be certain. Just to make sure, we have backed up the data we use, and we have shut down all of our web-based applications, and turned off all of the computers, and stored them in a safe place."

"Can our people check it out?" Tony asked. "The information won't be used for immigration services. We just need to make sure no one else is vulnerable."

"I'm not worried that you'll turn us in, Agent DiNozzo," Sal said with a smile. "Leyla would haunt you for the rest of your life if you did."

They all chuckled sadly, and Sal pulled a keychain off his belt. He snapped a key from a ring and handed it to Tony.

"On Broad Street, there's a storage facility, and unit 88 has a trailer in it. It contains all of our tech equipment. There's a combination lock on it." Sal took a post it note and scribbled down some numbers before handing it to Tony.

"Thank you," Tony said. "Sal, is anyone missing from the group?"

"People are always coming and going. Many will make contact, but instead of moving on, they get involved with the organization, and then months later, they'll grow close to a client or a family of clients, and will move forward with them, relocating. Once that happens, we officially don't ever hear from them again. There are four people who manage the cases for all of the relocated people. Those people all give a code word to each family or client they send forward, and the code changes with each relocation.

"The client then sends three forms of communication back to their caseworkers, each with the code word embedded in the letter, the postcard message, the phone call, whatever it may be. That code word ensures it is actually the client and not someone who has broken through the chain. The first message is given at the first interchange, when a client goes from our guardianship into the hands of the second tier, which is another organization we work with. The second comes when they arrive at their destination, and then the third comes three months later. Each of these caseworkers have a PO Box registered to them personally, though I have their second keys just in case something like this would happen."

"Leyla was one of the four," Jethro said.

"There were five," Sal said sadly. "I'm afraid we don't have anyone we trust enough to fill Leyla's shoes."

"With a code system like this, is there a code word for help? If someone is forced to write a letter, do you have a word for that as well?" Tony asked.

"The staff has a code, and the clients have a code. The clients' code is to make a reference to drowning. I'm drowning in work, I'm drowning my sorrows, something along those lines. The staff's code is a little different. They also can use the drowning code if they are in trouble, but we have a very specific code for if we've been betrayed by someone on the inside. Judas is the apostle that turned Christ into those that wished to kill him, so we list the bible verse that describes the kiss of betrayal, leave a card with a lipstick kiss on it with a name under the statue of the Blessed Virgin in the church, or leave a letter explaining what has been found in the stone basket that Mathias carries in the cemetery. He is the apostle that took Judas' place. I have checked all these things, and there were no notes of any sort, and no messages."

Tony nodded. "And your other four caseworkers are all accounted for, and none of them have gotten a letter recently about being in danger?"

"Each of them get letters weekly about being in danger. It is a sad job, but they take it with more strength, passion and dedication than I ever thought existed. They are all amazing people. None of the letters they received this week appear to be connected in any way. I'm not sure how this breach has been committed, but we're searching for answers as well."

"Do you by chance recognize this man?" Tony asked, pulling up a picture of Dwahalini on his phone that he'd stopped in autopsy to take.

"Oh, my," Sal said, crossing himself. "I don't know his name, but I have seen him talking to one of our caseworkers. He seemed distraught, and when he left, he was angry. That happens a lot though. People come through looking for family or friends we've placed, and we can't tell them we have ever met them. We have no way to verify if the person that's come looking is on their side or not, even if they are family."

"That's Jamaal Dwahalini. He was killed in NCIS custody when he tried to strangle one of my agents yesterday. He's the man that killed Leyla."

Sal turned and picked up his phone. A moment later someone answered. "Announce a desk check for possible infestation, and send Miram up to see me as soon as possible. Thank you."

"Miram the caseworker that was talking with Dwahalini?" Jethro asked.

"Yes. She's who he was sitting with when I saw him. Please be gentle with her. She and Leyla were very close, and Amira and her daughter go to school together."

Tony and Jethro looked at each other.

"How did you get involved in all of this?" Tony asked.

Sal smiled. "After 9-11, there was such hostility towards the Islamic population here. The group that comes together for Friday prayer in our basement had a different location at the time in a community letting them know in all the worst ways that they weren't welcome any longer. They showed up faithfully despite their cars being vandalized, the building being vandalized, people being mugged and beaten as they left their service…" Sal shook his head and sighed.

"I had heard about it through a ministry leadership group I'm a part of. We're a collection of religious leaders in the D.C. area that get together to discuss how our faith communities can impact the community at large. We come from all traditions. We are Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Sikh, Buddhist, Pagan, Tao… we welcome anyone who wants to help their communities get more involved in social services, public affairs, all that. It was there I'd gotten to know Iman Dibinni, and heard the story of his community.

"I made a plea to my congregation to allow the organization to use our space for prayer. It was a messy journey, to say the least. We talked a lot about compassion. We learned about the Islam faith and at what point it verged from our own roots as Catholics back in the days of Abraham. We dove into the darkness of our own history with the Crusades, and explored extremist groups throughout history, and how little of a percentage they represent of their larger collective. Every religious group has their extremists. Some of those extremists hurt other people when their causes are so embedded in them that they forget their own humanity and try to become a god.

"Through it all, we prayed. Every time we met, we prayed, taking turns to lead the prayer. Once we got to our last meeting, our parish council president, one of the most outspoken against the idea at the first meeting, asked to lead our opening prayer. His words moved many of us to tears as he thanked God for the chance to learn how to be a more compassionate, loving, and caring man through the process of discernment we went through over those few months. Once we had finished praying, he turned to the group and he asked for a vote, and every single person raised their hand in favor of asking the group to share our space.

"Our meetings were being held on Friday evenings because of how our parish council's work schedules fell. I'll never know if it was divine intervention, but I like to think so. He turned to me and asked if we could go over and offer our protection to the group for the evening while they prayed, and then invite them to come join us. I was amazed at the change that had come over him in such a short time. How do you say no to something like that?"

Tony looked at Jethro with a raised eyebrow.

"We got in our cars, and we drove over to the old building they'd been renting. It was nerve wracking to even get out of our vehicles. People were leaning all over cars in front of the building as if they were waiting for the service to end. We never found out what their intentions were, but when twenty of us approached the building, putting our bravest faces on, and lining the sidewalk, our backs to the building as we stood shoulder to shoulder, the group dissipated. Not without their bitter stares, their nasty and vulgar threats, but they left. It got dark, and we stayed, waiting. Finally, we heard the door creak open behind us, voices following, and we all turned around. To say we scared the shit out of them would be an understatement."

Tony and Jethro chuckled.

"Someone went running back inside for Iman Dibinni, warning him I guess, and when he came out, pushing through the crowd that had formed, and he saw me, he looked confused. I walked up to him, and let him know why we were there. He looked up and down our line of parishioners, and I looked up and down the line of his congregation that had formed across from them. When our eyes met again, mine burned, and I can't lie- I was so close to crying, because so was he. I could tell he wanted to say yes so badly, but something was holding him back.

"He stepped closer to me, and he spoke softly enough that no one could hear us. He told me that their group assisted a lot of refugees, and they used their space for that as well, not just the prayer services. I nodded my understanding, and I assured him that we didn't mind. Next thing I know, the guy's hugging the stuffing outta me."

Jethro snickered and he and Tony shared a smile.

"He and I went out to eat, and we discussed how to move forward, what to take back to our congregations, all of that. We decided the sanctuary was too Christian specific to be used for their prayer space, but we had just closed the school the year before, and the undercroft was no longer being used as a cafeteria. It was decided we'd convert that into a prayer space, and the old kitchen and daycare rooms that we had down there were converted into an office space for the refugee program.

"I loved the idea from the moment he started talking about it. I used to run a mission in Honduras when I first became a priest. Spent eight years there. Let's just say I understand the need to flee."

Tony and Jethro exchanged another look. Sal had started drifting off into a memory, and then shook his thought free.

"There are a lot of things you can run from, but sometimes, they follow you. Our community has kept the program quiet for the obvious and not so obvious reasons. Many of our members do what they can to assist, either by hosting families temporarily until they move on, or helping fund the project. Some make donations of toys and books for the kids, and we learn from each other. We had a picnic together a year or so after we came together, and the parish council president, the guy that had made the call for the vote at our meeting that night the year before, welcomed everyone there. In his greeting, he said that he now knew why our church was called "The Epiphany", because is gave so many of us the epiphany that in order to live together as human beings, we need to learn about each other and remember that we're all on the same journey together, even if we're not taking the same road. The greatest epiphany one could have is to be compassionate towards your neighbor, because they're just as fragile, just as important, just as cherished by our creator as we are. It wasn't but a week after that we began to use the pass phrase 'Kindness is shown by all those who have had the epiphany.' Iman Dibinni announced it at our next co-community board meeting."

"How can we talk to Iman Dibinni?" Tony asked, his pen poised over his notebook.

"Sadly, you can't," Sal said. "He was killed four years ago while taking a family of four north to our sister mission. This isn't the first time we've been targeted."

"And yet you continue," Jethro said.

"We must. In the ten years that we've been a part of the organization, we have helped over 7,000 people find safe places to stay."

Tony whistled low. "Seven thousand is a lot of people."

"You have five caseworkers handling seven hundred plus people a year, filtering them through this system?" Jethro asked.

"Father Sal?" a woman's voice asked cautiously from behind them. They all looked, and Tony could tell the woman was skittish of them.

"It's okay, Miram. These are Leyla's friends Agents Gibbs and DiNozzo."

"Gibbs and Tony?" Miram asked, coming closer to them, relief clearly written across her face. "How is Amira? Is she okay?"

"She's hanging in there," Jethro said.

"She's safe with a couple of my agents at the moment," Tony said. "Amira has taken to one of them, and I trust them to guard her with their lives."

Miram took a deep breath and nodded.

"We hear the two of you were close," Jethro said.

"Yes. I am the newest here. I was a refugee myself, like Leyla. The others, though fleeing horrible things, are all immigrants. Which knowing that you helped Leyla with her paperwork Gibbs, I know you know the difference between."

"Yeah. It's ridiculous the amount of paperwork you have to fill out to hide in this place. I could barely understand it all, so I don't know how they expect people who barely know the language to understand it." Jethro rubbed his hand down his face as he remembered how frustrating it was.

Tony suddenly had a flash of a memory of Jethro doing the same thing at his desk when he walked in about midnight one night to do an afterhours paperwork binge. He'd asked if he was okay, and Jethro had sighed and shaken his head, muttering about how ridiculous the immigration system was.

"I need to show you a graphic photo," Tony said apologetically. "I have been told you've spoken with this man. He's Leyla's killer, and we need to know what he said to you."

Miram swallowed and stepped closer to Tony, who handed his phone to her.

"He is dead?" she asked.

"Yes," Tony confirmed.

"I hope damnation is real, and that his soul is tortured for eternity," she said, venom dripping from her voice.

Jethro looked at Sal and exchanged glances.

"I have spoken to him," she began, her voice cold as she handed Tony his phone. "He came in and was sent to me to ask questions. He said he was looking for his sister, Dina. I told him I could not help him locate anybody. We do not do that. If someone comes through the program, we take the names of anyone they think may look for them, and if they come to us looking for them, we get their information, and attempt to pass it along, but we do not confirm or deny to anyone who seeks a client that we have worked with them. We have ways of saying that they are welcome to leave their information so that if we do come in contact we can pass it on, but we do not _ever_ confirm that we have spoken with someone."

"Did he leave you his information?" Tony asked.

"No. He gave me reasons such as he was afraid to, that where he was staying was not safe or stable. I asked him if he needed our services, and he asked if he would be able to be sent to the same place as Dina. I told him I did not know a Dina, so I could not. At that point, he left in anger."

"Did he make contact with Leyla at all while he was there?" Jethro asked.

"I do not believe so. She had just come in to check on a case. It was her off day. She left shortly after he did."

Tony turned to Sal. "Do you have any security cameras around here?"

"We have a camera on the entrances and the lot." Sal turned to his computer and pulled up a website. "All of our video is saved onto a secure server offsite. We never know who is going to try to get into this stuff, so we have a parishioner who has set this up so that the actual equipment is in his basement. He's not involved with the program himself. He's a techie kinda guy, and he's friendly. Been around for years. Does the computer stuff for the church, but not the program. We have a member of the Friday group that does that."

"Gibbs?" Miram asked tentatively.

He looked over at her, his eyes meeting hers.

"Would it be okay if Amira and Tanzi got together soon? I know she is worried about her friend, and I think it would be good for Amira."

Jethro smiled fondly at her with a nod. "Tanzi is your little girl?"

"Yes. They go to school together. Leyla and I take turns picking the girls up." There was a soft pause. " _Took_ turns picking them up." She added much slower.

Jethro slipped a card out of his pocket and handed it to Miram with a sad smile. "Let me know when."

Tony was listening to the exchange behind him, but his focus was on the video coming up on the screen in front of Sal.

"There he is," Sal said, and Tony got up to move behind him to concentrate on the man approaching the side door through the lot. Jethro watched the men's expressions since there wasn't room behind the desk for him. Tony noticed that he hadn't tried to join him, and began a play by play.

"Okay, he's exiting the building, but he stops to pull out his phone in a shady spot here and make a call." The screen began fast forwarding just a little as Sal hit a button. "Wait! Stop! There!" Tony said, prompting Sal to hit play. "Leyla is leaving the building. Dwahalini puts his phone away immediately. I wonder if he was ever really on a call," Tony said, his head moving up towards Jethro but his eyes still glued to the screen.

"She spoke to him!" Sal exclaimed.

Tony looked at the screen for a moment then up at Jethro. "He approached her as if asking her a question, and she spoke for a few seconds to him. Didn't look too happy."

"Let me check the lot camera," Sal said, switching computer windows and typing in a time code. "That's Leyla's car." He pointed to the screen, gaining Tony's attention as he bent and squint to watch Leyla back out of a space. Less than thirty seconds later there was a dilapidated old sedan pulling slowly around the lot and then out the gate. Tony pulled out his notebook and jotted down the plate.

"That helps," Tony said, straightening and coming back to the side of the desk Jethro sat on. "I've got the plate number of the car that followed Leyla out of the lot. Most likely stolen. I'll check the system to see if we can find out what happened to it. It may still be sitting in Leyla's neighborhood somewhere. I'll take the guys to canvass it with me when we get back to the house."

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Miram asked.

"Was Leyla within earshot when you spoke to Dwahalini?" Jethro asked, looking over his shoulder at where she'd moved to stand against a wall.

"Yes. I believe she would have been able to hear the entire talk."

"What are you thinking?" Tony asked.

"I'm not sure."

"Do you think whatever she said to Dwahalini was a warning to stay away from Dina, because I'm kinda thinking that's what she said."

"Either that or he noticed she became interested in the conversation while it was happening, and that gave her away," Jethro said with a shrug.

"Leyla wouldn't have given herself away with a threat. She's been approached before by people and knows the danger that would put her and the rest of us in, not to mention Amira." Sal sighed as he leaned forward on the desk and ran his hands through his thinning hair.

"I think that's enough questions on the case," Tony said, noticing how down all of them were getting by the minute. "We should talk about the service."

"Can I assist?" Miram asked. "With her mother so far away, there are no female family members to help wash the body. I know that Leyla was not a very traditional person, but she cannot be buried in a Muslim cemetery without the proper cleansing."

"In Leyla's will," Tony began carefully, motioning for Miram to take the empty seat he once sat in. He waited for her to sit, her hands folding in her lap as she looked up at him in concern. "In Leyla's will, she states that she wants to be buried next to Amira's father, and she purchased a plot there."

Miram smiled. "I could see Leyla wishing to do so. She loved him, still, in death. He changed her world forever. If I had a love like that, I would want to spend eternity next to him as well."

"There was nothing stated about the kinds of pre-burial rituals that she wanted performed," Jethro said gently, earning Miram's attention. "If you would like to perform the cleansing, I don't think she would mind."

Miram nodded. "I believe I know of a few other women that would wish to help as well."

"I'm not familiar with the practice," Tony said, looking around the group. "This is something performed by women only?"

"No," Sal said. "It's something performed by the same gender of the person who has passed, for modesty reasons."

"Ahh," Tony exclaimed. "Understood. I can talk to Ducky and let you know when you can see her."

"Her body will be released to the funeral home this afternoon," Jethro said, looking up at Tony.

Miram looked up at Sal, and Sal nodded. Miram got to her feet. "I'll make a few calls and prepare. Where can we perform the cleansing?"

"Would that be something done at the funeral home or would it be better done in autopsy?" Tony asked.

"At the funeral home," Miram answered.

"I'll call and let them know you'll be bringing some people over to prepare her," Jethro said. "I'm sure she'd appreciate the care you're taking with her. Thank you."

Miram nodded and turned to leave. When her voice could be heard down the hall speaking with the lady who had answered the door, Jethro sighed and looked at Sal.

"I don't know what to do for the actual service. Leyla seemed to have left behind almost all of her attachments to Islam when she came to the States. I know she has a few customs that have stuck with her, but it's always seemed more…"

"Cultural?" Tony supplied.

Jethro shrugged. "They weren't religious, at least."

Sal nodded. "She wasn't very religious in any direction. She struggled with it. Blamed her religious background for her having to flee her home, and for so much of the pain in her life. At the same time, she understood the beauty that can be found in tradition. She wasn't sure how she wanted to raise Amira, and we talked about it from time to time. There were certain things she thought would be important for Amira to learn, but at the same time, she didn't want her growing up completely in the faith."

"I know she celebrated Christmas," Tony said with a shrug.

"Since Amira's father was a Christian, it was something she wanted to make sure Amira was given the chance to share with him. And it makes it easier to fit in here in the U.S. if you practice Christmas, at least secularly. She also taught Amira what Ramadan was though. She wanted her to learn both of her backgrounds a little bit, and one day Amira would be able to choose for herself if she wanted to follow one of those paths, another, or nothing at all."

"What would you suggest doing for her service?" Jethro asked.

"I'd suggest something secular with maybe a prayer from each faith. Funerals are really for those left behind. They're for our comfort. Leyla tried to let Amira hear from both sides of the family tree. Having both faiths represented would probably be familiar to her."

Tony watched Jethro's expression. It was exhausted, and he knew this was only going to get harder on him. He reached over and took Jethro's hand, and Jethro squeezed it tightly.

"I have a couple of formats that I can email you. I wish I could stay for the funeral. Iman Dibinni's replacement will probably attend the service, but I wouldn't say you could call him with advice on the matter. He'd want to do a full Muslim service. He and Leyla would occasionally disagree on things, but he's a generally good guy. He just didn't understand why she wasn't raising Amira in the faith she'd been brought up in."

Tony felt a pinch in his stomach, and schooled his face. "What was his name in case I have questions on the case while you're away?" He relinquished Jethro's hand to pull his notebook out.

"Iman Dabir bin Nafhan." Sal opened his desk drawer and pulled out a business card to hand Tony.

"Thanks," Tony said with a smile, copying the phone number into the notebook. At the same time, Jethro pulled out another business card and handed it to Sal.

"If you could email me the formats, I'd appreciate it," he said as he got to his feet.

"I'll do that right away," Sal said, getting up and coming around the desk. "Again, I'm so sorry for your loss. If there's anything any of us can do to help with Amira, please let us know."

"Thank you," Jethro said with a nod. Tony got to his feet as he put away his notebook.

"Enjoy your trip. If I have any questions, I'll give you call."

"I'll be unreachable by cell. If you need me for an emergency, please call the friary at St. John's. They'll know how to get a message to me."

"Will do," Tony said. He turned and headed out of the room, Jethro close on his heels. They let themselves out silently and made their way to the car. Nothing was said until Jethro was pulling into a Starbucks parking lot halfway between the church and home.

"I think I'm more confused than I was before," Jethro said, heading for the drive-thru.

"About the service?" Tony asked quietly, watching Jethro's face. Jethro only nodded, then shook his head.

They pulled up to the window and Jethro ordered his, then turned to Tony who leaned across him and asked for a caramel Frappuccino and a piece of lemon pound cake. When he sat back and they started pulling forward, Jethro raised an eyebrow at him.

"What? I'm not entitled to comfort food?" Tony asked with a smirk. That made Jethro smile and shake his head again. They got their beverages and Jethro pulled into a parking space. Tony had been half expecting it, but waited in silence for Jethro to start.

"I have to call Leyla's mother, and I don't know how." Jethro's voice wasn't much more than a whisper. "I don't want to open the can of worms that could be a hell of a custody battle. I don't want to put Amira through that. I don't want to put us through that."

"The will is airtight, Jethro. She can't be taken from us." Tony reached his hand out to rest his on Jethro's thigh in that way that was comforting and intimate. "And let Mother Shakarji try to take her from us. She doesn't stand a chance."

Jethro nodded.

"It'll be okay," Tony reiterated. "Do you want me to call her?"

"No. I need to do it. She'll take it better coming from me. And I know that she can't take her legally, but grief does things to a person. Makes them do stupid, stupid things. She has the connections to smuggle her out of the country if she were to get the chance."

"She wouldn't do that. She's been far enough removed from Amira's life the past two years that she has had plenty of time to reconcile with the fact that if she brought Amira back with her, her biracial background would be her death." Tony watched as Jethro sighed and nodded, letting that sink into him. It was a logical answer, and he needed the logic right now to override the overwhelming emotions he was feeling.

"We should get home," Jethro said as he turned the key over in the ignition.

"I miss her already," Tony said, sitting up a little straighter as he slurped from his Frappuccino. "I'm glad we haven't gotten a 9-1-1 call from Elly or Ned saying she was panicking. She's doing pretty well."

"For now. Haven't been through the funeral yet. That will be a big test."

Tony sighed, wishing more than anything he could protect Amira from that experience, but at the same time, he knew she needed her closure as much as the rest of them. And Sal was right- funerals were more for the living than the dead. They'd just have to make sure Amira had a chance to grieve in her own way.

*NCIS*NCIS*NCIS*NCIS*

Elly heard a knock on the door and his head perked up. He and Ned exchanged glances as he got to his feet.

"Stay here!" Elly directed them. Ned nodded and Amira looked back and forth between them with a frightened look on her face. Ned saw and tried to comfort her.

"It's probably just the mailman with a package or something. We're just being extra careful because Tony and Gibbs would kill us if we let anything happen to you.

Elly peeked around the bend in the stairs and could see Jack standing outside of the front door through the large paned glass window. He smiled brightly.

"It's just Jack!" he announced. He bounced down the stairs and opened the door to let the older man in. "Hey Jack! Gibbs and Tony are working on funeral arrangements."

"Oh," Jack said, making his way in. "So they left armed guards?" He chuckled.

"I guess you could say that. Ned is upstairs with Amira."

"How's she doing?" Jack asked as he made his way into the kitchen to start the coffee pot.

"She seems to be doing well," Elly said, leaning against the counter and crossing his feet at his ankles as he thought about it. "Surprisingly well."

"Leroy tried to hold it together when we lost his mother. It only meant that the grief was stretched over the next forty years. I don't think he's ever really completely gotten over it."

"Do you ever get over losing your mother?" Elly asked quietly, staring at the tile across the room.

"No," Jack said, sensing the deeper meaning to the question. "But it does get easier if you let it."

Elly nodded. _That's the key,_ he thought. _If you let it. What if I don't want to let it?_

"Hi, Jack," Ned said, startling Elly from his thought. He looked up with a bright smile to see Ned standing there with Amira in his arms, her head buried in the good side of his neck.

"Whoa there," Elly said, coming over and reaching out for Amira. "You know he's not able to hold you like that right now. Come here."

Amira reached out hesitantly, and let Elly take her.

"There you go," he said, leaning forward to look at Ned's neck. "You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah. She was gentle, just a little scared."

Elly nodded and then kissed him with a quick peck to the lips that made Ned smile and Amira giggle.

"You think that's funny?" Elly asked with a smile, then began kissing Amira all over her head, face, and shoulders, making her squeal with laughter.

"You're funny!" Amira said through her giggles.

"Whyyyyyy thank you!" Elly said, then continued his barrage of kisses.

Ned smiled so bright his cheeks hurt. His smile fell though when he saw the distraught look on Jack's face. He looked at Elly, and Elly cringed when he realized what he'd just done without thinking. Jack took the few steps up to Ned, and then his head turned to the side as he looked at him critically.

"What in god's name happened to you?!" he asked.

Elly and Ned both let out breaths they didn't know they'd been holding and Ned swallowed and nodded, remembering the dark bruise that they'd had to explain to Amira. He gave a pointed look at Amira, then looked back.

"A bad guy got me," he said, giving his voice that tone that told any adult hearing that there was more to the story not meant for little ears. Jack nodded once, recalling the story from the night before about Ned's encounter with Dwahalini.

"I remember now. I heard he got what he deserved."

"You heard right," Elly said, a cold chill to his voice that prompted Amira to wrap her arms around his neck.

"It's all over now, though." Ned moved around everyone and towards the coffee pot, leaving the mug he filled to be the only witness to his guilt.

*NCIS*NCIS*NCIS*NCIS*

Parke and McGee found their way through airport security quickly after flashing their badges. They wandered down the corridor through the throngs of people getting ready to catch their late morning flights out. They had made it to the morgue, signed for the body and arranged for it to be transported to NCIS. There was no doubt it was Harry Slight. He wasn't all together after jumping in front of the train, but his fingerprints matched those on file, and the half of his face that wasn't mangled matched his BMV photo.

NYC Narcotics met with them while they were there and briefed them on the situation that brought them all together. Slight was a middle man. He had been getting loads of about $10,000 worth of coke and XTC from his distributor, and then would farm it out to small time dealers that would then have ground rights to sell at the club.

Working with D.C. Narcotics had allowed them to find out that much, but they were going after the main distributor, not Slight. He wasn't a big enough fish in their pond. The heavy dealer wasn't just doing coke and XTC. He'd been responsible for a batch of heroin that was hitting the streets laced with more fentanyl than usual, and causing overdoses on more than half of the people using it. DCPD was working on the smaller dealers around Slight's neighborhood to see if they could find out if any of the locals were carrying heroine so they could tie Slight to it, but it seemed that he'd been smart enough to only handle the less lethal club favorites.

The group agreed to share any information they got, and then McGee and Parke checked the flights home. They were luck enough to find that if they hauled ass they could make it to the airport just in time for the next flight back to D.C. A quick phone call to Vance secured their seats, and now they were grabbing something to drink before moving on towards the boarding area.

"I could use a nap," McGee said, yawning in proof of his point.

"You look like it," Parke said with a chuckle.

"You've been working with Tony too long," he fired back with a smirk as he took a drink of his coffee.

"Nah. Not sure there's going to be such a thing," Parke said with a content smile. He saw the sideways look he got from McGee. "It's kind of like how you guys are with Gibbs. We've all seen how you interact. We've watched it from afar in awe. He's got this feared, yet pedestaled position to everyone in NCIS, but his team has always held him even higher. It's because he holds you so close, and when someone who is so powerful holds you so close, finds you worthy of being held so close, you build a loyalty to one another that ties you, binds you together. It's the same thing with Tony."

"Tony isn't nearly as powerful as Gibbs is," Tim said with a scoff.

"Oh? Isn't he? He stuck it out with Gibbs longer than anyone, and from what I hear, he's managed to tame the beast. From what I've _seen_ , he's just as brilliant, but in his own way, and he's got the Director's ear and confidence. He knows how to build that same kind of loyalty that you have to Gibbs, instill the same fear in the hearts of anyone who wants to try to tear our team apart, and he's made each of us feel worthy in ways we never would have felt otherwise. Tell me that's not powerful."

Tim sat in thought. He had to admit that Parke had a point. He wondered if he had been put in charge of Tony's team if he would've been able to earn their loyalty like he did. He wasn't sure he'd have been able to see what was happening under the surface so easily.

Tony had been his teammate and his friend for years though. They were part of the same hodgepodge family. To think of him as powerful felt weird. It somehow made him feel like that meant he should be powerful, too.

He spent the rest of the journey home coming to terms with the fact that whether or not he was ready to assume the mantle, he did have great responsibilities now, and that was a powerful position to be in. It also meant that he had one more responsibility that he was suddenly sure he had to accept- it was time to ask Gibbs to fill Tony's desk. He knew it was a horrible time with the funeral, but with Gibbs getting ready to take some time off to be with Amira, they were going to learn firsthand how hard it was to work with a two person team. He didn't expect a miracle, but he knew it was time to get the ball rolling. He just had to find the right time, place, and way to have that discussion, and he had to find it soon.


	41. Chapter 41

Rod felt like he was going to crawl out of his skin. The medication they had flowing through his IV tubes had him feeling like he could run a marathon, and the steroids he'd been popping every four hours to prevent inflammation in his lungs had his moods flipping like a revolving door.

One minute he would be flirting with the nurse, the next he would want to throw something across the room, only to remember the threat of having his hands tied down after the cup incident. When he'd almost started crying at the scolding he got afterwards, the nurse realized what was making him so cranky and had the doctor explain how the steroids were known for causing intense mood swings. Having the knowledge helped him control his actions, but it didn't help control the rampage of confusing feelings he had coursing through him.

He sat up in surprise when the doctor came to the door again. The nurses and doctors had been wearing full personal protective equipment during each of their visits thus far, but now the doctor was in his normal white jacket, buttoned down blue shirt, and khaki cargos with the only protective equipment being a thin white facemask.

A smile broke out across Rod's face as he sat up and the doctor stepped into the room.

"Either you've caught it, or I'm not contagious!" Rod announced excitedly.

"You are no longer considered a serious threat. I'm going to request all guests wear a face shield just in case, but it looks like the strands you've been exposed to aren't really that much worse than what's already out there. The way you were exposed is the reason why it hit you so hard and so fast. That pure introduction into your system didn't give it a chance to fight it down. You're going to make a near full recovery, but it's going to take a while for your lungs to really be back up to snuff. Respiratory therapy will begin tomorrow, and you'll probably be doing it for the next year."

"That's great news, Doc!" Rod said, sighing in relief, which instigated a coughing bout. The doctor waited for the bout to calm, offering a plastic cup of water to Rod which he took with a nod and sipped.

"Garnier, I wish I could say the same prognosis was true for Stephens." The doctor looked at the cup in Rod's hands before looking up to meet his eyes. He watched Rod sober quickly.

"How bad is he, Doc?"

"He's pretty bad. Though we were able to get the fever down, dome brain damage has occurred. Thankfully, it's is in the sections that we know have the best chances of rehabilitation. He's not showing any signs of improvement though. He's in a coma. We haven't been able to bring him out of it."

"Can I see him?" Rod asked quietly, expecting the answer he'd been hearing from the beginning.

"I think you should," the doctor replied, his eyes locked on to Rod's.

Rod took a deep breath, and it got stuck in his chest. He started wheezing, and he felt his lungs seize up.

"You think-" _gasssssspppp… wheeeeeezzzee…_ "You think we're gonna-" _gassssp *cough-cough-cough* wheeeezzzee…_ "Lose him, dontcha?"

"The next twenty-four hours are make-it-or-break-it. When a person is in a coma, they are quite often aware of what's happening around them to an extent. I'm sure you've heard the stories. People wake up saying they recall loved ones speaking to them, encouraging them to wake up. It's worth a shot. You'd have to wear some protective gear though. He has conditions that are still contagious, and his immune system is extremely fragile right now. Are you feeling up to it?"

"Hell yeah!" Rod said, trying to turn so his legs hung over the bed. It pulled on his IV though and he winced.

"Calm down there, cowboy. I'll have a nurse bring you the gear you'll have to wear, and you'll be taken down by wheelchair with your IV in tow. You still can't be up and wandering around. Despite what the steroids are probably making you feel, you're not strong enough to take on the world yet. I need for you to take your recovery seriously. You're not healthy enough to transport out of here yet," the doctor said giving him a pointed look.

"Transported out? You mean…?" Rod asked, squinting at the doctor.

"Meaning that I can't release you back to the States until you're feeling much better," the doctor said slowly, making it clear to Rod that once he felt better he'd be separated from Ed. Rod coughed long, deep and hard.

"Yeah, I don't feel well enough to make that trip yet, Doc."

"I didn't think so. I'll have the nurse in within the next fifteen minutes or so to prepare you to go see Lieutenant Stephens. Until then, please rest. You really need your rest."

"I totally agree. I'll just sit here and rest then." Rod lifted his legs back so they were on the bed and he covered himself over with his sheet.

"Smart man. I'll be back in before I head out for the day. We'll discuss your respiratory therapy then."

"Thanks, Doc. For everything."

The doctor smiled sadly and nodded before leaving the room. Rod sat back in bed with a whole new reason to feel the exhaustion pulling him down. Ed was one of his closest friends. He was family. They'd been through all sorts of mischief together, and he'd been looking forward to spending time with him when they got back to the States after this op. Now all of those dreams of sitting on his dock, a bowl of jambalaya in one hand a beer in the other as they rehashed their best and worst times, seemed further away than ever.

Who was going to keep him sane once he was back in the civilian world? He about lost it between his time in the service and when he started with NCIS. He needed someone around who knew what it felt like, and for years now he'd been picturing Ed as that person. The idea of being back in that place, and alone, was terrifying in ways that work couldn't compare to.

He lost track of time when the nurse came in and startled him. She looked even better without the white zip up suit on.

"You know, I'm not gonna miss that get up at all!" he joked half-heartedly.

"How did I know you were going to say something like that, Agent Garnier?" she said with a cheerful smile and a shake of the head. She had a white suit over her arm like the one she'd been wearing over the past couple of days. It took over ten minutes to get the IV removed, the suit put on, and the IV reinserted through a small slice made in the suit and then taped over.

Rod was impressed with how easily the younger woman performed the task, like she did it on a daily basis. Once he was suited up, gloves on and taped at the wrists, and a modified version of the face mask on, the woman led him to a wheelchair, keeping him steady on his feet.

"How come I'm not wearing the fancy headgear you've been wearing this week?" he asked.

"Lieutenant Stephens is not _highly_ contagious. He is more of a danger to you since your immune system is severely compromised right now, and you are a danger to him because he is also compromised with the dialysis. Only his bedside nurse is wearing heavy PPE right now."

"Why?"

"Because he is next to the Lieutenant constantly. Higher risk of exposure for both of them."

"How long do I get to stay with him?" Rod asked as they wheeled down the hall together.

"We will start with fifteen minutes and see how you are both doing," the nurse said, her accent doing something magical to soothe Rod's nerves.

"Liza?" Rod asked quietly.

"Yes?"

"Why does he need a bedside nurse?"

Liza sighed, but not discompassionately. "If he wakes up, we need to make sure he doesn't pull his tube out. You should know that he's intubated and has many tubes right now."

Rod nodded. He grit his teeth as they turned towards a closed door. Liza punched in a code in a keypad next to it, and then hit a large silver button, causing the door to spring open. Rod reached for the wheelchair wheels to push himself in and Liza stopped him.

"Don't!" she warned, causing his hands to pause mid-reach. "You will contaminate the gloves. Do not touch anything you do not absolutely have to if you want to be able to touch your friend," she said in a whisper, bent down near Rod's ear. Rod swallowed hard, fighting the cough he felt trying to rise in his chest, and nodded as they entered the room.

Ed was lying in his bed, more tubes hooked up to him than a meth lab, and Rod had to steel himself. _Damn steroids,_ he cursed to himself. _Making me all emotional._

The nurse across the bed finished making an adjustment to a monitor and nodded at Rod before going to stand outside of the door with Liza. Rod was grateful. He wasn't sure what he wanted to say, but he was pretty sure that he didn't want anyone around when he figured it out. He was barely holding back the tears.

"Damn it, brother!" he finally spat out as the tears slipped over the edge of his lids. He raised his sleeve to try to dash them away but it jerked his IV. "It's my fault!" he said. "All my fault. I shouldn't have suggested that place. I should have figured it out sooner. I should have blocked you, covered you better. I should've known." He watched Ed's face closely, and he saw no movement. He looked better than he'd looked in the cellar. He wasn't sweating profusely, and he was closer to his normal skin tone.

"You look like you're sleeping. I just wanna tell you to get your ass up and move, but I know that's not fair. Not right. You need your rest. So rest, but don't rest too long. We have plans, brother. You, me, the dock and some Bayou beauties. I need my wingman! I have such a hankering for some jambalaya and grits. You told me you'd make me some grits, and you haven't really lived until you've tried my jambalaya, so you'd better pull through. You deserve better than a half-ass life. Gotta have some of my gumbo, too."

Rod looked at all of the tubes running in and out of Ed's body and cringed, biting his lip. He wanted so much to pull them all out of him and announce that he didn't need all that. That he'd pull through without them, but he knew better. He remembered what the doctor said. Ed had some brain damage, and he was going to need some serious rehab. He reached down and wrapped his hand around Ed's, tentatively at first, then with a firm grasp.

"I make you this promise, right here and right now Ed Stephens, if you pull through this, if you wake up for me, I'll make sure you don't go through your rehab alone. I'll be right there, fussing at you, and bitching at you, and pushing you… you'll stay as close to me as possible. I'll make sure of it. You won't be one of those guys on the side of the road with a sign asking for help. We'll get through it together. It won't be pretty. You may hate me by the end, but I won't leave you hanging, brother. It'll be you and me against it all.

"We've been through a lot worse. We've come closer than this. I know we don't have a tank or gelignite. There's no tricks to getting us outta this one. We're just going to have to blow through, one barrier at a time, with nothing but our strength and determination, but brother, if there's anything I know we've got, it's some serious determination! Or, as Carmino would say, the stubbornness of an ass. One way or another, I know we got the stuff to get through this. I just need for you to wake up. Rest now, and I'll be back, and when I come back, you'd better be ready to open those eyes. There's this nurse here that's just your type. I've been talking you up, but the tubes are kind of a turn off, so you gotta wake up so we can take 'em out."

Rod squeezed Ed's hand as he heard the door open behind him, then let go and reached for the wheels on his chair, backing it up to signal he was ready to go. He ignored the obvious signs that he was just crying, not reaching to wipe the moisture from his face, and holding his head high. Liza stepped in and turned him so they could leave the room. Rod looked at Ed one more time before he was turned around and sighed. Liza was respectfully silent as they went back to the room and got Rod back into normal hospital clothes and reset his IV.

"Do you need anything?" she finally asked.

"Can I get my tablet? I need to report back, and it needs to be secure."

Liza stepped over to the small nightstand dresser and unlocked the top drawer with one of the many keys from her waist. She took out a plastic bag with some items in it, including the tablet.

"We had to decontaminate it. I hope it still works. I have a USB charger for my phone that I can bring you to charge it with. I'll be back in a few minutes."

When Rod had the tablet plugged in and was left alone, he powered it up. He watched it boot and sighed in relief that the decon hadn't killed it. He looked up at the clock on the wall and saw that it was almost 2000 hours.

 _Would make it about two back home,_ he thought to himself impatiently while he waited for the app to load to patch into MTAC. He looked down at his gown and felt mildly ashamed. He shook his head though. He would go off on Ed if he were to try to pass the same guilt off on himself, so why did he deserve it?

He held his head high and then began to cough. He tried to sit the tablet down to reach for water, and he bumped the connect button. He took a drink, rolling his eyes, and tried to contain his ticklish lungs. It was a bad bout though, and he reached for the cardboard kidney next to him to spit up some of the fluid his lungs were trying to expel. As soon as he wiped his eyes and mouth, picking up the tablet, it connected.

"Agent Garnier!" Evelyn greeted cheerfully. She grinned in relief to see him on the screen. "I'll get Dorney and Tony!"

Rod sighed, then began coughing again. He was relieved to be recognized so he didn't have to speak right away. He was going to need a minute to clear his lungs.

*NCIS*NCIS*NCIS*

Ned was sitting at his desk, researching the best he could through the pain that was beginning to pulse through his neck. Tony and Gibbs had come back and rejoined them at the house, and after a short conversation with Jack to make sure he was staying to keep Amira occupied while Gibbs made some calls, Tony had whisked him and Elly out to the car. Ned found himself practically pouting as they left. He enjoyed watching Amira with Elly and Jack, and loved spending time with her himself.

He'd been spacing out for a moment as he thought about what he'd just read, and when his phone rang he jolted in a way that made him jerk his neck. He winced and took a deep breath. Both Tony and Elly looked at him with grimaces, and then exchanged a look with one another as Ned answered his phone.

"Dorneget."

Elly watched him closely, wondering if he maybe should have talked Ned into staying home.

"Really?!" Ned said, getting to his feet. "We'll be right there!"

Ned hung up his phone. "Come on, Tony! It's Rod!"

"What?!" Tony asked, jumping up to join Ned who was already halfway to the steps up to MTAC. Ned made it through the door before Tony could catch up, and they walked into the dark room eagerly.

"Rod!" Tony shouted.

"Hey! It's my pals. It's so good to see familiar faces that are, ya know, conscious."

"Oh. You were able to see Ed?" Ned asked cautiously.

"Yeah. I just got back a few minutes ago."

"How did that go?" Tony asked.

"Not so great. He's out cold. He looks a lot better, but the doc says that he's going to have some brain damage. I need a favor, Boss."

"Anything," Tony and Ned said in unison. The nervous look on Rod's face kept them from looking away at one another at the oddity.

"It's stupid, but… I was talking to him. Ya know how they say people in a coma can hear you?"

Both men nodded in reply.

"Well, see, I was talking to him, and I promised him that I'd be there with him through his rehab. I know I'm going to be better long before he is. Maybe before he even wakes up. The doc is doing what he can to keep me from being transferred outta here, but I need your help in making sure I can get clearance to stay here until he wakes up, or he-" Rod paused, tripping on the idea of losing his friend.

"Or he let's go?" Ned offered gently.

Rod nodded and reached for a tissue. "I should probably warn you guys, they have me on a lot of steroids. They've turned me into a little girl. If you don't fix this for me, I just might cry."

Both men chuckled. "We'll make it happen," Tony assured. "You're an agent- a civilian agent. They can't kick you out of Germany."

"No, but if you pull that card, they can claim that I need to be transferred to a private hospital."

"I don't think it works that way since you're a vet. We'll look into it," Tony reassured.

"How are _you_?" Ned asked.

"A lot better. I'm still coughing, and my lungs feel like they're on fire, and I'm crying and throwing temper tantrums like my niece, who's four by the way."

"That's the steroids," Ned said with a small smile. "I've been reading up. Sounds like they probably have you on a boatload of Prednisone. Do you feel like you want to eat everything you see?"

"Now that you bring it up, I haven't rejected a bite of hospital food."

"You really are sick!" Tony joked.

Rod began laughing and choked, setting off a round of coughs that he tried to talk through. "Don't make me laugh!" he finally got out.

"Sorry, that was my bad!" Tony apologized. "We're going to take care of getting your stay lined up. For now, you need your rest. Go take care of yourself."

Rod nodded.

"If you hear anything, let us know?" Ned asked.

"Right away."

"Get some rest," Ned demanded with a parental gleam to his eye and tone to his voice.

"Will do, Dorney. G'night."

It took a long moment before Rod turned the screen off, and Ned's heartstrings were pulled by the look on his face while they waited in his hesitation.

"How do we handle this?" he asked Tony.

"I'm going to talk to the Director. How's your neck?"

"It's been better, honestly. I think I need one of my pain pills, but it's going to slow me down. I was making good headway. I don't want to take it."

"Have you tried something over the counter? Tylenol or ibuprofen?"

"Can't do Tylenol because there's Tylenol in the pills they gave me."

"Go ask Ducky if there's something you can do that won't knock you outta the game."

Ned nodded, only to hiss.

"Maybe I should see about that brace," he said reaching reflexively for the tender part of his neck, stopping right before he touched it.

"Doctor said you couldn't for a couple of days."

"As soon as I can, I should. I can't remember to hold still, even when it's throbbing."

"Throbbing doesn't sound good. Go talk to Ducky."

"Yes, Dad," Ned said, rolling his eyes and heading for the door. "Thanks, Evelyn!" he shouted across the room, almost forgetting.

"Welcome!" she shouted back.

Tony smirked to himself as Ned walked away. He liked the "dad" comment. He wondered if Amira would ever call him and Jethro "dad". The idea made him smile from ear to ear. It only lasted a moment though as he approached Vance's door. He sighed and then knocked, wondering where Pam was in the back of his mind. He hadn't seen her all day. He heard Vance's voice asking him to enter on the other side, and headed into the room.

*NCIS*NCIS*NCIS*NCIS*

Jethro sat in the basement, a finger of bourbon in a glass in front of him. Jack had Amira upstairs, and they were watching cartoons. He was glad to find Amira had warmed up to him by time they had gotten home. He needed to call Leyla's mother, and he needed space to do that. Knocking back the bit in the glass, he hit send on the phone to dial the older woman. It took a minute for the call to connect, and then he waited through the rings. After six rings, the call finally answered.

"Hello?"

*NCIS*NCIS*NCIS*NCIS*

Tim and Parke came bounding into the bullpen around 1600 to find everyone sitting subdued at their desks doing research for each of their cases. Their entrance brought a little bit of life back to the place. Everyone gathered on Tony's side of the bullpen, and pulled their heads out of their work.

"So the body should be arriving shortly. NYPD Narcs gave us some pretty good information, including who to talk to at DC Narcs. Always helps to have connections!" Parke said with a grin.

"We just spoke with Detective Samuels at DC Narcotics, and they are going to filter us anything they have for the case, but they did confirm that there was no way Harry Slight was the one that drugged our guys that night. However, they that's not all they confirmed." McGee paused for Parke to put the image up on the screen.

"Briana Middle?" Tony asked, arms crossed as he sat on the edge of his desk watching the screen.

"Nope! Brandy Hilt. As Abby suspected, she's not really a bartender. Well, she is, but she's also a federal agent."

"DEA?"

"FBI."

"What?!" Tony asked, standing up. "She's FBI? Why does the FBI have someone undercover in a club? And why hasn't anyone stepped forward yet to give us a heads up? Whatever happened to a little interagency communication? Or a good old fashioned interagency threat for a pending turf war?"

"We were told this under the table, so to speak," Tim said, a solemn look on his face.

"She's working on a human trafficking case," Parke said with a tone that drew Tony's gaze, and in turn everyone else's. "The Existence issue isn't just a drug problem. People are being drugged with the Existence as a means to make them pliable and lure them away. At that point they're never heard from again.

"Harry Slight wasn't just distributing the Existence to small time dealers to sell. He was also giving it to traffickers who would troll bars and clubs, offer free hits to pretty young women claiming it was XTC, and then kidnap them. The drug problem is real, too. That's what has made this method blend in so well. Brandy Hilt was very close to narrowing down who the culprit was. They think she ran that night to follow them. Problem is, she hasn't checked in with her handler in weeks, and DC Narcs doesn't think he's reported it."

"Damn it," Tony muttered under his breath.

Elly sat carefully, piecing it together in his head. "You mean they thought we were there to track down the traffickers, and that's why they drugged us?" he said in disbelief.

"They really were trying to kill us," Ned said with the same tone.

"They almost succeeded," Elly said, looking up into Ned's face.

"If we hadn't been sharing a glass, we'd both be dead."

Elly nodded, then took a deep breath. "Talking about dodging a bullet."

"You're here, and in one piece, and we're all very grateful," Tony said. "But now we have a missing FBI agent on this case on top of everything else. That's a game changer. I'm calling Fornell."

"Wait," Tim said. "We got this under very sensitive pretenses. Calling the FBI out on it is going to get the detectives who scrounged this info in some very deep trouble. They don't have the same "get out of jail free cards" that I can get for doing something like they did. We have to do this one off the books."

"Fine. I'll have him meet me at our house and talk about it there."

Tim nodded.

"I believe I may have someone I can call," Ziva said. She looked thoughtful. "I am going to pull the ribbon and see if it comes untied."

"You mean pull the string and see if it comes unraveled?" Tony asked as he held his phone to his ear.

"Whatever the phrase may be, yes." She headed back to her desk and Tim and Parke headed for the Director's office, chattering quietly about what they had found.

Elly and Ned went back to doing their research. They knew the rules- they weren't allowed to work the drugging case. They could taint it. Elly was itching to get involved though now that they knew for sure that it was an attempted murder, and especially because it had ties to trafficking. He was legendary for following the paper chain. He'd always wanted to put his skills to use by finding people this way.

He tried to push it out of his mind and work on filtering through all of the video footage he could get his hands on and tracking Dwahalini's movements. Ned was working on information for the op, so he'd been set loose on the video. He felt like it was busy work. They didn't really need to know how Dwahalini got into the country, did they? Isn't that something the FBI, Interpol, and Homeland should be picking up?

He sighed. He knew they were still working it because it was so personal. He wished they could relinquish it though so they could get back to day to day cases. He was sick of Dwahalini, sick of the drugging case, and sick of not having answers.

He found another video of Dwahalini and set another point in the map he'd been creating on another screen. He scanned the next closest traffic cam and found him again, making another pinpoint on his map. He did this for the next twenty minutes before he saw that Dwahalini was coming out of a hotel. He tracked the camera back and started running facial recognition. His computer ran through the faces quickly as the video rewound over the past day. Suddenly, the speakers started pinging and his screen flashed a series of colors.

"Oh my god," he whispered. "Tony!"

"What?" Tony asked, jumping up and coming to Elly's computer. Elly looked up to watch Tony's expression change to disbelief as he bent forward, placing his hands on his desk to look closer at the screen. "Son of a bitch."

"He'd been closing in on them before he ever met up with Leyla," Elly said softly.

"So it seems," Tony said, shaking his head. Ned got up and came to look over their shoulders. Elly turned the monitor so he could see easier and played back the piece of video where Malek, Talia and Dina were all stepping out of a hotel lobby. It was only a couple of hours later that Dwahalini stepped into the same hotel.

"He was catching up with them!" Ned exclaimed. "If we hadn't brought him down when we did, they might have been found!"

"What's worse is that he had plenty of time after leaving Leyla's to let people know of their last whereabouts and how people could locate them. If he let it out that the Epiphany exists, the whole organization could be in trouble."

Tony felt more defeated by the minute. He wasn't sure of what to do. If he warned the crew at the church they may panic and they may lose connection with Malik and the ladies. If he didn't warn them, they could easily be targeted by others who were looking for people with the worst of intentions.

Elly and Ned watched him for direction.

"Elly, keep going through the video. See what you can find for me." He came out from behind the desk, careful not to bump into Ned and jar him. He'd already given Fornell a call to have him meet at the house that night after work, and he was eager to get back to his family, but there was so much that needed to be done. This was going to require more coffee. He set off and left his team to do what they needed to do.

Elly and Ned exchanged looks.

"I don't know how much more he can take," Elly said quietly.

Ned's eyes went to the elevator that Tony had just gotten on, chewing on his lip. "Maybe we should do something to cheer him up?"

"Like what?" Elly asked.

"I don't know. Let me think about it."

He went back to his desk and continued his research on the Reformed Ministry party and other Iranian groups that might be willing to work with the Qureshis to unleash a genetically altered bioterrorist weapon on their community in the hopes of killing the Americans among them. There wasn't much information on the surface searches he ran, but when he hit the government's intranet he had thousands of reports at his fingertips. His eyes burned as he read through them one by one, absorbing what he could.

When a paper ball hit him in the head an hour later, he jerked up from the screen in surprise, causing intense pain to radiate down his collarbone. He whined as he hissed and closed his eyes, barely catching a glimpse of Tony's apologetic face as he realized what his toss had done.

"Ooo… sorry, kid. You were lost in your own little world there for a minute though. I said to go home."

Before Ned could open his eyes again, he felt Elly's hand on his arm. He looked over at him and realized Elly was already reaching forward to lock down the computer, giving Tony a zealously protective glare.

"Come on, Ned. Enough- what is this?" Elly asked, looking at the screen.

"You don't want to know," Ned said, gingerly running his finger down the hot and pulsing tendon in his neck.

Tony got up and came around the desk as Elly stood straight and crossed his arms, staring at the screen.

"Research for the op?" he asked.

"The only way I could read this stuff without being sentenced for treason," Ned said under his breath as he bent to pick up his backpack.

"Are you understanding it or are you using a translation program?" Elly asked, ready to offer some of his favorites.

"Farsi translates better into Arabic than English, so I use a program to translate it to Arabic, and then I can get most of it. The rest I can use context or a dictionary to piece together," Ned said, reaching for his mouse to close the window. He exited out of one screen, and then the one behind it, but not before Tony and Elly both had a chance to see it. They looked at Ned with their jaws dropped and eyes wide.

"What?" he asked, looking at the screen and trying to think of what was just on it.

Elly looked at Tony, then back at Ned. "Was that what I think that was?"

"I don't know? What was it? I don't remember." Ned's eyes darted back and forth between their panicked faces.

Tony crouched down in front of him and looked around before whispering. "Are you hacking into Iran's intelligence network?"

"Oh!" Ned said with a slight shake of his head. "No. I'm only reading documents saved from where the _CIA_ has hacked into it. They're screen captures of their findings that are in the internal files. I'm not doing it myself."

Tony's heartrate started descending back to normal. He was learning not to doubt his agents' skills, especially Ned's, but the idea of him hacking into Iran's government was not something he had the energy to deal with.

"Did _Andy_ send those to you?" Elly said, rolling his eyes.

Ned smiled up at him, loving how Elly was obviously jealous. "He did," Ned said as he stood up, turning off his monitor. "We need them for the case."

"Mmhmmm," Elly said, not meeting Ned's eyes.

"I'm staying out of this one," Tony said, moving towards his desk. His attention was focused on the two men behind him, but he tried to make it look like he was packing up as he listened.

"As incredibly hot as it is that you're jealous," Ned started, reaching to put his hands on Elly's shoulders and barely resisting the urge to pull him towards him. "I need him right now to make sure this mission succeeds."

Elly pouted, his eyes finally meeting Ned's. "I know. That doesn't mean I have to like it."

"As long as you don't take it out on me, that's fine," Ned said, rubbing Elly's arms as discreetly as possible before taking a step around his desk and towards the elevator. Elly moved to go with him, and Tony exchanged farewells with them.

He watched as the two men walked away towards the elevator, and then looked away as they boarded it a minute later. He loved seeing the two of them happy, and it boded well for his team to remain in the field together. He was especially glad that they'd worked things out since he had so many other fish to fry at the moment. He shut down his computer and headed for the stairs. He still had a long night ahead of him, but he was relieved to be going home.

* * *

Jethro was exhausted. The conversation with Leyla's mother had been emotional. She asked if she could come and see Amira, but gave no indication that she wanted to take her. He let her know that she'd always be welcome to come see her, as long as she gave them forewarning, and he relayed the few funeral details he'd been able to decide on that day. She was planning on coming, and had asked what types of preparations were being made. He let her know about Miram taking care of Leyla's body, but that Leyla had chosen to be buried next to Leyla's father, and that it was going to be a mixed faith celebration of life.

As if that conversation wasn't draining enough, he had to go talk to Amira about her grandmother coming into town. Amira didn't remember her at all, and Jethro had to admit that he was a little glad about that. It meant she wouldn't try to cling to her for any kind of comfort, making the custody a non-issue.

Jack had taken over the kitchen. He had raided the cabinets and freezer, and was cooking dinner when Tony came home. As soon as Tony came through the door, Amira was on her feet.

"Tony!" she squealed as she ran to greet him. He dropped his keys in the bowl and his bag on the floor just in time to scoop the little girl up in his arms.

"There's my big girl," he said, his eyes closing as he smiled and held her close. Her arms went around his neck and didn't let go. "How was your day?" he asked, walking towards the couch.

"I watched Mickey Mouse and I did puzzles, and… and…umm…"

"She and Jack bonded today," Jethro said, coming to stand in the doorway between the living room and kitchen with a smile as he watched his fiancé and goddaughter latch on to one another.

"Oh? You made a new friend?" Tony asked.

"Yeah! He knows how to help me with puzzles!"

"He does?!" Tony asked, feigning excitement in that way adults naturally do around little kids. "That's cool! Did you finish it?"

"Uh-huh! We did two!"

"Two puzzles?! That's awesome! High five!" he said holding up his hand for her to smack. She did so with a satisfied smile and then turned to sit in his lap so that she faced Jethro. She snuggled in, making it clear that she expected to be there for a while.

"And how was your day?" Tony asked, noting the sad smile on Jethro's face.

"Tiring," he answered. "Got a lot done though."

Tony nodded his understanding. "Fornell is coming over. Need to talk to him about the Ned and Elly situation."

"Oh?" he asked.

Tony looked down at Amira, then up at Jethro. "Yeah. The FBI had an undercover in there the night everything happened."

"And you weren't told yet?"

"No. But I have a feeling _they_ haven't been told yet."

"Oh," Jethro said, squinting at Tony as he thought the situation through.

"Yeah."

"Dinner's gonna be ready in a few minutes," Jack said, coming to stand next to Jethro.

"Hi, Jack," Tony said. "Thanks for cooking. It smells good."

"It's nothing fancy, but it'll do the job," Jack said, turning back to the kitchen with a smile on his face after seeing Tony and Amira sitting together on the couch.

"When's Tobias supposed to get here?" Jethro asked.

"Around nine," Tony said, looking down at Amira to indicate that he hoped she'd be asleep by then. The glance he shared with Jethro got his point across easily, and Jethro nodded.

"Come on, Munchkin," Jethro said, reaching out his hand. "Let's wash up."

Amira slid down Tony's legs until she was squatting on the floor in front of the couch, and then hopped like a frog around the coffee table before running towards Jethro and taking his hand. Tony slowly got to his feet while watching her. He wasn't sure yet if she was just incredibly resilient or if the worst was to yet to come, but he had a feeling it was both. He knew firsthand how a loss as big as a mother revealed grief in waves.

Right now, he figured Amira saw this new living arrangement as an adventure. Almost as if she was sleeping over at Uncle Gibbsy and Uncle Tony's house. He knew that reality would hit soon enough, and then it would be weeks if not months before he and Jethro were able to sleep through the night alone. At least that's how it would go if it was anything like what he went through.

He tried to console himself with the fact that Amira wouldn't have the nightmares of finding her mother's dead body like he and Elly had both been through. She had been spared that much. The gaping hole in her life now would be hard to fill, but watching Jethro wash Amira's hands gave him a feeling deep inside that reinforced his determination to fill it.

* * *

Elly and Ned had gone out to dinner after work before heading back to Elly's place for the night. Elly opened the door to his apartment, then stepped aside to let Ned enter. He closed the door behind him and locked it, then felt his cheeks growing warm as he watched Ned look around. The place was messy compared to Ned's apartment, but he tried to console himself.

_It's not dirty, just messy. Well, the pile of laundry is a little dirty, but life's been too busy to get to the laundry room, and I've spent so much time at his place, and-_

His thoughts were cut off by Ned's voice.

"I like the semi-open floor plan," he said with approval, looking around at how the living room and kitchen were laid out in one large room with brick walls. "It's got that fun, city feeling to it. And brick walls always feel more earthy to me, like they're supposed to be gritty almost, and I don't feel the urge to clean them."

Elly smiled. "Cool," he said. "Let me show you around."

He pointed out the bathroom, walked him through the kitchen, then through the living room, and ended the tour in the bedroom.

"This is my favorite room in the place," Elly said.

"Oh? Why's that?" Ned asked.

"Because it's where I'm going to sleep with you tonight," he said, stepping up to Ned and putting his arms around his waist while leaning forward to kiss him.

The kiss started off playful and happy, but turned deeply passionate quickly. Ned groaned into the kiss as Elly pulled back, panting for breath. He stepped away from Ned, his hands on his hips as he took a few calming deep breaths.

Ned looked confused.

"Okay. I might as well just admit _right now_ that I'm not going to be able to make it the next two months celibate when all it takes is one kiss like that to get me stiff as a board."

Ned's confusion turned into a confident smirk. "Well, like I said, we could do plenty of fun stuff other than actually having sex and get similar results."

"Not for two months," Elly said, turning to Ned. "I'll go crazy. Might as well just come to terms with the fact we're going to cave in eventually anyway, and stop denying ourselves the joy of exploring each other fully."

Ned stepped towards him. "We can work our way up to it," he said reassuringly in a voice that made Elly's breath grow even shorter. "We can start off with touching," Ned cooed in his raspy voice, reaching to slide his right hand around Elly's neck in that way that made Elly close his eyes and run his cheek against Ned's hand.

"And then we can move on to kissing," Ned said, slipping his other hand around Elly's waist and leaning in towards his face so that he was only inches away. "Then we can take each other's clothes off," he whispered as he bent as much as he could toward's Elly's ear. "And touch each other's naked bodies." Elly shivered, and Ned smirked. "Then… we'll just see where it goes." Ned pulled back to look into Elly's eyes as they opened. He leaned in and stole Elly's lips for another intoxicating kiss, running his hands down Elly's torso, and slowly reaching down into the sides of his pants to find the hem of his shirt and untuck it.

Elly moaned into the kiss, every hair in his body standing on end as Ned's touch set him on fire. Ned felt the heat rolling off the man in front of him and loved that he could elicit such a feeling from him. Once his hands found Elly's skin, he slid them up Elly's stomach, feeling the definition there, and reveling in it. He loved how Elly squirmed under his touch.

"So responsive," he whispered against Elly's lips between kisses. "So hot and tempting."

Elly groaned as he tried hard not to touch Ned for fear of doing something to unleash the barely reined in monster within. "I want you, but I don't want to hurt your neck."

"And how would you hurt my neck?" Ned asked with a smirk.

"I keep imagining your mouth on me. I imagine your head bobbing up and down over me, taking me deep. God, I want that so fucking bad," Elly whispered as he got lost in the fantasy and the way Ned was touching him.

Ned leaned in to speak directly into Elly's ear, his voice rough. "I want that, too. As soon as I can nod without being in extreme pain, you're getting pinned to this bed and I'm feasting on you."

"That doesn't mean I can't go down on you," Elly said with a smile. He felt shier than he had since he lost his virginity, and he could feel his cheeks turning red as he posed the suggestion. He wanted to feel that connection with Ned. He wanted to break down all barriers between them.

"No," Ned said, stopping himself from shaking his head. "I don't get the pleasure until you do. We do this together. I have another idea though."

"Oh?"

Ned pulled back with a smile, reaching to take Elly's hand and pulled him towards the bed.

"I haven't changed the sheets yet!" Elly warned.

"I don't care. We're getting messy," Ned said, letting go of Elly's hand to start taking off his shirt.

Elly started reaching for the blankets to pull them off the bed. Ned grabbed his hand back and pulled him in for a kiss. He could feel him melt into it, and then relax. Ned's hands began working on Elly's belt, then unbuttoned his pants. Elly reached for Ned's shirt, finishing the buttons and sliding it back on Ned's shoulders.

Elly's hands got lost on Ned's broad shoulders. He ran them down his thick arms and could feel the slight definition there that they'd been working on in the gym. It was a sexy teaser of what he knew was to come if they kept working together. Ned had a tee under his shirt that was getting in the way of any other touching, and it made Elly pout into the kiss.

Ned stepped back and slipped the shirt up and over his head and then down his arms, making sure to keep his neck as straight as possible. He then reached forward and pulled at Elly's polo. Elly followed the silent demand and raised his arms as Ned lifted the shirt halfway and then Elly pulled it over his head. Ned then took Elly's hands and guided them to his belt, letting him know what he was supposed to be doing. Elly took the cue gladly. He opened Ned's belt, feeling the bulging tent just inches below against his wrist.

Once his belt was undone, Ned's hands returned to Elly's pants and worked on them until they were falling to the floor. The next step was pulling Elly's boxerbriefs down and freeing his erection. Elly followed suit and de-pantsed Ned so that they were both standing there naked in front of each other. Ned kicked his shoes off, instigating the same from Elly, and then crawled into Elly's bed.

Elly stood next to the bed and stared at Ned. He had a slightly hairy chest with a happy trail that ran down to his well-hung cock that was stiff and sticking up towards his stomach.

"You look amazing in my bed," he said, scanning Ned's body and then looking him in the eye before scanning him again.

Ned loved to see Elly's flustered side. The normally calm, cool and collected agent was out the window, and this anxious, eager, sexy man was in his place. It turned Ned on in ways he couldn't explain. He'd never had quite so much confidence before, and it made his heart beat in his chest like a drum. He knew he could ask Elly to do anything to him at that point and he would have complied, but he wasn't going to. He was going to try his best to honor Elly's need to wait for actual sex, even if the blonde god standing next to the bed wasn't thinking straight. That didn't mean that they were going to stay completely celibate though.

"Come lay down with me," Ned said, laying on his side with a pillow propped under his head to keep his head at the right angle.

Elly crawled into bed and lay down next to Ned. They scanned each other's bodies, and then Ned reached for Elly's hands once again, guiding them to his own skin.

"You can put your hands anywhere on my body you want to," he said, his voice rough in that way that made Elly's nerves squirm.

Elly shifted so that he was up against Ned's body, and he shivered when their cocks brushed against one another. "Fuck," he whispered. "It's like electricity going through my body."

"I know what you're saying," Ned agreed. He used the hand that wasn't trapped between their bodies to brush the hair out of Elly's forehead. "Touch me, Elly." Ned made sure his hand didn't leave Elly. He knew the younger man needed to be touched as much as he needed to touch. He wanted to take it at Elly's speed though. He wanted to take their time.

Elly's right hand ran up and down Ned's arms, then down over his chest and stomach. He couldn't take it much more though, and he finally reached to palm Ned's balls before sliding his hand up and grasping the brunette's rather large member. He loved the weight of it, the texture of it, the moisture that was starting to collect on the head of it. He'd missed the way a cock could feel in his hands. At the moment it was the most erotic thing he'd ever felt.

Ned's hand was coasting down Elly's navel and was soon fondling Elly's balls, making him whine.

"Mmmmmmmmm… holy shit!" Elly's brain short circuited and he could barely think. His eyes closed as he was lost in the sensation of Ned's fingers rolling his testicles around. "Been so long…"

Ned smirked and then gave Elly a long stroke, ending with his palm rubbing the head, smearing around the precum that was dripping. When Elly's mouth opened and the only thing that came out was a squeak, Ned knew he was on the right track.

They spent the next few minutes learning just how to stroke each other right to take one another's breath away. It was a luxuriously slow process. Elly liked it with a little bit of a twist. Ned liked long strokes from base to tip and back again. Elly rolled over on his back, Ned's hand still working on him, and found the lube in his nightstand. He flipped the cap and squirted some out into Ned's outstretched palm and then put some in his own before returning it and turning back on his side. The lubed strokes felt even better.

"Oh, shit!" Elly gasped. "Yes!"

Ned shut him up by rolling his shoulder forward so that he could kiss him, and then their strokes increased in intensity. There was so much more to the moment than reaching an orgasm. He could feel the trust and relief coming from Elly. He'd never felt so protective, so emotional, or so needed. It filled something in him that he didn't know he'd been missing in his life.

Elly couldn't believe the incredible sensation of having Ned's tongue in his mouth while his hand was around his dick. It had been so long since he'd let anyone touch him, but more than that, there was something about the sensation that was brand new to him. There was a new dynamic to being with Ned. There was a sense of urgency to reach climax, but at the same time, there was an underlying knowledge that he'd be able to reach it a thousand times with Ned and it would still feel this amazing. It was nothing like it was with any of his one night stands or short-term flings. This was forever, and he knew it deep in his bones.

Their breaths were coming closer and closer together so that they couldn't continue kissing like they were. Ned's hips thrusted into Elly's grasp, shaking his body and causing pain in his neck, but he didn't care. It was incredible. Sweat dripped down both of their bodies as they pushed their leaking cocks into one another's fists. The orgasm that ripped through Elly caused him to yell. It was like a dam that had been building for ten months suddenly burst all over him and Ned.

The feeling of the warm liquid landing against Ned's skin made him cum as well. It was just as powerfully mind-numbing. There were no thoughts or words from either of them as they panted and shook for the next ten minutes, staring into each other's eyes.

When Elly whispered, "I love you" to Ned, Ned whispered it back and smiled.

"Thank you for being open to doing this with me." Ned suddenly felt much shier than he had since entering Elly's apartment.

"It feels right," Elly said with such a tender smile that Ned could almost hear his heart go "awwww".

"I does. It feels good to be this close to you."

"I think it helped. I mean, we're lying here covered in each other's cum, and I'm not freaked out at all. I don't think I'm afraid anymore. I think we jumped a hurdle tonight," Elly said with such a calm demeanor on his face that Ned knew he was telling the truth.

"That's awesome. Now if only my neck would cooperate. I think I need a shower and a muscle relaxer!"

Elly laughed. "Does that mean I can change the sheets now?"

"Yes!" Ned said with a chuckle. "My god, please change the sheets!"

Elly motioned for Ned to get out of bed and follow him to the shower, and Ned took in the sight as he followed his lover to the next room.

 _Is that really all mine?_ He thought. Elly slid the shower door back and turned on the water. He looked over his shoulder at Ned with a smile when he caught him checking his ass out. _Oh yeah, that's all mine._


	42. Chapter 42

Tony and Jethro tucked Amira in together. They explained that they'd be downstairs and not to worry if she heard their friend come over. There were hugs and kisses for both Amira and Dirt, and then the door was closed halfway. They headed down the stairs together, and Tony took Jethro's hand, longing for some kind of connection. Jethro smiled and squeezed it, looking over at Tony who looked back with a tired smile of his own.

"Tobias should be here in an hour," Tony said quietly.

"So what's going on with that?" Jethro asked as they moved to sit on the couch together.

Tony sighed. " _Miss_ Brianna Middle is actually _FBI Agent_ Brandy Hilt. She's been working undercover at the club tracking a cell of human traffickers. They're using the drugs to dose women, and then they kidnap them."

Jethro nodded his understanding.

"DC Narcs has been tracking her, and Tim has made it sound like it was by hacking the FBI system. They haven't seen any word that Brandy has checked in with her handler yet, though. They've been waiting, but there's been nothing. They think that the night of the drugging incident, she found out who drugged my guys, and went after them. She's probably gotten into trouble, and no one knows because she hasn't reported in yet."

"It's been a while now. Her handler has to know she's missing," Jethro said.

"If so, it hasn't been documented, or else DC Narcs would've found it."

"Could be she's gotten in too deep," Jethro said. "Or maybe she turned."

"I don't know. Parke said she had gotten close to narrowing it down. The perps probably slipped up the night we went to the club, she saw her opportunity..." Tony trailed off.

"And she took it. Guess we'll find out."

"You boys need anything else before I go back to the hotel?" Jack asked, coming from the kitchen.

"Not a thing," Tony said. "Thank you so much for helping Jethro today, and for dinner. It's going to take a while to learn to balance all of this."

"I'll be happy to help as much as I can. Being around that little girl makes me feel twenty years younger! Wish I had the energy of my younger self so I could keep up with her, but I think we did alright," Jack said with a content smile on his face. Tony noticed that his eyes were sparkling.

"Thanks for everything, Dad," Jethro said. "I wish I had the energy I had twenty years ago, too. I don't know how we're going to manage this, but we will."

"Yeah," Tony said, taking Jethro's hand back. "We will."

"Alright then. You boys have a good night, and I'll see you tomorrow. What time are we meeting to help Abby and Tim move?" Jack asked, picking up the go-cup of coffee he'd poured and heading for the door.

"1000 hours," Tony said. "Was going to do earlier, but it's been a rough week and we all need to sleep in."

"I'll be here by 9:30 then so I can follow you," Jack said.

"Sounds good," Tony said.

"Drive safe, Dad," Jethro said.

They listened as the door closed, and then turned back to one another. Tony turned to lean his forehead on Jethro's shoulder.

"I am _so_ glad Amira warmed up to him! I was afraid she wouldn't, and then when she seemed so comfortable with him when we got back from seeing Father Sal I was relieved. We're going to need all the help we can get as we learn to manage this."

Jethro ran his hand down the back of Tony's head and clasped his neck, leaning his cheek on Tony's crown.

"They did really well together today. And I have to admit, it was nice being in the field with you again. Kinda miss that."

Tony shifted so that he was leaning against Jethro's side, but facing him. Jethro got comfy and put his arm around him. "I miss it, too."

Jethro leaned over and kissed Tony gently. "I'll trade it for the chance to do that any day," he whispered, then leaned in and kissed him again. The kiss deepened, and the two men lost themselves in it. After stressful weeks, a make out session on the couch was just what they needed. Tongues twisted around tongues while Jethro's fingers got caught up in Tony's hair, and Tony's hands gently caressed that sweet spot on Jethro's hips, urging him closer.

At some point in their kissing, Tony ended up on his back, and Jethro laid across his body while their lips sucked on one another and their tongues danced. Jethro's thigh rubbed Tony's cock through his pants, and Tony moaned in pleasure. It turned the tide, and the make out session became foreplay. Tony's hands were up under Jethro's shirt, feeling the muscles in his back. Jethro had one hand on the couch, keeping them from falling off, and the other was reaching for Tony's belt. Tony thrust up into Jethro's touch, and…

…and then the front door opened.

"What the…!?" Tobias exclaimed, walking into the living room. "Oh god."

"Oh shit!" Tony said, laughing with embarrassment. He'd gotten caught up in the moment and forgotten that Fornell was coming over.

Jethro kept trying to kiss Tony, and Tony laughed, pushing Jethro off of him. Jethro laughed too, grateful that Fornell hadn't walked in two minutes later, but disappointed that he had walked in at all. They sat up, rearranging themselves to find that Fornell had turned around, and was panicking.

"You're early," Jethro said, looking at the cable box for the time.

"Emily's dance recital was shorter than I thought it would be. At the time I thought it was a miracle, now I'm thinking it was sick joke of fate. I must've pissed the gods off!" Fornell said, looking cautiously over his shoulder to make sure it was safe before he turned back around.

Both men were sitting up on the couch, gathering their wits. Tony had immediately lost his erection by the surprise of Fornell's entrance. Jethro was still working on it.

"That's something she can do!" Tony said excitedly. "We could put her in dance classes! I hated them as a kid, but then again, I'm a guy, so it was a whole other thing, but I bet she'd love it."

"Will you two just go do your thing so we can get back to doing our thing?" Jethro said, smirking at Tony and pushing his shoulder so he would get up.

"Yes, Boss," Tony said with a wink, getting up and leading Fornell to the basement.

"Oh, please don't tell me you actually still call him that, when- you know what? Nevermind. I don't want to know!" Fornell said, starting down the basement steps after Tony.

"No, but now that you mention it…" Tony joked, making Fornell groan behind him. Tony pulled up one of the two stools around the work table, and Fornell pulled up the other.

"So what's really going on? I know you didn't call me over here for a peep show."

Tony shook his head, the seriousness of the situation descending upon the room. "What can you tell me about Brandy Hilt?"

"Hilt?" Fornell said, looking confused. "I'd forgotten all about Hilt. Bright, came from a rough background, worked her ass off to get where she's at. She's been on a deep cover operation for over a year now. Something about trafficking, but I'm not read in on it. Why?"

"She was working as a bartender at the club my agents were drugged at. She's going by Brianna Middle. Under the table, DC Narcotics traced her back to the FBI while they were doing their own investigation. They've kept it quiet, not wanting to blow her cover. They've been tracking her progress by either hacking the FBI or using a connection within, I'm unsure of which yet, and I've been told that the night my guys were dosed, she went missing. She hasn't reported in with her handler."

"She's missing? Her handler would have reported it if she'd gone this long without checking in. We have very strict protocol on how to make contact, you know that." Fornell looked at Tony, then the stairs as he shook his head. "There's no way she's still missing without a manhunt."

Tony shook his head slowly. "You need to find out, Tobias. If she's missing and her handler is slacking, she could be smuggled out of the country by now with whoever she was protecting, or worse. We both know that this doesn't look good."

Fornell sighed, looking frustrated. "Damn it!" he pulled out his phone and flipped through the names in his address book before finding the one he was looking for. "Tracy. Fornell. I need you to check on an agent for me. Uh-huh. Hilt. Yeah. Brandy."

Tony listened for a long moment to the silence.

"Yeah, I know she's deep cover. I need to know when she last checked in with her handler and who her handler is. We have a possible breech. She's not safe."

The silence lasted longer this time. Both men were starting to get impatient by time the voice started on the other end of the phone again.

"Tripp? Why is he handling a trafficking case? Uh-huh. When was the last report?" Tobias got to his feet. "That's not good." He turned to Tony. "This isn't good. Okay, listen closely. I need for you to contact the agents working on that case. I want them on alert, you got that? I'm calling the director. We have an agent missing. If NCIS or DC Narcotics call for information, you share it, got it? I'll be there in twenty."

Fornell tapped his screen and headed for the stairs. "I owe you, DiNozzo," Fornell said running up the stairs. Tony followed him.

"You need help?"

"Stand by. I'll let you know!" The front door slammed behind him as he ran for his car. Jethro cringed and looked up the stairs. Sure enough, footsteps thumped out of bed above them.

"Crap," Jethro said, getting up. "I take it she's missing?" he asked as he and Tony headed up the stairs.

"Yep. Never checked in with her handler."

"Tony! Gibbsy!" Amira said, running down the few steps to them. Jethro picked her up, and she squeezed him tightly, looking towards the door with large, fearful, alert eyes.

"It's okay, sweetie," Tony said. "Our friend got an important phone call and had to run to help someone."

"Help them?" she asked, confused as they all headed back to her bedroom.

"Yeah. He has to go protect her from the bad guys. He's an agent like Gibbsy and I, and like Elly and Dorney and Ziva and Tim. He protects people from the bad guys." Tony wasn't sure if he was saying too much or too little, so he shut up.

"So he's at work with you too?" she asked, sitting on the bed, but not making any move to get back under the covers. Jethro reached over and flipped on the desk lamp he'd put a new lightbulb in earlier for her. He was glad the little lamp still worked after all these years.

"Well, he works for the FBI," Tony said. "There's lots of teams of good guys. He's with their team."

"Are all your friends good guys?" she asked.

Jethro sat down on the bed so that he was leaning against the headboard and reached out for Amira to come to him. She did, and curled up in his lap, reaching for Dirt and hugging him as she snuggled against Jethro.

"Munchkin," he started, looking at the confused expression on Tony's face when he realized that he couldn't answer "yes" truthfully. "Sometimes you have to be friends with some of the nicer bad guys to get to the _really_ bad guys. So the answer is no. Not all of our friends are good guys. People don't necessarily do only good things or only bad things. Sometimes good people do bad things, and sometimes bad people do good things. That's why you need to promise us that you'll never trust anybody who we haven't told you is a good guy."

"What do you mean?" Amira asked, looking up at Jethro.

Tony jumped in when he saw Jethro pausing to think. "Like if you're at school, and someone comes to pick you up that isn't me or Gibbsy, you can only go with them if one of us has told you they're a good guy."

"Oh! You mean like how mommy always said no one could have me but you, and Gibbsy, and Tanzia's mommy."

"Exactly," Jethro said, kissing the top of her forehead.

"Who can have me now?" she asked. Jethro smiled, amazed at how intelligent she was for such a young age. He knew part of that was because of Leyla's preparations with her, but he also knew that Amira was naturally gifted at understanding the world around her on a level most kids her age couldn't.

"Abby, Tim, Ziva, Dorney, Elly, Jack, and Tobias?" Jethro said, looking up at Tony with a question at the last one.

"Yes," he confirmed. "And Parke. You'll see him more tomorrow."

"That's a lot of people," Amira said, daunted.

"True. You'll get used to them being around though, and you'll know who you're safe with." Tony looked at Jethro, hoping that was the right thing to say.

"They're all good guys," Jethro reaffirmed.

"But-but-but what if I can't remember if-if someone is a good guy, or a bad guy?" Amira asked.

Tony had an idea come to him. "Let's make a password!" He thought about how the passphrases that the Epiphany had, and he remembered how he was told Panda was his password as a child to ensure the person picking him up was safe. "Our own secret password, so that if someone has to pick you up to keep you safe, or take you home from school, they'll tell you the password so that you know it's okay to go with them."

"Okay!" Amira said, liking the idea.

"It has to be something simple enough to remember, but odd enough not everyone would know it," Jethro said.

"Mine was Panda when I was little," Tony shared. "Something like that."

"Can mine be a aminal too?" she asked, looking at Tony with her head cocked to the side.

"Sure!" Tony said.

"Can it be "unicorn"?" she asked

"Unicorn it is," Jethro said. "We'll tell everyone tomorrow so they know, and that way you won't have to remember all the people, you just have to ask them if they have the password, and then you'll know."

"Okay," Amira said. She turned in Jethro's lap and sat up on her knees, playing with the buttons on his shirt as she thought. They both waited, already knowing that this was how Amira processed something.

"Whatcha thinking, Munchkin?" Jethro finally asked a minute later.

"What if- what if it's not a good guy, and they don't knows the password? What if it's-it's-it's a bad guy?" she asked.

"Then you run to an adult you know and tell them right away," Jethro said. "And you let them know you need to call Tony or me right away."

"What if there's no one around?" she asked.

"You should never be left alone in a situation that would happen in," Jethro reassured her.

"But-but-but-but sometimes I get lost. Like at the big store." Jethro looked over Amira at Tony, who shrugged, not knowing what the 'big store' was any more than Jethro.

"Then you run. You try to find a police officer. If you're by yourself and you're scared, you find a phone and call 9-1-1." Jethro knew that these kinds of questions would come, but to have them flooding out of her so soon caught him a little off guard. They reminded him of similar talks he had with Kelly.

"Mommy taught me how to do that!" she said excitedly.

"Good!" Jethro said with a smile.

"What if I have to beat up the bad guys?" Amira finally asked.

"We're never going to let anything happen to you where you'd have to beat up the bad guys," Tony said.

Jethro thought about it though, and looked at Tony. As much as they wanted to protect her from anything and everything, even the best parents lost their children to abductions. Thinking about Agent Hilt, a grown woman, possibly being abducted was as good of a reality check as any.

He remembered Tony's case he'd had just months before with the young girl being drugged and kidnapped, waking up in a cemetery. _Merry,_ he thought to himself as he remembered her name.

"Would you like to learn karate?" Jethro asked. Teaching a four year old girl to box wouldn't be such a popular idea, but maybe teaching her karate would give her something to do, and would help her focus her mind. Either way, the idea had Amira excited.

"Really?!" she asked, bouncing on Jethro's lap.

Tony watched the scene unfold in front of him and shrugged. Dance classes, swimming lessons, karate… whatever Amira wanted to learn, they'd give her the chance to learn it. And if learning how to do karate would help put her mind at ease at the same time as keeping her busy and active, then that was fine by him.

"Sure!" he said, backing Jethro's offer. "You know who else does karate?" he asked, causing Amira to turn to him. "Elly and Ziva. They do all sorts of karate."

"Really!?" she asked.

"Yeah!" Jethro said, enjoying her enthusiasm at the idea. He knew she was a feisty kid, and he kind of liked the idea of his little girl knowing how to handle herself one day. He smiled and brushed her hair back behind her ear. _My little girl,_ he thought to himself. _It's happened so easily…_

"Okay, Munchkin," Tony said, seeing the sentimental change coming over Jethro suddenly. "We'll look into when karate classes can start next week, but for now it's bedtime." He stood up next to the bed and stretched, yawning widely to show that he was tired too.

"Oooookayyy…" she said, obviously let down that she couldn't go start karate class that very minute. She crawled down off of Jethro's lap and he got up, too.

They said their goodnights again, and Tony led Jethro straight to the bedroom, forgoing turning off any of the lights downstairs. He got them behind closed doors, and then pulled Jethro in for a kiss. Jethro wouldn't let it get too deep though, and Tony pulled back, confused.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Just wait."

"For what?" Tony asked.

"Amira was too worked up. She's not going to be able to go to sleep. I'd give it ten minutes before she comes in asking for a glass of water or something."

"I'm grateful for your parenting wisdom, because if she were to walk in on us like Fornell did, I don't think I'd ever be able to look her in the eyes again. Well, at least not without apologizing again and again and making things worse." Tony sighed. "I guess I'll go shut down the rest of the house, hit the lights, and lock up."

"I'll be in the head for a few if she gets up," Jethro said.

"Got it," Tony said, opening the bedroom door to head downstairs and turn the lights off. He reached in the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water just in case, and started back up the stairs. As he did, Amira's door creaked open. Tony met her at the top of the stairs, handed her the bottle of water before she could say a word, and turned her around so she was facing the bed.

"Back to bed. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow," he said.

"But I can't sleep," she said.

"You've only been laying there five minutes. _I_ can't even fall asleep in five minutes," Tony said.

"Oh," Amira said, opening her bottle of water and taking a drink from it before sitting it on her nightstand without putting the lid back on.

"Come on," Tony said, coming into the room and putting the lid back on the bottle. "Bed." He pulled back the blankets and Amira got up in the bed and snuggled down with Dirt. "Sleep well," he said, kissing her forehead and covering her up.

"Tony?" she said quietly, causing him to pause.

"Yes?" he asked.

"Did Mommy fight the bad guys?"

Tony swallowed. He was glad it was pretty dark in the room, because his eyes started burning immediately. "Yes."

"Oh."

"But no one had ever taught her how to fight. You're going to learn how."

"Okay."

Tony turned to walk out of the room, stunned by the weight or such a powerful question.

"Tony?"

"Yes?"

"If I learn really, _really_ good, can I fight the bad guys with you and Gibbsy one day?"

Tony felt his stomach drop and he swallowed hard again. "By time you're all grown up, Gibbsy and I will be retiring and won't be fighting the bad guys anymore. But maybe you can fight them with your own team."

"Okay." Amira's voice was much quieter, and Tony could hear the drowsiness in it.

"I love you, Amira," he said, realizing that there were only two people in the entire world that he could love that much: the little girl in front of him, and the man in the next room.

"Love you, too," Amira said even quieter as she dozed off.

Tony turned around to walk out of the room and jumped a little when Jethro was standing in the hallway. Jethro reached his hand out, and Tony took it. They went back to the bedroom and closed the door.

"You were right," Tony said.

"I heard," Jethro said. "Everything."

Tony nodded. "She's been with us a few days, Jethro, and she's…"

"Ours."

"Yeah," Tony said, sighing. "I don't get it. I've never liked kids. I've always been terrified of becoming a father by accident, and screwing the kid up royally. This is coming _so_ naturally. I'm finding things to say to questions I didn't know a four year old could even comprehend, nonetheless come up with herself and ask. That was a _hard_ question! She asked if Leyla-"

"I heard, and you did a good job with the response," Jethro confirmed with a nod. "You were honest, and yet you saw the heart of the matter. She's going to need constant reassurance that she's safe for a long time."

"Look at Elly. Look at me. It's going to be the rest of her life, Jethro. We'll be giving her away at her wedding one day and we're going to have to let her know that she's still welcome at our house and that we're going to protect her and her children. OH MY GOD."

"What?" Jethro asked. He'd started changing into something to sleep in, and had just pulled a shirt over his head when Tony made his exclamation. When his head popped through the hole at the top he looked around in confusion.

"I'm not just a parent! I'm going to be a _grand_ parent one day!"

Jethro laughed mirthfully.

"You think it's funny, but this just got real!"

Jethro moved towards Tony, who was pulling PJ pants out of the dresser.

"You very well may have the _joy_ of being a grandparent one day. I'm hoping I live long enough to do the same," he said. "If I do, I'll enjoy every minute of it. I'm… well… I look at her and I think of her as "my girl", you know? But then I think, _Kelly_ was my girl. I get this confusing… half wonderful, half horrible feeling."

Tony sat the PJ pants down on the dresser and turned to Jethro, slipping his arms around Jethro's hips. Jethro slipped his arms around Tony's waist. He leaned in and rested his head on Tony's shoulder and Tony did the same. They stood there hugging for a long couple of minutes, just enjoying being in each other's embrace.

"Thinking of her as doing something in law enforcement is kinda cool though," Tony said quietly with a shrug.

"Kinda. Then we'll have a whole new reason to worry about her," Jethro said.

"And a whole new reason to be proud of her," Tony said with a smile, standing up straight and looking Jethro in the eyes. Jethro's eyes twinkled when he smiled too, and Tony knew they'd be proud of Amira no matter what she chose to do. Tony leaned in to kiss him, and when they pulled away, he changed into his pajamas.

Ten minutes later, they were pulling back the covers and the lights were going out. Once they were snuggled in, arms wrapped around each other, Jethro started laughing.

"What?" Tony asked, loving that sound coming from Jethro.

"I just thought of Fornell walking in on us," Jethro said.

"That look on his face was priceless," Tony agreed, chuckling.

"I can't believe you started that when you knew he was coming over," Jethro said with a playful smirk.

"Me?! You started it!" Tony exclaimed quietly as not to wake Amira.

"Nuh-uh!" Jethro countered. "I distinctly remembered you lying back on the couch looking too sexy not to kiss."

"Oh! Pfft!" Tony chuckled. "You couldn't keep your lips to yourself, and that's my fault _how_?"

Jethro suddenly rolled over on top of Tony and kissed him so hard it took both of their breaths away. Tony didn't hesitate to pull Jethro's pants down, letting him know that they weren't stopping this time. Jethro reached to palm Tony through his pants, not wasting a single moment. Tony started trying to slide his pants down, but Jethro had him pinned to the bed with his body. The kissing continued, and Tony's hands began grasping for Jethro's shoulders, clawing at his shirt to pull it up and over Jethro's head. They had to break the kiss to do so, and Jethro took the moment to move and reach down to pull Tony's pants the rest of the way off.

"God I need you," Tony whispered as he panted.

Jethro reached for the nightstand, pulling the drawer open and retrieving the lube. He'd put the oil based lube from the shower in the drawer since they were out of their usual. He dripped some on his fingers, and then down his palm. He swiped his dripping palm over his hard cock, then used his dry hand to lift Tony's leg in the air. Tony moved his other to join it, and Jethro's arm held them up, exposing Tony's ass for him to play with. He went straight for it, slipping his slick digits into Tony to loosen him up.

"Atta boy, open up for me," he said, feeling Tony's hole respond to his ministrations. Tony groaned, that phrase turning him on for reasons he had no coherence to remember as he stroked himself.

Once Tony was prepped enough, Jethro knelt up, holding Tony's legs in the air as he pushed the head of his cock against the oiled hole waiting for him. As he slipped past the tight ring of muscle, both men moaned.

"That's it," Tony sighed.

A few slow strokes to make sure Tony was nice and open, and Jethro unleashed the craving within, thrusting again and again and again into Tony. Both men were lost in the sensations. Tony had an ache of pleasure in his lower spine as Jethro ran over his prostrate again and again. Jethro loved how warm and tight Tony was as he moved in and out of him.

"More…" Tony moaned. "More…"

Jethro has learned to translate that as faster and harder, and he gave Tony just what he wanted. Tony's hand picked up the pace as he stroked his own dick in counterpoint to Jethro's thrusts. His head swam, the blood rushing from his legs. Jethro's panting got sharper and sharper and finally his breathing caught in his throat as he started to come. Tony put a twist on his strokes, eager to join him. When he felt the warm cum start to fill him, he choked on a cry, and came as well.

The rest got a little fuzzy for both of them until Tony's phone rang on the nightstand.

"You've _got_ to be kidding me," he exclaimed as he rolled over and looked to see who it was. "It's Tobias."

"You should probably answer it," Jethro said with a sigh.

"Hi Tobias," Tony said, rolling out of bed and heading for the bathroom to shower.

"Tripp has gone on the run,"Fornell said, forgoing the greeting.

"What?" Tony asked, trying to remember who Tripp was. "Who?"

"Hilt's handler. He's MIA. We placed a call to him to ask if he knew anything about Brandy, he hung up on Tracy, and now his phone is off and no one can get ahold of him.

"Maybe he thinks he's been phone tapped or something," Tony suggested.

"He also just pulled $1500 cash out of his bank account."

"Ooo, yeah. That's not good. What do you need from me?"

"I need to get to the owner of the bar she was undercover at. The number on file for his permits is disconnected. It was filed a few years ago when he was at his previous location. I need to talk to her co-workers to see if they've seen anything or heard anything."

Tony thought for a moment. "I don't have it, but Elly does. I'll have him text it to you."

"That'll work. Feel like helping me question her coworkers?" Tobias asked, and Tony could hear the desperation behind his voice.

"Sure," he said with a sigh. "Not like I ever planned on sleeping again anyway."

"Thanks. I owe you two now," Tobias said, the gratitude obvious in his voice.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll get Parke and McGee to help me. They're on the case together since Elly and Dorneget can't work it."

"Great, because I could really use McGee's computer skills right now. We sacked Tripp's house and got his PC. No laptop or tablet that we could find, but his desktop is encrypted out the ass. Tripp is usually on the cyber team. He helps create the false identities and lives that our agents use when undercover. He's only the handler for those with the trickiest identities to maintain electronically. Hilt's shouldn't have been in his roster."

Tony turned around when he heard Jethro come into the room. "I really wish we could turn Elly loose on this guy's stuff. It sounds like he could make himself a false identity and get away scott free."

"That's what we're worried about. Now that we've hit the panic button, time is of the essence," Tobias confirmed.

"Okay. Let me jump in the shower and I'll gather the team to meet at the bar. You going to have someone meet us?"

"I'm going to try to find someone I can trade for McGee. I'll let you know."

"Got it. Talk soon." Tony hung up the phone and reached to turn on the shower while starting to explain to Jethro.

"Hilt's handler has hit the road and pulled a wad of cash from his account. He apparently is part of the cyber team that creates the false identities used for agents when they go undercover, so they're worried he's going to disappear. Tobias is asking us to question the bartenders to see if they might come up with anything." Tony stepped into the shower and began soaping up immediately.

"The club is going to be busy since it's Friday night," Jethro said, getting into the shower with Tony. He leaned against the wall to watch him rather than get under the water with him, patiently waiting his turn as his eyes followed the lather that ran down Tony's body.

"Yeah, but that means everyone will still be there. It's a good time to go. We can pull them off the floor one by one and question them."

"Mmhmm," Jethro acknowledged, distracted by the view in front of him.

Tony finished rinsing off and then turned to Jethro. "You need this?" he asked, his thumb pointing over his shoulder to the running water.

"Mmhmm." Jethro's eyes were taking in Tony's body still, and Tony knew Jethro wasn't 'mmhmming' the water.

Tony groaned. "As much as I'd love another round…"

"Another time," Jethro said, his eyes meeting Tony's. He moved to take his spot under the water, and their bodies rubbed against each other. Jethro's hands went to Tony's biceps as they tried to squeeze past each other, and reached in for a quick kiss to let him know he understood. Tony smiled and got out of the shower. He grabbed a towel and headed for the bedroom to get dressed, his phone already dialing Elly.

* * *

Elly's phone rang, waking Ned up.

"What the…?" he asked, confused to be waking up to a different ringtone than his own.

"Critten," Elly answered, sounding surprisingly awake for how dozy he looked.

Ned listened to Elly's side of the conversation and he wondered if they were getting called in.

"Hi, Boss. Huh. Okay, yeah. Not a problem. I'll get it over to him right away. What are you doing? Oh? Should I…? Yeah. I understand. Yeah, wouldn't wanna jeopardize the case. Uh-huh. Talk to you then."

Ned watched as Elly started texting someone on his phone.

"Soooo…?" he prompted.

Elly turned around after finishing the text and told Ned what Tony had just told him about Hilt and Tripp.

"They're going to the club tonight without us?" Ned asked, looking left out.

"Yup. It sucks," Elly agreed.

They sat in silence for a long minute, and then Ned had an idea, and it showed. Elly looked at him with squinted eyes. "What's going on in there? I don't know if I like that look or not."

"We can't go to the club _officially_ , but we could go to have a good time. We could hide across the room. They'd never know we were watching them."

"Oh, you're devious. If the boss finds us, he'll kill us," Elly said, not sure if Ned was a genius or an idiot.

"We'd be like, _ultra_ -undercover. It would be like spying on the spies. We could just have a good time and keep an innocent eye on them." Ned saw that Elly wasn't quite convinced. "Come on! You know you want to check out the DJ that Christopher hired anyway."

"Yeah, and Rise texted me this week to ask if I was okay, and invited us to come spend some time on the patio with him."

"See! It's perfect. Can we go? _Please_?" Ned wasn't sure why he was so hellbent on crashing the interrogations, but he'd felt left out of the field with the op and his neck, and he really wanted to be connected to the team somehow.

Elly looked at his phone to see what time it was and saw it was almost midnight. "I'll make you a deal. We'll go hang out with Rise on the patio, give us an excuse to be there, and we play it cool if we run into the team. We don't ask the team any questions, we stay as far away from the case as possible, and we can watch the bartenders' reactions to seeing us back in the club."

"Perfect! I just wish I had that stuff Tony and Abby put in my hair," Ned said, contemplating what he had to wear with him.

"I'm sure I have something that you can use," Elly said with a chuckle. "I have one request while we're there tonight."

"What's that?" Ned asked, looking at the serious expression on Elly's face.

"If I start drinking, keep me away from Tyson. I just might deck him."

"Oh. Tyson."

"Yeah."

"I just might deck him sober."

Elly sighed. "Trust me, I've contemplated that too, but I'm more comfortable leaving my past in the past than seeking revenge. Only slightly more comfortable though. I'm actually usually really clingy when I drink. You're more likely to have to keep me from laying my hands on you, not him."

"Why would I keep you from touching me?!" Ned asked with a smile. "Bring it!"

"Really?" Elly asked.

"Yeah! I mean, I love it when you touch me. I've always wanted someone who wasn't ashamed to be with me, and who would hold my hand, and put their arm around me in public, and kiss me in front of their friends. That kind of stuff. I'm sort of possessive, and I like when my boyfriends are, too. I mean, not possessive in the, like, suffocating way or anything. I'd never suffocate you. Figuratively or literally. I mean-"

Elly laughed and pulled Ned in to kiss him and make his rambling stop. He loved the idea of Ned being possessive over him. No one had ever wanted to keep him around very long, nonetheless _possess_ him. The idea of holding Ned's hand or hanging on him in the club like he'd watched so many other people do was really nice, and the knowledge that Ned would still want to be with him the next day was even better.

He pulled out of the kiss and looked at Ned. "I love you, Ned."

Ned smiled from ear to ear. "I love you, too, Elly."

Elly sighed happily. His cheeks hurt from smiling so brightly. "We should probably get going if we're going to do this."

"Alright!" Ned said, getting all excited and turning to jump out of bed. "Let's do this!"

* * *

Tony pulled up outside of the club with Tim next to him and Parke in the backseat.

"Do you see an FBI agent anywhere?" Tony asked.

"Uh. There are people everywhere. How are we going to know which one is the FBI agent?" Tim asked.

"There she is," Parke said from the backseat, pointing between the two men to a woman coming down the street past the line of patrons waiting to get in.

"Sticks out like a sore thumb," Tony said, looking at Tim before getting out of the Charger. The other men joined him and walked up to the woman.

"Special Agent DiNozzo?" she asked.

Tony nodded, extending his hand. "These are Special Agents McGee and Parke."

"Agent Dalum," she greeted, shaking his hand. "I was told I'm with you. Your forensic scientist should be getting Tripp's computer any time now."

"Great. Abby can get pretty far, and then after the interviews, if she still needs help, I'll join her," McGee confirmed.

"Sounds good. So this is the place, huh?" she asked, turning towards the crowd of people lined up to get in.

"Yeah, this is it," Tony said, leading the group to the door. When they got there, Nick looked surprised to see them.

"Hey folks! What can I do for you?" he asked.

"Hi, Nick. We need to question the staff. We've got a warrant." Tony watched Nick's confused expression.

"Okay. This about your boys?" he asked.

"Sort of."

"You still can't find Brianna?"

"No."

Nick nodded solemnly. "Come on through," he said. "Best of luck to you."

"Thanks," Tony said, moving past him with the others behind.

Parke had watched the situation unfold. Something felt off, but he couldn't put his finger on it. He followed the rest of the group, and kept his eyes open as he scanned the floor. They had hundreds of eyes staring at them as people stopped what they were doing to notice the four agents that stuck out of the crowd. Christopher saw them as he came down the stairs from the patio, and made a beeline for them.

"Come with me," he shouted over the music and took the group to the much quieter back room behind the bar. "That's better!" he said. "Now what can I do for you?"

"We found out that Brianna Middle was an FBI plant. She was undercover, and since the night of the drugging, she's gone missing."

"Whoa! Seriously?" Christopher exclaimed. "That's kind of cool. I mean, it's horrible that she's missing, but it's kind of cool that we've had an undercover agent in here. I didn't realize the drug problem was getting that much attention."

"It's not just the drug problem that drew her in," Dalum said. She looked at Tony. Tony realized he should introduce her.

"This is FBI Agent Dalum," Tony said. "This is Christopher Calvin. He owns the club."

Dalum nodded. "Agent Hilt was after human traffickers using clubs like this to offer girls drugs in order to make them pliable enough to kidnap."

"Oh, shit," he said, his eyes growing wide. "We've had all sorts of problems in here. It comes with the scene, but I haven't heard of anyone going _missing_. We've had people overdose, and someone even died, but no one has ever come looking for missing women."

"If they were used to using, they would be considered high risk, and their families probably wouldn't be looking for them. These are people who wouldn't think twice about taking a free hit of MDM or Existence for a little fun."

Christopher nodded, shocked by the claim. "I understand. I've been in the scene since I was a teenager, and I've seen a lot of things go down. I try hard to run as clean a club as possible, but we're only allowed to search someone so much, and stuff still gets in. If we find it, they get the permanent boot. If it's enough to share, we call the police. I frankly don't know how we've stayed in business this long because we're frequently turning people in."

"That's true," Tim said. "DC Narcotics said that they're always getting cases of people trying to sell X in here."

"How can I help?" Christopher asked.

"We need to talk to your staff," Tony said. "We don't need to pull them all at once, but we're going to have to take two at a time. We need separate interview areas for them, too."

"You can use this room, and there's a similar area up on the patio. Can we do one at a time from each level? That way it's not such a strain on the others." Christopher looked relieved when both Tony and Dalum nodded. "I'll take you upstairs and start sending people back."

"Thanks," Tony said. He turned to Dalum. "Are you good down here? I'll leave you with McGee."

"Sure," she said.

"Alright, Parke. Let's do this."

Parke turned to follow Tony and Christopher out of the back room and up to the patio level. He watched the colors and people dance around the room, and he thought about how different it was from Burgundy. It was a lot more energetic and the room carried an overall reckless vibe. _And this was Elly's world?_ he thought. _That's scary._

* * *

Elly and Ned were dressed and gathering up their things to take with them. Elly was searching for where he dropped his keys when he noticed Ned was loading his clip into his gun.

"Whoa. You're packing?" he asked, confused and bewildered.

"The last time we were at the club, someone tried to kill us. You've gotta be nuts if you think I'm not taking protection with me." Ned tucked his gun in the back of his pants, and slipped his badge next to it.

"For someone who hates his gun, this is surprising me a little."

Ned shrugged. "I do hate it, but it serves a purpose. Anyway, I can't drink with the meds they gave me for my neck. The anti-inflammatory doesn't make me loopy or anything, but it could really screw up my stomach if I drink with it."

"Then you're driving home!" Elly said with a smile, leaning in to kiss Ned as he slipped his jacket on over his piece.

"If you don't mind me driving your car," Ned said, turning towards the door to follow Elly who saw his keys sitting next to it on the TV stand.

"Not at all! Here ya go." He dropped the keys in Ned's hand, and the brunette laughed.

"You know this means I fully expect that touchy feely Elly you promised in return, right?" Ned said as they headed down the stairs to the front entrance together.

"If you want him, you'll get him. You may get him whether or not you want him!" Elly joked.

"I can't imagine ever not wanting him," Ned said, stopping Elly before he got into the car and kissing him.

Elly's head swam. He was being kissed on the sidewalk for everyone to see, and Ned had just said something so sweet to him, that he couldn't believe he was so damn lucky. He felt himself swoon against Ned, and Ned's arms wrapped around him securely.

"Come on," Ned finally said. "Let's go be clingy in front of everybody."

Elly laughed, but got in the car. He smiled at Ned as he got in on the driver's side. _Hopefully being clingy distracts him from wanting to get involved with the case. Boss is going to kill me for bringing Ned to the club with me. Hell, he's going to kill me for coming at all. Please don't let this get messy! Please don't let this get messy!_ He chanted the phrase to himself in his head, but visions danced across his mind of Tony finding them there and how horrible it would be. Still, something told him that he should go, and he was going to listen to that gut feeling and go get his cling on with his boyfriend.


	43. Chapter 43

Jethro woke up to the sound of the door creaking open. He looked over, hoping that it was Tony coming home. It was Amira was standing at the door with Dirt though, and he sat up so he could see her better.

"Hey, Munchkin. What're you doing up?" Jethro yawned and blinked hard as Amira came over to climb up on the bed with him.

"Where's Tony?" she asked.

"He had to go to work for a while. He'll be back though," Jethro said, pulling back the blankets for Amira to join him. She snuggled up with him, and put Dirt on the pillow next to her.

"Oh. Okay."

Jethro realized she sounded disappointed, and he tried to shrug it off. "You okay?" he asked her.

She shook her head no reluctantly. "I want Mommy," she whispered.

"Come here, Munchkin." Jethro hugged her tightly to him. Amira tried not to cry, but Jethro could feel the hiccup like sobs struggling in her chest. "I miss her, too," he admitted to her. "She was very important to me." He brushed Amira's hair out of her face as he looked down on her in the streetlight.

"You-you do?" Amira asked, her voice choked.

"Yeah. I miss her a whole heck of a lot," Jethro said, thinking about how he found Leyla on the floor with her eyes open. His eyes closed hard as he tried to erase the vision from his mind so he could focus on Amira.

"Me, too," Amira said.

"I know, sweetheart. She loved you very, very, very much." He contemplated what he wanted to say, and whether or not he should for a moment, but then he went with it. "The last thing your mommy said on the phone to me was to keep you safe, and I promise that I will _always_ keep you safe. And Tony and I will always, _always_ love you. I know it's not the same, but I hope it's enough."

Amira buried her head in Jethro's chest and started crying. He held her tightly and rocked her back and forth silently while she cried. He'd felt jealous when she'd cried with Tony, but now that she was crying with him, he hurt in a way that he hadn't felt since Shannon and Kelly died. It took everything in him not to join her.

* * *

Elly and Ned drove past the club to find a parking space, and saw an NCIS Charger parked at the door.

"They're here," Ned said.

"Yep," Nelly confirmed. "And thankfully the line is pretty short since it's so late."

They were able to snag a spot around the corner as someone pulled out. They'd decided to wait in line instead of flashing their badges to feed the half-truth behind them just being there to see Rise. They got in the small line with the others, and Nick shuffled people in one by one. When they were just a couple of people from the front of the line, Nick realized who they were. Ned and Elly looked at each other as they saw Nick turn white as a ghost. When they were next, they smiled and said hello.

"You two didn't have to wait. The rest of your people are inside questioning-"

"We're not here with our team tonight," Elly interrupted. "We're just here to hang with Rise. We're not allowed to work our own case now that we're sure it was an attempted murder."

They both noted that Nick looked a little upset.

"Attempted _murder_?" he asked.

"Yeah. The levels we were dosed with were lethal," Ned said, trying to read Nick better. "If we hadn't of shared a glass, we'd probably both be gone."

"Wow!" Nick exclaimed. "Well I'm glad you guys are okay. You're crazy to be back in here after all that, but hell- more power to you. Rise has the patio packed tonight. Enjoy yourselves!"

They moved into the club, and then Elly pulled Ned aside up against a wall. "Was that a little weird to you?"

"He was acting weird. Definitely weird," Ned agreed. Elly glanced past Ned towards the door to see that Nick was on his cell phone, a young woman's ID in his other hand.

"He's calling someone," Elly said. "We're going to have to keep an eye on him."

"Going to be kind of hard from upstairs," Ned pointed out.

"Yeah. Come on. Let's get up there before Boss finds us down there being suspicious."

Ned grabbed his hand. "Should we tell him our concerns? I mean, we're just here to unwind, not get involved, right? Warning him that something is off seems like it would be our responsibility."

"Can you see how well he'd take that? 'Oh, you're just here to party? On the night we happen to be interrogating the staff? A week after someone tried to kill you here? That's just fine!'"

Ned rolled his eyes. "If we tell him, we're being up front with him. Otherwise, we're hiding something, and we need to prove that we have nothing to hide by being here."

Elly nodded and then looked around the room. "Let's text Parke and tell him. That way at least someone knows, and we'll let him be the judge about whether or not to tell Boss."

"Sounds fair," Ned agreed. They started making their way to the staircase that would take them upstairs, and Elly pulled his phone out to text Parke their situation.

- _Boss will kill you for being here._

"See! Told you!" Elly said, showing Ned the phone as they made their way across the patio towards the DJ booth.

"I'd rather have Boss kill me than someone else," Ned said. That made Elly stop a moment and think. He shrugged, and kept going towards Rise.

"Let's just try to enjoy ourselves," he shouted to be heard over the changing rhythm of the music.

They made their way up on to Rise's platform, and the man turned to them with surprised smiles.

"No way! Balls of steel man!" he said, reaching out first a hand, and then pulling Elly in for a hug. He repeated the action with Ned, who smiled at the welcome.

"We were already knocked out for the night when our Boss called. They're in here questioning the staff about what they saw that night."

"Ah, so you're in here on work then?" Rise asked.

"Nope! We're just here to chill. We're not a part of the case now that they've deemed it an attempted murder."

"Holy shit! Attempted murder?!" Rise shouted. He held up a finger to signal he needed a second to adjust the sound settings. Ned saw he chewed his lower lip in a soft of disbelief as he worked, and his expression was genuinely concerned when he turned back to them.

"So, the amount they put in our glasses was lethal. If we hadn't been sharing a glass…" Elly drifted off, reaching to take Ned's hand. "We wouldn't be here," he finished softly, his eyes staring into Ned's.

"Whoa. That's pretty heavy shit," Rise said.

"Yeah. But enough of that! This place is packed!" Elly said, his mood changing on a dime as he looked around at the crowd and smiled.

"I know, right?! It's awesome! We have even bigger crowds than we used to have at the old place on each floor! It's phenomenal. We couldn't ask for a better turn out. Oh, just a sec."

Ned loved watching Elly's eyes shine and his smile beam. This was his element, his happy place, and he was ecstatic to be able to share it with him. He had no doubts that this is where they were meant to be tonight if it made Elly look that happy. He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and frowned. He pulled it out and saw that Tony had texted him.

- _What in the hell are you guys doing here?!_

_\- -We're hanging out with Rise?_

Ned looked around the room frantically, knowing Tony was probably watching them. He saw him standing by the bar across the room, staring at him with a glare that surpassed anything Gibbs had ever given him. He couldn't look away, but he reached out to pull on Elly's sleeve, who was leaning over the sound panel with Rise, going over some things.

Elly looked up for a second, then back down, then back up when he realized Ned was paralyzed. He followed his gaze and saw Tony staring at them from across the room with a death glare. Ned handed Elly his phone to see the message that was sent. Elly looked over the message, and then took a deep breath, pulling out his own phone to text Tony back.

\- _Rise invited us to hang out with him this weekend. I figured the safest night for us to be here was when you all were here, so we're here. We're not getting involved in your thing, but you should know that Nick was acting really, really weird when we came in._

Ned watched Tony look at his phone, and his eyes finally moved to Elly.

"What did you say?" Ned asked. Elly showed him his phone. Ned exhaled deeply. "Very plausible. Nice save."

"I'm going to go talk to him and get a drink. You want anything?" Elly asked, seeing Tony staring at him again.

"A diet would be good, thanks."

"Be right back." He leaned in and kissed Ned before leaving the platform. Ned smiled after him, suddenly not caring that Tony was cross the room ready to obliterate him with his stare.

"You guys are really cute together," Rise said from next to him.

"Thanks," Ned said with a grin.

"What's going on?" he asked, moving his head in the direction of where Elly was heading.

"Our boss found out we're here," Ned said with a groan.

"So? Just tell him you're here to raise the roof with me. No big."

"He did in text, and I think that he's about to go do it face to face. Hold your breath. I'm not sure how this is going to turn out."

The two men stood side by side watching Elly approach Tony with baited breath. They glanced at each other once he met up with him, then looked back to watch the situation unfold.

"Your boss really doesn't look happy. Kid is braver then me, that's for sure."

"You're telling me," Ned said. "I guess that's why he's the Senior Field Agent though. If any of us can keep Tony from blowing his top, I'd bet on Elly."

"Elly?" Rise asked.

"It's what the team calls him. His mom used to call him that. It's a long story," Ned explained with a shrug.

Rise nodded. "Well, Elly isn't dead yet, so I guess you're right."

"We'll see."

* * *

Tony had come out from the room behind the bar to switch out the bartender they'd been questioning for another, when he thought he saw something odd from the corner of his eye. He turned towards the DJ and was shocked to see Elly and Dorney up on the platform.

"What in the _hell_ is he thinking?!" Tony asked aloud. He noticed Elly was engaged with the DJ, so he texted Ned instead. He watched as Ned took out his phone and then felt his own vibrate a moment later. He glanced down at it, shaking his head. When he looked back up at Ned, he was staring right at him. He watched Ned steal Elly's attention, and watched as Elly pulled out his phone as well. A minute later his phone was lighting up with Elly's text.

After reading the text, he was only a little pacified. He had expected Elly to know better than to show his face there while they were interrogating the staff. They could compromise the integrity of the whole thing. He was disappointed, and he was pissed. He had to give it to Elly though when he saw him walking towards him. At least he was manning up and coming to address the situation.

"I don't know why you're mad," Elly said as he approached him, a wary look on his face.

"Seriously? You knew we're going to be here tonight to question people about _your_ attempted murder, and you don't know why I'm mad?" Tony said.

"If anything, our presence is going to scare people out of the woodwork. Like I said, Nick took one look at us and began panicking. It's like baiting the criminal to slip up. Is someone looking into Nick?" Elly challenged.

"Let _me_ worry about the investigation. You two should go."

Elly took a deep breath. "No. We came to hang out with our friend tonight, to have some sense of normalcy. After the week we've had, a little bit of normal is nice. We deserve it."

"Then go get dinner! Go to another club! Why does it have to be this one?" Tony said in disbelief that Elly of all people was telling him no.

"Because this is where Rise works," he said. "This is where we were invited. This is where my gut is telling me I'm supposed to be tonight. Pick one, but I'm getting a drink, and Ned and I are going to chill out." Elly turned towards the bar next to him, and waited to catch the eye of a bartender.

"Damn it, Elijah!" Tony cursed. "I want you two safe, and you aren't here!"

Elly turned back to Tony. "I want us safe, too, which is why we decided to come on a night when you all were here. I'm not going to let _anyone_ intimidate me. Besides, Ned's not drinking because of his meds, and he'll keep an eye on me. We're not here as agents tonight, Boss. Let us enjoy ourselves."

Tony was about to rebuttal when Christopher joined them.

"Elijah!" he greeted. "I'm so glad to see you! I didn't get to pay you yet for last weekend. With how everything turned wonky, it was the last thing on my mind."

"I'd completely forgotten, myself," Elijah said with a smile.

"I'm glad to see we haven't scared you away. Rise was talking about you all week. He was hoping you'd come up this weekend."

Elly smiled at Christopher, grateful that he'd just proven his point. "Yeah, Ned and I came to see him while the team is here to protect us. Right, Boss?" Elly said, reaching out to give a playful punch to Tony's arm.

"We're going to talk about this," Tony said, giving Elly a definite glare.

"Just as long as you look into that thing I mentioned," Elly said with a saccharine smile.

"We'll look into it alright, as long as you _don't_."

"I've told you, Boss- we're here to relax. We don't _want_ to be involved. I just want a normal night hanging out with my boyfriend." Elly turned back to Christopher and smiled. "He's mad at me," he announced. "Doesn't think I'm safe here."

Tony growled and turned to walk away.

"I'm not sure _anyone_ is safe here anymore," Christopher said with a sigh. "I'd close if I wouldn't be putting over a dozen people out of work."

"Really?" Elly asked.

"Yeah. I'm getting a little old to be dealing with this kind of drama. Even Rise has mentioned that it's getting to be too much for him. Nick and Tyson still want to make a go of it though, so here we are. I'm thinking last weekend may have been a wakeup call for them. We'll see. Don't get me wrong- I love the business. The drug problem though is outta control, and with what Agent DiNozzo just told us about-" Christopher looked around and leaned in so he could speak quieter. "-about the traffickers, I'm about to just give up."

"That's not fair to you. You've just put in all this effort to get this place reopened and it's amazing! I understand what you're saying, but it sucks."

"That's life. It comes with the scene though. I'm sure you remember from before."

Elly smiled ruefully. "Yeah. It was a totally different life back then. Definitely not who I am now. They clash so hardcore it isn't funny."

Christopher smiled knowingly. "Yeah- me too. I used to be out there on the floors with them, making stupid choices, oftentimes with other people, but now I'm terrified for them."

Elly nodded. "Same here. Same here…" he sighed heavily.

"Let me go write you a check. I'll be right back. If you're feeling brave enough, your drinks are on me."

"Thanks!" Elly said. He definitely needed something after his argument with Tony. Thing was, as soon as he started hanging out with Rise and Ned, he really _didn't_ want to be involved in the case anymore. He didn't feel like spying on the team, or snooping around. He just really wanted to hang with his boyfriend and friend, and put work and all of the craziness behind him.

He caught the bartender's attention, who looked surprised to see him, but took his order for a double shot of tequila, a diet, and a long island. The tequila went down quickly, and Elly was sucking on a lime when Christopher came over with a check for him. He didn't even look at it before he folded it and put it in his back pocket. They chatted for another minute, and then Elly took the drinks over to Ned and Rise who were talking about how Rise got involved with Synthinity.

Ned smiled and reached for his soda. "So? How did it go?"

"Oh, he's pissed at me. I don't think he's mad at you. I think it's one of those things that he figures his SFA should have known better, but I explained that we came here to relax tonight, not get involved with the case, and he didn't buy it. I hate to disappoint your curiosity, but I don't want to get involved. I just want to relax tonight."

Ned nodded and slipped his arms around Elly's waist. "I'm fine with that. I get it. Let's just enjoy ourselves."

Elly smiled and exhaled. "I love you."

"I love you, too," Ned said with a smile. "Rise was telling me how he was suckered into working here."

Rise laughed as he worked the controls in front of him, grinning from ear to ear as he watched the two men next to him. They hung out over the next hour, enjoying the conversation together and with the people that came up to greet them. Parke came over to get Rise to have his interview, and Rise looked at them with wide eyes.

"Uh… Elijah? Can you take over the tables for me?"

Elly looked up at him and then at Parke and Ned. "Sure! I'll do my best!"

Ned watched Rise walk away with Parke, and then watched Elly flip through the track listing. He found some songs he knew would fit the ambiance of the patio, and set them to play after the tracks that Rise already had chosen.

"I'm going to run to the restroom," Ned said, kissing Elly on the cheek before he walked away to leave him to focus on the sound equipment.

When Ned came back, he saw two girls flirting shamelessly with Elly on the platform. Elly wasn't exactly flirting back, but he was doing the song and dance he'd have to do to charm them as the DJ. Ned couldn't put his finger on it, but he recognized the two from somewhere. He figured he'd seen them the week before, but something had him on high alert suddenly. He rejoined Elly and smiled at the two, slipping his hand around Elly's waist and whispering in his ear.

"Everything okay?" he asked.

"Yeah? Why wouldn't it be?" he asked quietly back into Ned's ear.

"Not sure," Ned said, giving a quick glance back at the two young women with funky hair and short skirts.

Elly smiled broadly and introduced Ned. "Ladies, this is my boyfriend, Ned."

Ned smiled and reached to shake their hands. The one girl smiled at him a little too brightly. "Hi, Ned. I'm Shana and this is my girlfriend Rachel." For some reason, that didn't settle Ned's nerves. He'd figured it was jealousy that had his bells and whistles ringing, but he couldn't shake the idea that he'd seen these two before.

"Nice to meet you both," he said. "Is this your first time here?"

"No," Shana answered. "We were here last weekend for the grand opening. Saw Elijah here and we were excited to see he's back at the table!"

"It's very temporary," Elly said with a chuckle. "Like, twenty minutes temporary while Rise takes a break."

"Oh, that's sad," Rachel said. "We really loved your show last weekend."

"Thanks, but my day job is kind of an all the time job, so it's hard to get to do this very often." Elly was eating up the attention, and Ned liked to see him happy. He watched the girls closely though while they stuck around for the next few minutes to chat it up.

Elly worked the tables for another ten minutes while Ned watched. He sipped on his drink, and Ned drank down his now flat diet cola. When Rise came back, he smiled broadly, approving of the track that was playing.

"I'd totally forgot about this song! Good choice!"

Elly turned the tables back over to him with a smile, and Ned saw that his face was a little flushed. It was cute and endearing to see him blush over such small praise. Elly picked up his glass to drink down a good portion of it, hiding his grin.

"We should coordinate sometime, and you should cover for me when I need to go out of town!" Rise said. "I know you can't do this often, but you're a natural, and it's hard to watch talent like that go dormant. Not that there's anything wrong with being a Federal Agent man, I'm proud to know you, but there's a spark in you when you're at the tables!"

"Thanks! We just may have to do that," Elly said, slipping his arm around Ned. Elly felt all of the attention going to his head, and Ned was enjoying having Elly's arm around him every chance he got. As the night went on, Elly got clingier, and clingier, just as he promised. He finished his drink, and Ned looked at him oddly.

"Are you still on your first one?" he asked.

"Well, I had a double shot of tequila before this, and it was a long island. Lots of liquor in there!" he said, giggling as he leaned on Ned. Suddenly Elly sat up, a confused look on his face.

"What?" Ned said, the hair on the back of his neck standing up and everything in him on high alert.

"The colors," he said, looking up at Ned with wide eyes.

"Oh, shit."

Elly nodded. "You're right. I am too clingy for just some tequila and a long island. What the hell?"

Ned looked at Rise, who looked panicked. "You've gotta be shittin' me, man," Rise said, shaking his head.

"I'm gonna be sick," Elly said, clinging to Ned so he could stand without falling over. Rise floundered a moment before he reached for a trash can under the table. Ned pulled the bag out so that Elly was throwing up directly into the plastic container.

"Rise, go get my boss," Ned said. "And get Christopher. I think I know who did it."

Rise jumped down off the platform and started pushing his way through the crowd to find Tony. Ned looked down at Elly. "Your new friends Shana and Rachel. I remember them now. They were waiting in line last week when Nick was leading us inside. Hang in there, honey. I got you."

"I need to touch you, baby. Please let me touch you." Elly's voice was pleading and heartbreaking.

"You are touching me," Ned said gently, looking into Elly's eyes. "I've got you. You can touch me. It's okay."

Ned's arms pulled Elly close to him, and Elly's arms starting rubbing up and down Ned's back and up into his hair. He started kissing Ned's neck, and Ned growled. It wasn't fair to be enjoying this, and his neck was killing him, but it was taking everything in him to not get aroused by Elly's touches.

Rise returned with Tony and Greg, and they all stepped down off the platform and to the side. Christopher joined them, pushing through the crowds in a rush. Tony looked at them with surprisingly compassionate eyes. Ned was expecting an "I told you so" right off the bat, but Tony was more worried than angry.

"What happened?" he asked.

"There are two girls," Ned said. "One with pink, purple and brunette hair, and the other with yellow, blue and green. They were alone with him while I went to the restroom, and he was busy working the tables for Rise during his interview. I remember those two girls got out of line last week when Nick was leading us in. He'd said extra loud at the time that we were Feds, and I thought then that it was to scare off anyone who might be trying to carry into the club, but now I think he was warning them specifically."

"You think _Nick_ is involved?" Christopher asked in disbelief.

"Ned, we need to get him to the hospital. His breathing got really funny last time," Tony directed.

"I'll take him," Ned said. He reached down and handed Tony the bucket of puke. "Here's what he lost just now."

"Oh, god," Tony said, not realizing in time what he was looking at before he smelled it. "I should take him. I have the Charger. I can turn the lights on."

"Okay," Ned said. "I'll follow you."

"You're going to leave me?!" Elly said. "No! Please don't leave me! Please?!"

Ned's heart broke. "Okay. I'll ride with you guys then. Greg? Can you take his car?" he handed the keys to Parke who nodded.

"Let's go," Tony said. "Parke, I want you to get Tim and Dalum and find those girls! And, I want Nick brought in for questioning!"

"On it!" Parke said, immediately pushing his way through the crowd to clear a path for the group.

Tony and Ned led Elly outside to the Charger. Tony was out the door a good minute or two before them because Elly kept trying to grope Ned as they walked, and Ned kept having to push his hands to more kosher parts of his body. He had to make him let go completely to get through the narrow doorway where people were flowing inside and out. Once they finally made it outside, they stepped into the middle of Dalum trying to handcuff Nick.

Everything happened at once. Nick twisted free of Dalum, slamming her against the wall, knocking her out cold, and he pulled a gun from his back waistband. Ned reached for Elly to try to pull him back with him to safety inside, but it was too late. Nick caught Elly by the wrist and pulled him towards him. His arm went around Elly's neck, and the gun went to Elly's head.

The entire world froze, and Ned felt his movements like they were in slow motion. He reached for his gun behind his back, and pulled it out to aim directly at Nick's head. He noticed movement from the corner of his eye and realized Tony was getting back out of the car and ducking down, his weapon aimed over the hood. Ned yelled for Nick to put the gun down or he was going to shoot, and then he counted to three. Nick didn't let go, but jerked Elly so hard he cried out. There was no hesitation after that. Ned pulled the trigger. It kicked back, and he pulled it again.

Everything went into fast forward. Nick fell backwards, and Elly toppled over with him. Tony ran out from behind the car and both he and Ned ran forward. Tony kicked Nick's gun away and then picked it up. Ned bent over Elly, wrapping his arms around him tightly. Tony felt for Nick's pulse, though the shot to the head made it obvious he wasn't going to find one. He then went over to Dalum and dialed 9-1-1 when he couldn't raise her. Elly and Ned just held on to one another tightly.

McGee and Parke came out of the club with two girls in handcuffs to find the scene, and looked at each other in disbelief.

"Ned! Elly! Are you guys okay?" Parke shouted. Ned could only nod. Elly was okay, and that's all that he needed.

* * *

Tony and Ned sat in chairs outside of a hospital room. Ned was numb from head to toe, inside and out.

"You two shouldn't have come tonight," Tony said.

Ned looked up at him finally. "If we hadn't, this would still be dragging on."

"Your boyfriend, my Senior Field Agent, is lying in that room with an IV in him."

"And I had to kill a man tonight," Ned said matter-of-factly. "Tony, I can't even have a night out with _my_ boyfriend, _your_ Senior Field Agent, without all hell breaking loose. This isn't just a job- it's a lifestyle. It's one that we're never going to get away from. It's one that we're never going to be safe from. Tonight, tomorrow night, this club, another… I…" Ned shook his head.

"It's my fault, though. I wanted to be here tonight to see what happened with the case. He didn't. He wanted to come hang out with Rise. I was so upset to have been left out of so much this week, and I was feeling disconnected from the team. I wanted to feel like I was a part of it, even if I couldn't actually be a part of it. And so we came, but we had no intentions of getting involved.

"When Nick started acting weird at the door, I knew in my gut that he was our guy. That he had something to do with it. I wasn't supposed to be there though, and I wasn't allowed to be involved, so I didn't do anything about it. I never want to be in a position again where I can't do something about it when I know there's a problem. I need to know I can come to you, no matter how badly I've screwed up, and I didn't trust that tonight."

The doctor came across the hall from another room, and nodded to them. He went in, and a few minutes later came out. "He's asking for Ned," he said.

Ned jumped to his feet, and moved past him into the room. He pulled up a chair to the side of the bed and wrapped his fingers in with Elly's. His other hand reached up to caress Elly's cheek, and he gave him a sad smile.

"Hey handsome," Elly said with a sleepy smile.

"Hey, baby. How you feeling?" Ned asked.

"A lot different than last time. They have something flowing through this tube to neutralize the drugs. I'm really tired, but I feel closer to normal."

"Good! Good. I'm glad you're okay," Ned said.

"Thank you. I know that wasn't easy for you."

A wave of emotion came over Ned, and it felt like someone was squeezing his heart. "It was nothing compared to the idea of losing you." He suddenly burst into tears. He wrapped both of his hands around the hand he'd been holding, and brought it to his lips before bending over and resting his forehead on Elly's arm while he cried. Elly's other hand came up to run through Ned's curls, but he could only move it so much with the IV in that arm.

"I'm okay, baby. I'm okay. It's all okay."

"No, it's not! I could've lost you tonight. It was my stupid idea to go to the club, it was me who pushed it. I left you alone while you were too busy to watch your drink. I should've been there!"

"You _were_ there!" Elly practically shouted. "You didn't hesitate, just like I knew you wouldn't. When the time came, and I needed you to really be there, you didn't hesitate. You took Nick down, and you saved me. You protected me. I wouldn't be here without you. I saw Tony's position. He didn't have a clear shot. Who knows what would have happened to me if you didn't take the shot. I could be with Brandy Hilt, wherever she may be, or I could be dead! You saved me, Ned. Anything else is completely irrelevant to me."

"You need to rest," Ned said, not willing to agree with him.

"You do, too," Elly said softly.

"I can't sleep. I can't leave you here. I am too wired. Just try to rest. I'll be here."

Elly looked at Ned's haggard expression, and he knew better than to argue. "Okay. I'll rest."

"What did the doctor say?"

"That I can probably go home in an hour or so when they get the bloodwork back. I'm responding well to the IV, and I'm not experiencing any difficult breathing like I did last time."

"Good," Ned said with a sigh. "I can't wait to curl up and go to sleep with you."

"That sounds amazing right now," Elly said, squeezing Ned's hand. "Soon, baby. Soon."

Outside of the room, Fornell had found Tony in the hallway. "What the hell happened?" he asked.

"Have a seat, Tobias. Let me tell you a story."

"Is it a long one?" Tobias asked as he sat down.

"Length is relative. We went to the club to do the interviews, but found out that Dorneget and Critten had decided to pop in to visit a friend of theirs who DJs there."

"Bad move," Tobias said.

"That's what I was thinking. They'd pretty much figured out when they got there that the bouncer was in on it all because he was acting squirrelly. They figured staying out of the case meant not reporting it to me, but they had no choice once someone drugged Elly again."

"You've gotta be kidding me?" Tobias said.

"Nope. The kid is in here with an IV of drugs to counteract the Existence they gave him."

"Damn."

"It gets better. As we're getting ready to leave to bring him here, Dalum was trying to arrest the bouncer. He throws her off of him and she hits the wall, gets knocked unconscious. Then he grabs Elly and takes him hostage. Ned took the bastard out."

Tobias looked at Tony, and then shook his head as he looked across the hall. "Is Dalum around here?" he asked.

"Right across the hall. She's conscious, but she had a concussion."

"I'll be back," he said as he got up.

"I'll be here," Tony said. He pulled out his phone and began a long text to Jethro explaining the situation to him. He chuckled sardonically to himself. _He's not going to believe this one._

* * *

Ned helped Elly into the apartment. He was more than a little lightheaded after going up the stairs, and he needed Ned's help to hold him steady. Once the door was closed and locked behind them, Ned led Elly into the bedroom.

"I guess we're not going to get to help McGee and Abby move," Elly said with a poor attempt at a laugh.

"They're going to wait until Sunday," Ned said, pulling Elly's shirt over his head, wincing as it hurt his neck to do so.

"Careful, baby. I can do this part myself. Don't hurt yourself." Elly unbuckled his pants and pushed them to the floor, leaving his boxers on. Ned stripped down to his as well, and then led Elly to the bed. They pulled back the covers and crawled in, and Ned pulled Elly onto him. Elly laid his head on Ned's chest, and sighed heavily. He was almost asleep, Ned's fingers running through his hair, when Ned whispered "I love you."

Elly whispered it back.

"Elly?" Ned whispered.

"Hmm?" Elly murmured dozily.

"Would I be absolutely crazy to ask you to marry me?"

Elly sat up, his arms still around Ned's torso, and looked him in the eyes.

"Are you serious?" he asked.

"In a split second tonight, I saw a flash of what my life would be without you in it, and I don't ever, _ever_ want to feel that way again. I know what I want, and it's you. Forever."

Elly was in shock. For a moment he thought he was hallucinating because of the drugs. He blinked hard a few times, his mouth hanging open.

"I'm crazy, aren't I?" Ned asked. All Elly could do for a long moment is shake his head no. He finally closed his mouth and swallowed hard.

"No. You're not crazy."

They stared back and forth at each other for a long minute. "I don't want to spend a minute of my life without you either," Elly began. "And I want… I want to say yes. _God I want to say yes._ But I have a feeling that you're running on the emotions of the night, and tomorrow, or in a couple of days, you're going to regret asking."

Ned shook his head, reaching to smooth out Elly's hair and looked back into his eyes. "Elly Critten, I'm asking you to spend the rest of your life with me. To put up with my OCD quirks, to support me in my career as I support you in yours, to wake up with me every day and go to sleep with me every night. I'm asking you to be the man I grow with, not just grow old with. The man who'll be by my side as I change and evolve over and over again, and I want to be by your side as you grow, and change, and I want to fall in love with you over and over again as you do. You're my Mr. Right. I know this like I know the sky is blue, the grass is green, and the sun is warm. Nothing has ever felt _so right_ as being with you, and I want to be with you forever. I know nothing can take you away from me but death, and I know nothing will ever give me a second doubt that you're the one for me. I want to promise you my life, and I want to tell the world how much you mean to me."

Elly's breathing sped up and his heart raced. He couldn't believe what he was hearing, and the words made his eyes burn with tears.

"Will you marry me?" Ned asked.

Elly's mouth hung open just a moment while the tears fell, then he nodded. "Uh-huh." He swallowed again. "Yes. I'll grow with you as you grow with me. I'll support you as you support me. And I'll promise you my life, and I'll tell everyone how much you will always mean to me. I'll marry you."

He scooted up so that he was face to face with Ned, and leaned in to kiss him. The kiss lasted for what felt like hours and seconds. It was full of so much emotion, passion, and trust. When they finally pulled away, Elly opened his eyes.

"You would ask me when I'm too weak to make love to you," he whispered with a soft chuckle.

"It's okay. We have the rest of our lives," Ned said with sparkling eyes and a bright smile.

"Yes," Elly said. "Yes we do." He leaned back in, and they kissed again, getting lost in each other.

* * *

"What are you doing home?" Jethro whispered when Tony came into the bedroom.

"Fornell took the girls into custody. With their agent missing, and this being tied to the trafficking case, they have first dibs. I'm too exhausted to care." Tony spoke quietly, seeing Amira and Dirt snuggled up with Jethro. "She okay?"

"No. She's grieving. She will be though," Jethro whispered back.

Tony nodded, pulling off his clothes down to his boxers and t-shirt. He crawled into bed with his family, and reached across Amira to kiss Jethro, then kissed Amira's head. She stirred from her sleep.

"Gibbsy?" she asked.

"I'm right here, Munchkin. Tony is, too. Go back to sleep."

"Tony?" she asked.

"I'm right here," Tony said.

"Good," she said, then turned and tucked herself into him. He held her tightly, closing his eyes and sighing. They were both out like a light in seconds.

Jethro rolled over and watched them sleep. He thought about how this was their life now, and he didn't regret a minute of it. A few days before, he'd been contemplating how jealous he would have been if he had to share Tony with someone, and how hard it would be to give up his time alone with him, but watching the two sleep next to him was satisfying in a way he didn't know could exist. This was his family. He once again had a family, and he was hellbent and determined to enjoy it, even with such morose circumstances.

Four hours later, the sun warmed the room to the point that having three people under the same blanket was stifling. Jethro awoke to the stickiness of it all and grimaced. He tossed the blanket off of him, and Tony grumbled and tossed it back. Amira tossed and turned amidst it all, and groaned. Jethro got up and headed for the bathroom. He had a few phone calls that had to be made that morning to finalize the funeral arrangements, and he wanted to do them before Amira was up and needed his attention.

He finished his business, grabbed his cell, and headed for the kitchen to make some coffee. As it brewed, he pulled the number off the pad on the counter and dialed it. The funeral director answered, and they discussed the details they'd tentatively laid out on Thursday and Friday. It was confirmed that the funeral could take place on Monday, and then Tony called Leon to let him know they'd need the day off.

As he was wrapping up the conversation, and his first mug of coffee, he heard footsteps above him. He hung up the phone, and began pulling out the makings for bacon and eggs. By time Tony and Amira came downstairs, he was cracking eggs into a bowl, and the first layer of bacon was starting to heat up in the skillet.

Amira came down the stairs with Tony, and then she ran into the kitchen.

"No running in the house, Munchkin," Jethro told her.

"Ooooookay," she said. "Whatcha making?"

"Eggs and bacon. Do you like eggs and bacon?" he asked. Tony appeared in the doorway, his hair disheveled and a pair of PJ pants on over his boxers.

"I do!" Tony said, then yawned as he headed for the coffee. He poured himself a cup, and then reached over to kiss Jethro on the cheek.

"I think I do," Amira said. She turned to Tony. "Can I have a blue?" she asked.

"No. Milk or juice with breakfast. You can have a blue later."

"Juice!" she said, then ran for the living room.

"Amira! What did I tell you about running in the house?" Jethro called after her.

"Sorry!" she shouted from the other room. "I forgot."

"Uh-huh. Try harder to remember."

"Okay. I promise."

"Come sit at the table with your juice," Tony told her as he poured her a glass and took it to the dining room. He came back and put the jug in the fridge, then picked up his mug and took a big drink.

"Funeral is Monday morning," Jethro said quietly.

"Oh," Tony said. "Does Leon know?"

"Yeah. I called him."

"What can I do?" Tony asked, putting his coffee down and sliding his hands around Jethro's waist from behind as he tended to the bacon.

"We need to go over to the house today and get Amira's things," he said. "I was going to have us do it tomorrow, but with the kids moving their stuff tomorrow now, we won't be able to."

"Okay. I'll go grab a shower, that way I can get Amira ready after breakfast while you get ready."

"That sounds like a plan," Jethro said, turning to wrap his arms around Tony and suddenly kiss him deeply.

"Wow. Good morning to you, too!" Tony said with a smile, suddenly feeling much better about the day. Jethro smiled back.

"Needed that," he whispered.

"Me, too," Tony said, grinning from ear to ear.

"I'm glad your guys are alright. They're idiots, but I'm glad they're alright."

"Yeah. Elly and I will be talking on Monday- er- I guess Tuesday now, but we're going to talk. He's already gotten what's coming to him. Karma took care of that, but he needs to know that I'm not happy."

"I agree- on both accounts," Jethro said.

"Ned said something to me, and it has me feeling all sorts of wrong. He said that he needed to know he could come to me no matter how badly he screwed up, and he didn't feel like he could last night. I need to know where that's coming from, and I need to cut it off at the pass."

Jethro looked surprised. "That's pretty big. I imagine it's much bigger than you and your team though."

"I hope so, because no matter how mad I was at them last night, their wellbeing meant more to me, and knowing that they trust me means more to me. I need to fix whatever is broken there."

Jethro nodded. "You will."

Tony nodded and took a deep breath. Jethro let him go and turned back to the bacon before it could burn.

"I should make appointments for us to get fitted for our jackets for the wedding when I get a free moment today," Tony said as he headed out of the room. He smirked to himself knowing that Jethro was rolling his eyes behind him. He stopped to kiss Amira on her head as he walked by. "Be good for Gibbsy while I take a shower," he said. "And no running in the house!"

He stopped by the TV and flipped it on to find the cartoon channel already selected. "You can leave your juice at the table if you want to watch cartoons."

Amira jumped up, but remembered to _walk_ to the living room to plop down on the couch to watch Mickey and Minnie singing about colors, and Tony shook his head with a grin as he headed upstairs. He picked up his phone from the nightstand before heading into the bathroom, and flipped through the screens to get to his messages.

- _I just got a text from Elly! Ned asked him to marry him last night!_

Tony almost dropped the phone.

\- - _WHAT?!_

_\- I KNOW!_

_\- - You're joking, right? They're joking… they've gotta be…_

_-Nope. It was apparently out of the blue, but Elly said yes._

Tony turned around and ran through the hall and down the stairs, all the way to the kitchen.

"No running!" Amira called.

"Jethro!" Tony shouted as he came through the dining room. "Look at this!" He handed him the phone.

"What the…? You need to talk to them."

"And say what? You and I were only dating for a few weeks when we got engaged."

Jethro turned back to the bacon. "But we'd known each other for years. It's different."

"Is it? You've seen how happy they are together."

"They've only been together for a week!" Jethro said. "Everyone is happy together their first week!"

"I don't know. This is probably because of how crazy last night was, you know, but I've had a feeling since they first said something about being into each other that this was it for them, you know? It's been a good feeling."

"Rushing into marriage isn't a good idea," Jethro said. "I would know."

"True. But who says they're getting married right away?" Tony asked.

"You should talk to them. Today. Before they do something stupid like elope."

"D.C. has a three day waiting period for marriage licenses. And there's a chance that the op might heat up this afternoon, so Ned isn't going to just hop a plane to Vegas."

"There's always Atlantic City or somewhere else. You need to call them," Jethro said. Tony sighed.

"We have closer matters to attend to today," he said, trying to get out of it.

"You have more than one thing to talk to them about. I'll have Dad go with me to the house."

"No," Tony said. "I really want to be there. Let's invite them over to dinner tonight, and maybe Jack and keep Amira distracted long enough to talk to them about it all."

"Okay. Go ahead and call them. I'll call Dad."

Tony opened his contact list as he made his way back upstairs. He dialed Elly's number. It took five rings for him to pick up.

"Hi, Boss," he said tentatively.

"We need to talk."


	44. Chapter 44

Tony and Amira got out of the car in front of Leyla's house. Amira reached for Tony to pick her up, and he did so without a second thought, glad to be holding on to her. He felt incredibly protective of her, and he didn't want to spend a second without her in his sight while they were there. Jethro's truck was already in the driveway, and the front door was standing wide open, inviting them in.

"If you want to leave, sweetheart, you just let me know and we can go, okay?" Tony said quietly, brushing Amira's unruly hair out of her face. She nodded, and then turned to look at the house wearily.

They walked up the sidewalk and in through the front door. It felt eerie, but it looked no different than it did before Leyla was killed. Tony took Amira straight to her bedroom, and they found Jethro waiting there with a stack of packing boxes. He was taping the bottom of one to secure it when he turned to greet the two of them.

"Hey," he said, putting the tape gun down to come over and kiss Amira on the cheek before giving Tony a quick kiss on the lips. Their eyes met and there was an unspoken agreement that Amira's comfort was their top priority.

"Hey," Tony said back.

"Okay, Munchkin," Jethro said. "Let's pack up your things to take them home with us."

Tony sat her down, and the three of them got to work. They put a box on the floor for Amira to start loading her favorite things into herself, and Tony started on pulling things out of the closet while Jethro emptied the drawers. The curtains eventually came down, and the small Minnie Mouse lamp went into a box with stuffed animals packed around it for safety. The posters came down off the wall and were rolled up, and the small art easel was folded up. It didn't take long to gather what was left of the room, and Tony and Jethro took turns carrying it out to the truck.

Tony was in the living room with Amira when Jethro came back in from taking the last load from the bedroom. He was gathering all of the pictures and photos, and Amira was putting her DVDs and Blurays into a box.

"I'm going to go check the attic," Jethro said quietly to Tony.

"Okay," he answered. "We'll be here."

Jethro went into what was once Leyla's bedroom, and he opened up the large walk-in closet. He reached up to pull down the stairs that lead to the attic, and climbed up. He found the Christmas decorations up there that he'd stored in January, and a number of boxes that were labeled with Arabic script.

"Crap," he said. He started the quest of looking through each one to determine what was in them. He found the ones that were Amira's winter clothing, and he lined them up along the ledge of the attic opening. He knew he would have to come back and empty the rest of the house at some point, but for now he was only worried about the things that would eventually make their way to his house for Amira. Besides the boxes of winter clothes, there were baby things, and some of Leyla's memories tucked in the boxes he took two by two to the truck.

This time when he came back in, he found Tony and Amira in the doorway of the kitchen. She was looking up at him in confusion. Tony was stock still, unsure of himself in every possible way. Jethro went to join them, and they all stared at the missing tiled floor from where the cleanup crew had fulfilled Jethro's request of removing all signs of Leyla's murder.

"Where'd the floor go?" Amira finally asked.

Tony looked at Jethro, and Jethro looked back. Tony realized that Jethro didn't know what to say either, so he looked at Amira and sighed. He crouched down in front of her, and Jethro looked at him with wide eyes.

"Munchkin, the bad guy that hurt your mommy was in here. We had to take the pieces of the floor so we could get his footprints."

Jethro looked at Tony and nodded. He didn't believe in lying to his kids, but this was one lie he decided they could live with.

"You okay, Amira?" Jethro asked cautiously when she didn't say anything. She looked at the floor, then looked at Tony, then Jethro and reached out her arms. He picked her up, and hugged her. His eyes closed, and he realized that what Ziva had said was true. The time that Amira needed both of their love to handle her grief was upon them.

"I'm going to get a box and pack up some things in here," Tony said.

Jethro nodded and took Amira back into the living room to sit on the couch with her. She turned her head and watched every step that Tony made in the kitchen as he packed her kiddie cups and plates into a box. Once he was finished with that, he took it outside and brought in a cooler. Everything unopened in the freezer was packed in tightly, and then a couple of bags were filled with things from the cabinets. Those things were taken to the truck, and then Tony joined them on the couch.

"Are we ready?" Tony asked.

"Yeah," Jethro said. "I think we are. Are you ready, Munchkin?"

Amira nodded slowly, her eyes still on the kitchen floor. Tony wondered if she saw through his lie, but he prayed she didn't. He knew that one day she would ask how her mom was killed, and either he or Jethro, if not both of them, would have to tell her the truth, but for now he hoped her young mind would forget the entire experience of packing up the house.

They locked the door behind them, and then Jethro turned Amira over to Tony. He carried her to the car, and buckled her into the backseat. The ride home included a stop through Starbucks. He got something for him and Jethro, and got a coffee-free treat for Amira. She didn't seem that interested in it though. Tony understood, but slurped on his own sugared up frozen coffee twice as hard.

They pulled up to the house to find Elly and Ned attempting to carry stuff in with Jethro. They'd gotten there almost half an hour earlier than he'd expected, and though he was grateful for the help, he was worried that both of them were going to overdo it with their recent health concerns.

Amira on the other hand was ecstatic suddenly. "Boyfriends!" she announced loudly from the back seat as Tony approached the house. Tony laughed.

"Yeah. Elly and Ned are here. Let's go say hi," Tony said, getting out of the car. Amira unbuckled her seatbelt and tried to work the latch on the door before Tony could even get around the car. Tony snagged her strawberry and vanilla concoction before she could spill it on the guys, and she took off running.

"Boyfriends!" she squealed as she ran up to them. The rest of the men laughed as she approached Elly and Ned. Elly bent over and picked her up, hugging her. She reached out for a hug from Ned, and Elly reminded her to be gentle of his neck. She gave him a very light hug, and Ned laughed and smiled at her.

"How is the lady of the house doing?" he asked.

"I'm good," she said, and Tony knew that she suddenly was. She was surrounded by the people who were her new family, and she was safe there. It was a place that she could at least hide from her grief and her questions, and Tony's nerves settled inside. The sound of a car behind him drew his attention, and he turned to find Jack pulling up to the house. He was glad to see him, too, knowing his distraction was also going to be welcome.

Amira saw the car and turned to Elly with an excited smile.

"Who's that?" he asked.

"Jack!" she announced. Elly put her down, and she ran down the driveway to greet the older man as he got out of the car.

Tony joined Jethro in carrying in boxes from the truck while the rest of the men distracted Amira. It didn't take long to get them all inside, and soon Tony was unloading the cooler into the freezer.

"It's not going to fit," he told Jethro, who was putting Amira's cups and such in the cabinets.

"Then we're going to eat good tonight," Jethro joked with a chuckle.

"I guess we are. Let's see what we have."

Jethro turned to join him. "Let's put the roast in the fridge and that way we have a couple of days to cook it. We can throw it in the slow cooker before work on Monday. That'll free up some room up there."

Elly crept into the room cautiously, a sheepish look on his face.

"Hey," Tony said. "You guys wanna take some of this stuff home with you?"

Elly raised an eyebrow, but looked at the selection of stuff that they'd pulled from the freezer. "I say we put that frozen pie in the oven right now!" he joked with a chuckle.

"Grab me a cookie sheet," Tony said, pointing to where they were stored.

"Seriously?" Elly asked.

"Yeah! Might as well cook it while I have people here to eat it, otherwise _we'll_ eat it, and we don't need a whole pie."

"Awesome!" Elly opened a cabinet to retrieve the pan, and Tony handed him the pie, then preheated the oven.

"Anything else?" Tony asked.

"I think I'm good," Elly said, placing the cherry pie on the cookie sheet.

"Okay. Then we're having chicken, mixed vegetables, corn, lasagna, broccoli, French fries, and pie for dinner." Tony began pulling out the dishes needed to cook it all, and Elly looked at him with wide eyes while laughing.

"That's a hell of a feast," he said.

"Comfort food," Tony said with a shrug.

"Comfort food?" Ned asked, walking into the room.

"We're cooking everything that Leyla had in her freezer," Jethro said quietly.

"Or at least everything that didn't fit in ours," Tony said as he bent over to put the pie on one rack of the oven, and the pan of lasagna on the other.

"I can go for some comfort food," Ned said with a nod and a raised eyebrow at Elly.

"Seriously agree with you," Elly said.

"What can we do to help?" Ned asked.

They spent the next half an hour setting various dishes to cook. Jack came in and sent Ned and Elly in to play with Amira while he took to frying up the chicken. Tony helped get some things settled in there, and then went to find where Jethro had snuck off to. He found him in Amira's room, going through boxes and unpacking things.

"You want some help?" Tony asked.

"Sure. Pick a box."

They unpacked in silence for a few minutes, laughter bubbling up from downstairs from where Amira, Ned and Elly were singing along with a movie they'd put in. Neither of the men knew the words so they were making them up as they went along, and it delighted Amira. At one particularly joyous crow of laughter from below them, Jethro and Tony turned to each other and smiled.

"This place feels like a home again," Jethro said quietly, standing to swap out the curtains with the ones Amira had hanging in her room.

"Funny," Tony said with a gentle laugh. "It's always felt like home to me."

Jethro turned to Tony. "I didn't mean…"

"No! No. It's okay," Tony said. "I completely get what you mean, and I feel it, too. I've just never had a home that sounded this happy."

Jethro's arms came around Tony's waist, his chin resting on Tony's shoulder. He kissed his neck, then spoke softly in his ear. "Now you do."

Tony smiled and rested his hands on Jethro's. "One day, when we're ready to strangle her for being a teenager, remind me of this moment."

Jethro laughed, tossing his head back, but held on to Tony tighter. "I will if you will."

"Deal!" Tony said with a chuckle, then turned around in Jethro's arms. They looked into each other's happy eyes, and then leaned in for a sweet kiss. It continued for a long minute until they heard a stampede coming up the stairs. They waited, their arms still around each other, and Amira appeared, dragging Elly and Ned behind her.

"Ewwww! Cooties!" Amira announced with a giggle.

"Cooties, huh?" Elly said, reaching to tickle Amira and pick her up to present to Tony and Jethro. She laughed and squealed, and then the two older men started attacking her with tickles and kisses. She eventually squirmed into a position that Elly couldn't continue to hold her, and he sat her on the bed.

"Jack wanted someone to tell you that the vegetables and French fries were ready if we wanted to come set the table. He said the chicken should be done in about ten minutes, and the timer on the lasagna says fifteen," Ned said, a bright smile on his face.

"Sounds good," Tony said.

"I'll go," Jethro said, leaning in to kiss Tony quickly before turning to head for the kitchen. "Amira, why don't you come help me." He looked at Tony, and raised an eyebrow, signaling that he was going to give the others some time to talk. The three men stood there staring back and forth at each other until tension started forming between them.

"Let's go across the hall," Tony said quietly.

They turned and made their way into the guest bedroom, where Elly and Ned sat on the bed gingerly, and Tony took the desk chair. Now that they were behind closed doors, the real reason the two younger men had been invited over settled in. Ned reached out and took Elly's hand, knowing that his nerves were screaming for it.

"I don't know where to start first," Tony said.

"Can we start with the proposal?" Elly asked.

"Okay," Tony said. "Let's start there. I'm a little shocked. I'm not mad. I'm not at all against you two as a couple, but I'm worried that the reason for the proposal isn't the _right_ reason. You two have been dating a _week_. You've only really gotten to know each other over the past few months, and it's just now turning romantic. You've been through some incredibly high pressure scenarios over the past week, and that can often lead to sudden outbursts of emotion."

Both men nodded their understanding.

"Ned- you killed a man for him last night. You haven't even let that process yet."

"I know," Ned said, nodding.

"I'm not going to say that the two of you getting married is a bad idea. I'm rooting for you harder than anyone, honestly. I'm worried though. You both mean a hell of a lot to me, and you're becoming an integral part of my family. If this were to go south for some reason, it's going to impact a lot more than yourselves. What I'm going to ask, is that you wait to let it get out, and you have a nice _lonnnng_ engagement so that you give each other time to completely know one another."

"I understand what you're saying," Elly said, choosing his words carefully. "I do! This seems rash. And I appreciate your concern, truly. We both do." Elly looked at Ned who nodded. "And we appreciate your support through _everything_ that we've been through together, both on a professional and a personal level. One of the significant reasons, perks, highlights… whatever you want to call them, for making this decision was because we're doubtless that we're supposed to be together, and we want to be able to show the world how we feel about one another."

Tony tried to work through this rationally, and thought about how to word what he was thinking gently to match the calm and open way that Elly was talking to him. "If you rush into this though, it makes it look reckless. If you want people to take your relationship seriously, you're going to want to show its stability. It's kind of like all of those Hollywood marriages that are always used as an example of poor choices- they rush into them, only to rush out of them.

"I have no doubts that one day you two can make a very happy life together, but right now, with how public your case has been, everyone is going to know that this decision was made at a time where both of your heads were anything but clear. Not to mention, shooting the man holding your fiancé hostage is going to be harder on you, Ned. When the questions come if Nick could have been taken down by a shot to the leg, rather than a shot to the head, I can testify that the answer is no. The questions _will_ be asked though if it was emotionally motivated, and you can't honestly say that it wasn't."

Ned took a deep breath and exhaled it, but Tony noticed that he didn't look nervous. He stared back with a solid expression.

"I've already thought that, and much more, through," Ned said. Elly squeezed his hand, knowing what was coming. "I'm asking the Director to be moved to Gibbs' team."

Tony suddenly felt his stomach drop. "What?" he asked, his voice surprising even him with how small it felt.

"I can't work with Elly. My emotions will always put his safety and wellbeing before everyone else's."

"I'm afraid that goes double for me," Elly said. "We've talked about this all morning. Neither of us want to leave your team, Boss. We just can't be on the same team as each other. It's not fair to you and Parke."

"Oh." Tony didn't know what to say. He felt like his world was suddenly caving in.

"I'm going to wait until we're finished with the op for the transfer. I'm not allowed in the field for a while anyway, so that won't be a concern."

"You don't have to do that," Tony said. "Agents who are married work together all the time. And there's no guarantee that you'll _never_ be in the field together. Jethro and I were just out interviewing Father Sal together this past week. Anything could've happened while we were out there. Like you said to me last night, Elly, our lives are a gigantic question mark all the time. It doesn't matter what we're doing, or where we're doing it, sometimes shit just happens."

Tony knew he was rambling. He couldn't help it though. He felt like he was being dumped. It was horrible.

"Boss, I know this sucks," Elly said gently. "I tried to talk him out of it at first, too, but it's really the safest way. I'm always going to put him over the rest of the team. He's filling such an important role in my life. You've gotta understand. It feels like what I see between you and Gibbs. There's just a… completeness now that wasn't there before. There's all this love, and this hope, and this happiness. He's my priority. If something were to go down, I'd be worried about his safety over my own. That's what family is supposed to be about, you know? But it's not conducive to the job."

"And we know we can trust each other's teams to have the other's back in the field," Ned said. "It's not like I'm up and running to another team that isn't as close as ours and Gibbs'. It's Gibbs! It's McGee and Ziva! They're not going to let anything happen to me that couldn't possibly happen on our team. I'll be okay there. I promise."

"I know! But dammit! I don't want you to go!" Tony shouted.

There was a light tap on the door, and then Jethro stuck his head in. "Dinner's ready."

"We're going to be a minute!" Tony snapped. He sighed and shook his head. "Thank you, but I'm busy getting ready to kill them right now. We'll be down soon."

Jethro just nodded slowly, looking over the entire group with a worried eye before closing the door.

Tony looked from the door to the two in front of him. "I'll tell you what- we'll let Jethro decide whether you stay with me or go with him. He'll be the impartial third party. He knows how to put his feelings aside and make rational decisions when I can't, and right now, I can't."

Ned looked at Elly and they both nodded. "Deal," Ned said, sure that Gibbs' rational head would prevail, and that he'd see things his way.

"Good," Tony said. "Now, about last night."

"I know that I was drugged and almost killed and all," Elly said. "But I'd do it all over again."

"Are you absolutely crazy?" Tony said, staring at him in shock.

"No," Elly said, shaking his head. "Like I said, I'm not going to let anyone intimidate me. I've had enough of that in my life. No one will ever use fear to control me ever again. In the end, I'm okay, and that's what matters."

"No, what matters is that you disobeyed my order to go home," Tony said. "And you were almost killed, and you were _drugged_ Elijah! You could have been killed twice over!"

"We were there as people- not as agents. Your orders don't count in those situations. I'm going to live my life the way I need to live it, and if I need to do that by walking the line in order to be myself, then that's what I'm going to do. Nothing good in my life has ever come without its risks. With what's been going on, I could have easily been dosed at another club in the area. There could be someone out there on the street right now waiting for us to come out to run us down with their car. Somewhere along the way, I pissed someone off, and they have it out for me. It's not like you or Gibbs have never had someone come looking for you, and on more than one occasion, I know that you've both walked into the fire looking for trouble, practically screaming "come find me!". Don't pretend it's something different, because it's not. At least in my case, I wasn't looking for trouble."

"No, but I _kinda_ was," Ned said quietly with a shrug. "Sorry, Boss."

"If I could write you up for being there, I would," Tony said, looking back and forth at both of them. "You have two very important things on your sides right now. The first is that I don't have a scrap of anything I can write you up on officially. The other is that I love you guys too much to throw you under the bus when Vance asks me what happened."

They sat there in silence for a long minute, nobody knowing what to say. Finally, Tony shook his head. "I need you guys to trust me. I thought you did. Apparently you don't. More than anything, _that_ _hurts_. I don't know what I did, or I didn't do, but if you trusted me… then maybe last night wouldn't have happened. Maybe you'd both be safely moving on with your lives at the normal pace you had going. Maybe I'd still have my entire team in one piece instead of crumbling to bits."

Ned and Elly looked at each other with guilty expressions.

"It's not that we don't trust you, Tony," Elly started. "I mean, I probably trust you more than anyone in the world other than Ned, and the trust in you came first."

"Then why didn't you leave?" Tony asked, the complete defeat he felt softening his voice to a gentle question.

"I've never…" Elly started. "I've never had someone in my life that really believed in me, and loved me, and wanted to be seen out in public with me. To have a night where I got to _be myself?_ In front of hundreds of other people, nonetheless, with a man who wasn't ashamed to be with me, who wasn't going to just want a fuck and run, who wanted to hold my hand, and put his arms around me, and dance with me, and just _love_ me openly for the world to see? For one night like that, I would've died happy last night."

Tony was blown away by that. Ned was too, so when Tony turned his attention to Ned, he was startled. "What did you mean last night when you said you knew you needed to come to me but couldn't?"

Ned swallowed, suddenly wishing Elly wasn't in the room for this part. He felt exposed and uncomfortable. He shook his head.

"You guys left me this week," he said softly. "After all I've said about not wanting to get stuck in MTAC while the rest of you were in the field… you left me standing there in the parking lot. And when it was _family_. I thought I was closer than that." Ned was surprised to find the tear slip down his cheek. He hadn't realized it had hurt so damned much, but apparently it did.

"Elly, give us a minute," Tony requested. Elly nodded, then got up and left the room.

"Ned, if you hadn't been the one to lead that op, a lot more people would've died than did. If you hadn't put your head on straight, and moved forward, it wouldn't have been done. I trusted you with that more than I probably would've trusted anyone with it. You have something with you in that room that even Jethro doesn't have when he's in there- compassion. I was able to focus on my family because I didn't have to worry about what you were doing. I knew it would be done right. No one else could've given me that peace of mind."

Ned shook his head. "Meanwhile, I'm worrying my head off about you. Elly's not the only one I'm too close to, Boss. Knowing I would've disappointed you last night was a huge part of why I let Elly talk me out of going straight to you when it would've been the sensible and smart thing to do. Your opinion of me matters more than you know. And this time? Well, this team has become my family-" Ned's voice cracked and he had to swallow before he could continue. Tony beat him to it though.

"You've become mine too, which is all the more reason to stick together. We'll watch out for each other like no one else can. We get into each other's heads, follow each other's trains of thought, and we can work better together than you're going to find with Jethro's team. Your personality blends well with ours. You're a mismatch there. You belong with us."

Ned took a deep breath and let it out. He knew there was a lot of truth to that.

"You've been through a lot the past week. Just… do me a favor, and give it until your neck heals before you make your decision. That will give you some time to work through everything, and if you still want to transfer to Jethro's team, then I'll take you to talk to Vance myself." Tony watched Ned's expression, and he knew he'd hit home. He was giving him the out he secretly wanted, and when Ned nodded Tony felt the relief hit him like cool water in hell. He stood up with a small smile.

"Okay. Let's go eat."

Ned stood up to join him, and Tony stepped up to him. He smacked him hard upside the back of his head. Ned reached to rub it with a grimace. "Remember that the next time you think you can't come to me with something! Damn it, kid!" Tony pulled Ned in for a hug, and it was returned tightly. "You'd better let me know when you need me! I've told you- you're one of mine, and I'll always take care of you!"

Ned felt his eyes burning again, and he knew that he was going to cry. He couldn't remember the last time his own mother ever made him feel so loved and protected. Tony had brought him onto the team, and he'd turned his entire life upside down. Somewhere along the way he'd become more of a father to him than he'd ever had. "I'm sorry," he said between his tears.

"Me, too. I should've known you would've taken that personally. I should've taken the time to explain to you what it meant to me to know the op was taken care of. You may not always be able to be by my side in the field, but that's because you're special, and you're going to have special tasks that I can't trust anyone else with. They're always just as important, if not more so, than what everyone else is doing."

"It's not about whether I'm doing something important. It's that I'm there with you guys," Ned said, pulling back. "That's what's important to me: to be there with my team when they need me to be the most. Otherwise, no matter what I'm doing, I'm going to feel left out."

"I'll remember that," Tony said. "I can't promise that it's always going to work out the way we want it to, but I'll do my best. I promise."

Ned couldn't believe that a year earlier he was crushing on the man in his arms, but now he was hugging him with absolutely no attraction. It was a weird juxtaposition, but he decided he liked things this way a whole lot more.

They made their way to the dining room. Elly looked up at Ned as he joined them. The red eyes he sported made Elly's defenses go up. When Ned smiled at him, he calmed down, but looked back and forth between the two men in confusion.

"Everything okay?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah. Everything is good," he said.

"Okay," Elly said. "If you're sure."

Tony and Jethro sat at the heads of the table, while Amira and Jack took one side, and Elly and Ned took the other. Jethro smiled down the length at Tony, who smiled back brightly. It was a large dysfunctional family dinner, and he was happy.

Plates were soon loaded with food. Both Jack and Tony took turns spooning out tiny portions of everything for Amira to try. She was okay with the corn, despised the broccoli, picked her carrots out of her mixed vegetables, and asked for a small piece of lasagna. Tony was glad to see she had an appetite, and he noticed that Jethro was watching what was loaded onto the plate closely as well.

"Guess what Amira's going to do, Elly," Tony said.

"What are you going to do?" Elly asked Amira. She looked up at Tony, confused about what he was alluding to.

"She's going to take karate," Tony said with a smile.

"Really?" Elly asked excitedly. "That's awesome! Did Tony and Gibbsy tell you that I have my black belt in karate?"

"A belt?" she asked, as she nodded.

"Every level you go up, you get a different color belt. Black belt is up at the top."

"Cool!" she said. "I'm going to learn to beat up the bad guys like Gibbsy and Tony do, so if they ever try to come get me I can beat them up, and then they'll run away."

Tony looked for the reaction amongst his guys, and Jethro looked at Jack's expression. They all looked uncomfortably shocked.

Tony finally decided to break the tension. "That's right! Amira wants to help us beat up the bad guys one day," he explained.

"That's cool," Ned said. "Do you want to be an agent like us, or do you want to be a police officer, or do something in the military?"

Amira looked at Tony and then Jethro. She thought about it for a moment and then said, "I don't know! I just want to keep the bad guys from hurting people like Mommy."

"We'll figure out what that means for her one day," Tony said with a smile and a wink for Amira.

"Sit on the seat, not on your feet," Jack said, motioning for Amira to stop kneeling up and leaning on the table. Amira plopped back down and used her fork to snag some more food from her plate.

"Well, when you start learning, let me know. I'll help you practice," Elly offered.

"You will?" Amira asked, getting excited.

"Of course!"

"And I'll stand by with the first aid kit and icepacks," Ned joked.

"Cool!" Amira said with a smile. Tony and Jethro smiled at the guys, then at each other. It was like she had two older brothers, and they both ate it up.

"Have you two decided on some wedding songs yet?" Elly asked.

"We're kinda getting behind on the wedding planning," Jethro said with a shrug. "I'm sure we'll catch up eventually."

"We've had bigger priorities," Tony echoed.

Ned swallowed some corn and looked back and forth between the two men. "We could watch Amira sometime if you need to go do things. Wedding things, _private things…_ "

Tony looked at Jethro who raised an eyebrow at him. "We might take you up on that sometime," Jethro said.

"Yeah, we don't know what we're going to do about the honeymoon yet," Tony said before loading some lasagna into his mouth.

"That's right!" Elly said. "Italy! Yeah. We'd be happy to do what we can while you two go trapsing through one of the most romantic places on Earth without us." He fake sniffled, turning to Ned with a pretend distraught look, earning one in return.

"It won't be the same while you're gone, but I think we can manage. I hope we can manage," Ned said dramatically.

"We'll do our best," Elly said, equally dramatic.

"They really are kids," Jethro said with a smirk.

"Only when we walk through your front door," Elly said, returning the smirk.

"What about the back door?" Amira asked, looking confused.

"We don't come in Gibbsy's back door," Elly said, barely able to contain his laughter. Ned dropped his fork next to him and began laughing so hard no sound came out and he put his head on the table.

"Hey now!" Tony said. "You two behave yourselves!

"Great!" Jack said with a chuckle. "I've got a new son-in-law, a new granddaughter, and two new perverted grandsons. My family just grew five-fold in about a week."

"Hey!" Tony scoffed. "I've been around for years! And I've been transitioning into the role of son-in-law for months! A week. Ha!"

"And if they're adopting kids, I think Parke is going to want in on it," Ned said.

"And Shane," Elly added, earning a nod from Ned.

"The more the merrier!" Jack said with a broad smile across his face. "Who wants pie?" he asked, shaking his head as he got to his feet.

Everyone wanted pie, though they made the lasagna and some more chicken disappear first. When Elly took some of both, Jethro raised an eyebrow at him.

"What?" he asked. "I'm a growing boy, Dad Number Two!" Jethro chuckled and gave him a playful shove, which made Elly smile brightly.

They all ate until they were full, polishing off the pie together. Tony got Amira in the bathtub, and the rest helped clean the kitchen. Amira came down to say goodnight, and then Jethro and Tony disappeared to tuck her in, which wasn't hard because she was falling asleep in Jethro's arms on the way up the stairs. When they came back they found the guys watching the end of a TV show with Jack.

"I think we're going to waddle home," Elly said.

"Well, we're going to waddle to the car, and _then_ we're going to drive home," Ned corrected, rubbing his belly. "I'm definitely not waddling all the way home."

"So, if you two are getting married, who's moving in with who?" Jethro asked.

"We're still deciding if we want to move into one of our apartments, or if we maybe want to buy a house together," Ned said. "We haven't had that much time to talk about it all yet. We had other things we needed to discuss this morning." His eyes fell on Tony, and Elly realized that there was something that wasn't being said. His train of thought was interrupted by Jack's exclamation of congratulations.

"Thanks!" Elly said, reaching to take Ned's hand. "I guess we're going to give it some time to really get out, but our family and friends will probably all know soon." He looked up at Tony, and Jethro and Jack knew something was being communicated that they weren't privy to.

"You two haven't been together very long, have you?" Jack asked.

"Not long at all. The time we have spent together though has been really intense," Ned said. "And I already know that I want him in my life forever."

"Ya know," Jack started. "I think it was something kinda like that for these two. The first time Leroy and I talked in years, he spent most of his time talking about his team, and Tony in particular. He told me how Tony came to join the team, how long he'd been on it, and every story he told about work had plenty of Tony, Tony, Tony. I should've known then it was inevitable looking back, but with how in love Leroy was with Shannon, I couldn't imagine him ever wanting to be with a guy. He said that there was something special about Tony when he met him that made him glad he had a reason to invite him to join NCIS. Sometimes you just click with someone. You may not know to what degree, but you know that you need them in your life."

Tony and Jethro stared at each other through the story, and when the room fell silent, it was obvious the two men were having a personal moment.

"How in the world did you not jump each other ten years ago?" Ned suddenly blurted out.

"Ned!" Elly exclaimed before busting out laughing.

"Seriously! Just watch the way they look at each other. I don't know how one look like that ten years ago wouldn't've clued them into how badly they need each other. It's that thing, you know, that couples get when they're connected at the soul. Like talking with your eyes, and understanding with a breath, a lot of protective loving care, and enough fiery passion to burn the house down around them… all with a look."

"I don't think we shared too many of those looks back then," Tony lied, rubbing his neck in embarrassment as he thought about how long they must've been giving themselves away.

"Oh, yeah we did," Jethro corrected. "It was hard to deal with all the time when I didn't think you were available. You have no idea…" He stared at Tony as his mind flashed back to one particular memory.

They'd just wrapped up another long case. He was supposed to have a dinner date with Carla, one of Fornell's attempts to set him up, and he'd had to call it off. It was the third time he'd cancelled and she told him to forget scheduling another. He didn't really mind. He hated these things, and the case had brought his focus back around to his team and how much they meant to him.

He was getting ready to get up and turn off the light when Tony came up from where he'd been logging evidence downstairs. He dropped his bag on his chair, and stripped off his jacket. Jethro watched his every move, and he felt that age old urge to ask Tony to dinner wresting inside with his self-control.

When Tony turned back around from hanging his jacket up, he looked over to find Jethro staring at him. He didn't look away, and neither did Tony. Jethro remembered the way his stomach came to life, the way his heart raced and his mind calmed. He remembered the way Tony's eyes seared into his like they were branding him, scolding him for even thinking about going out with someone else that night, daring him to find the courage to ask him out instead.

He would go home alone though every single time an encounter like that happened, and he'd burn for Tony. He'd yearn to be able to look him in the eyes again, and feel his stomach flutter, and his pulse pound. He ached to touch him, to taste him, to simply be close to him in any and all ways.

Jethro closed the small gap between them and slipped his arms around Tony's waist. "Doesn't matter. Got you now."

Tony smiled from ear to ear, loving the sudden attention. He'd never imagined in his wildest dreams that Jethro would be so openly affectionate. He'd noticed that Jethro was becoming warmer to the other people in his life, too, and he wondered how personable he once was before life events changed him. A part of him also couldn't help but ask if he was this way with Shannon. From the way Jack talked, he believed he would've been, and that made him feel incredibly loved. Another part knew that he loved Jethro _because_ of what life did to him, and who he turned out to be.

Jethro smiled at how happy Tony looked. He was still amazed on a daily basis about how happy he managed to make Tony. He knew he was damned lucky that they'd found each other, and though it took a long time to develop into something that they would never let go of, he was certain it would last forever.

"I'm gonna go before you two get any mushier," Jack said. "Come on, boys. Let's leave these two lovebirds alone."

"But I wanna watch the lovebirds!" Ned said with a happy sigh.

"I'm kind of with Ned on this one," Elly said, tilting his head towards Jack though his eyes never left Tony and Jethro. "This shit's better than a Hallmark movie."

Ned burst into laughter next to him, and then Jack pushed them both towards the front door. "This show was filmed live in front of a studio audience!" Ned said as Jack closed the door behind them.

"All alone," Tony said.

"For the moment," Jethro said with a smile.

"I'll take whatever moments I can get," Tony whispered before leaning in and kissing Jethro.

The kiss started off with lips gently suckled between one another. Jethro's lips were slightly textured and just a little dry until Tony's tongue slipped out to wet them. Their tongues tentatively began asking for entrance into one another's mouths. There was no force, no dominance, but a searching for something that was hidden in the tenderness.

The moment was about being with one another. There wasn't a desperate passion or a fiery sexual encounter rushing them. It was about being content in the moment; about being happy with one another.

Jethro pulled back out of the kiss. "I want to take you upstairs and just hold you. Is that messed up?" he asked.

"No," Tony said, looking up into Jethro's glazed eyes. "That sounds perfect."

Jethro leaned his forehead against Tony. "You are the good in my life, Tony. None of this would be possible without you. I love you."

"Ditto."

Jethro chuckled at Tony's movie reference, glad to see he hadn't completely lost that part of him with the new seriousness of his life. He took Tony by the hand and took the few steps to the dining room to turn off the light. Tony then pulled him toward the lamp on the end table and turned it off. They walked hand-in-hand to the front door and locked it, then slowly crept up the steps together as silently as possible to prevent waking Amira.

Ten minutes later and they were snuggled up in bed with Tony's head was on Jethro's chest, listening to his heart beat. They snuggled for a long time in silence. Jethro leaned down and kissed the top of Tony's head, making him look up at him with glazed, happy eyes.

"Just so you know, I set the alarm for an hour early tomorrow."

"Shower?" Jethro asked, raising a brow.

"Mmmhmm."

"We'll see if we last that long."

Tony chuckled softly and laid his head back on Jethro's chest. It wasn't long before they both fell asleep.

* * *

"What happened when I left the room earlier?" Elly asked, looking over at Ned in the passenger seat while they stopped at a red light.

Ned sighed. "I wish Tony was my dad. Maybe he'll adopt me too when they do Amira's paperwork."

Elly chuckled. "There's a few of us in line there with you."

"As much as your dad may have failed at the task, he never intentionally left you out. Don't get me wrong, your situation sucks too, but you can still go home for Christmas. I have no doubts where I'm going to be spending mine this year, and it's in that house with the same people that were there tonight."

"Christmas with the Gibbs' sounds a lot better than Christmas with my family," Elly pointed out as the light changed green. "So he apparently did something fatherish upstairs today."

"Yeah. We had a heart to heart. He asked me to wait until my neck heals to make the decision about switching teams. I said I would, because it's Tony, and when Tony asks for something in that genuinely caring way you have no choice but to agree."

Elly snickered. "Very true."

"So, I caved. What really got to me though, was when he headslapped me and did that possessive-ish thing, and told me that he'd take care of me. I… I guess I just appreciate someone still caring enough about me to be looking out for me like that, ya know?

"He wasn't pissed today because of his ego getting bruised when you told him we weren't leaving. He was pissed because he thought we didn't trust him. He's right, though. Trust is a huge part of this whole team dynamic we've found ourselves in. I've never trusted anyone like I trust you guys. He knows that. It's what has me second guessing my decision to switch teams. I really don't wanna, El."

"I don't want you to either."

"Then why am I doing it again?"

"Because if someone comes after me, you're going to come after them, and it could be at the expense of the rest of the team."

Ned shook his head slowly. "That seems to be a risk Tony's willing to take. He accepts that as part of what we've become. He's okay with you being my priority."

"It's not only him we need to worry about. There's Parke and anyone else we may be working with in a case that requires people be brought in. They don't get a say in this. We have to decide for ourselves what we're capable of doing. If I'm shot, or if you're shot, will the other be able to keep their head clear enough to move forward and take down the target before attending to wounds? Would we be thinking straight enough to alert the rest of the team that there's someone with a weapon coming their way?"

"I realized when talking with Tony that you're not the only one I'm too close to. I'm too close to him, too." Ned laid his head back on the seat and it pinched his neck. He hissed and it led to a silence amongst them for a couple of minutes.

"Then again…" Elly sighed, exhaling between his lips and making raspberries. "He and Gibbs worked together for years. We've both heard the stories about how he jumped into that lake to save Gibbs and that girl. Do you think the girl was his first priority? Nuh-uh. We'll probably never know, but I'd bet you a hundred bucks that she wasn't. And how many times have each of them been shot now? Do you think they didn't take out the bastard that shot the other in rage before ignoring everyone and everything else to take care of them? They managed like that for over ten years before they admitted they were in love with each other. Do you think we could do it?"

"I don't know."

"This is what I know. I know that I want to love with abandon. I want to have a happy life with you as we get situated and make a home together. I want to work with you, our team, our family, and I want to tell the world to go fuck themselves because we belong together. You and I belong together, and our team belongs together."

Ned couldn't help but notice that Elly was suddenly a lot more angry and bitter about it then he was earlier. "What are you mad at?"

Elly took a couple of deep breaths, and shook his head. "My dad."

"Okay… Why?"

"He's going to hate you."

"Oh."

* * *

Greg, Shane, and Tiffany were sitting up in the living room talking. The guys had cleared a bottle of wine, and Shane had a beer in his hand. They were telling stories from their childhood that had Tiffany laughing so hard she had tears running down her face. She loved watching the two men together, and she loved hearing about how her husband was such a great big brother. It only reiterated what she already knew- that he would be a great father.

Shane got up and stretched. "Jack will probably be here to get me soon," he said. "I'm going to run to the little boy's room." He took another swig of his beer and sat it on the coffee table.

"God, I've missed him," Greg said once the bathroom door closed.

"I'm so happy you two have found each other again," Tiffany said, leaning her head to the side to watch Greg stare off into space. She took a sip of her ginger ale and sat it down before moving to sit next to Greg on the couch where Shane had just been. "Our baby's going to have a great uncle."

That made Greg smile from ear to ear. "Yeah, she will!"

"Or _he_ will," Tiffany teased.

"A few more weeks and we'll know if he's going to have a niece or a nephew," Greg said, taking Tiffany's hand.

"Yeah! I know. It's still sinking in."

"So many changes all at once. Great new team, loving my job, the baby, my brother… I don't know if I've ever been this happy ever. There's no one in the world I'd rather be sharing it all with." He leaned in and kissed Tiffany sweetly, pulling away to watch her smile like he knew she would.

"I'm so glad I get to share it with you," she said.

Shane came out of the bathroom to find them sitting together. "Maybe I should go wait outside!" he joked.

"Nah," Greg said, looking up at him. "You're leaving soon enough. We can wait." He caught the throw pillow Shane threw at him and the three of them laughed. Lights suddenly shone through the window, and they all looked to see that Jack had pulled up outside.

"Looks like soon enough is now," Shane said.

Greg got to his feet first, and Tiffany rose behind him. They exchanged hugs with Shane and walked him to the door.

"See you in the morning," Greg called.

"First thing! Won't be able to help long before we have to drive back, but I want to see everyone."

"Good night!" Tiffany called.

They closed the door and looked at each other. Greg sighed.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"I just get this feeling when he leaves now. It's like I'm afraid this might be the last time I see him."

"You found him before, and if you had to, you'd find him again. That man isn't walking away from you any time soon, if ever. Don't worry."

"It's irrational. I know it. I can't help that it's there, though." Greg shrugged then reached forward to bring Tiffany to him. They stood in the front hallway hugging for a long time, just finding comfort in one another.

"Let's go to bed," Tiffany said quietly. Greg nodded and followed her to their room.


	45. Chapter 45

Tony woke up to Amira tapping him on the shoulder. _So much for morning shower sex,_ he thought to himself.

"You okay, Munchkin?" he asked.

"Can I- can I come sleep with you guys?" she asked sheepishly.

Tony pulled the blankets back in answer, and Amira scrambled up, crawled over him, and wedged herself between him and Jethro, which made Jethro stir. Tony waited for Amira to get comfy, and looked up to find Jethro looking at them through sleepy eyes.

"Couldn't sleep?" Jethro asked as he rolled over to snuggle her. She shook her head no, but her eyes were shut and she let out a shuddering sigh of relief to be safe and warm between them. Jethro decided not to push it this time, but eventually he knew they'd have to address the issue. It was important to find out if she was having nightmares or not, and to get her to talk about it. As much as he hated talking, he knew that they needed to get her to open up now in order to set a precedent for the rest of her life.

He looked at Tony over Amira's head, and saw him looking back. They kept guard over her for another ten minutes like that until Tony drifted back to sleep. Jethro was awake though. His mind suddenly wouldn't turn off. He remembered how many times people had tried to get him to talk when Shannon and Kelly had died, and he'd refused to. He let certain things slip to Mike, but that was because he was working the case. It took opening up to Mike to get him to share details about Hernandez with him. It was worth it at the time. He'd refused to talk much to counselors, and his PTSD got worse until Rebecca distracted him. And that's what she was- a distraction. She did the job too well though, and Jethro thought he was happy.

He shook the thought away. He was grateful that he'd never have to worry about Tony's fidelity. He knew the younger man was loyal to a fault, and especially to him. He looked at the band on his finger without taking his arm from around Amira's sleeping form. This time was forever. Of that he had no doubts.

They'd be waking up in a couple of hours to go move Abby and Tim into their new place. Tomorrow would be Leyla's funeral. He wanted to make sure they moved forward on the wedding though this week. It was getting too close not to, and he'd spent so much energy planning the funeral that he wanted something positive to take his mind off of it.

He decided he was going to get Abby and Tim to help him find songs for Critten to make them a wedding playlist. He was no good at that tube stuff online, but he had a song in mind. The ex-wives had always chosen the music at their weddings, and he was kind of worried about how much his and Tony's tastes in music would clash. He could handle Tony's taste, but Tony couldn't handle his. They'd figured that much out while cleaning the house one Saturday the month before. While he could get behind Tony's jazz, anything with twang sent Tony running for the next room and shutting the door. He hoped the kids could help steer him in a safe direction. He thought he had a song that both he and Tony could agree on, and he knew Tim and Abby would be honest with him about it.

He smiled as he realized he was just a tiny step closer to the wedding being planned. They only had two months. Tony didn't know it yet, but the flight and hotel were already booked for the honeymoon. He decided to tell Tony at some point that day to see if that made him get into the wedding planning mindset. If he wasn't careful, he was going to get stuck planning the entire wedding by himself. He was going to have a lot of time over the next two weeks, and though he was willing to lighten the load, he really wanted Tony's input and his influence on their big day.

Amira's soft snoring next to him made him wonder if they should include her somehow in the wedding. This was a special day for them as a family. It was going to take a while for the lawyers to finalize the adoption, but if they really pushed for it, they could probably have it done by the end of the summer. That would put them all coming together at the same time. He imagined doing something with Amira like he'd heard done at other weddings. She would be a beautiful flower girl, and he grinned from ear to ear at the thought of her in a pretty little dress, throwing flower petals as she walked down the center of their group of friends. He wasn't planning on doing a wedding party, but they had to have a flower girl.

At that thought, he wondered if they should pick a maid of honor and best man together. It would make sense that it would be Abby and Tim. Abby had been helping them plan the wedding, and Tim was Tony's relationship confidant, not to mention he had helped him pick out their rings. He imagined Abby in a blue dress and Tim in a green shirt standing next to them. He rather liked the idea, and he decided that as soon as Tony got up and caffeinated for the day, he'd ask him. What better day than today to ask the two? After all, they were helping the kids join their lives into one by helping them move in together, so why not ask them to help them officially join _their_ lives together in matrimony?

Jethro smiled to himself as he watched Tony and Amira slumber. Feeling better now that he had some decisions in his mind about the wedding, he let his eyes drift closed, and he fell back to sleep.

* * *

Elly woke up to Ned groaning.

"You okay, baby?" he asked drowsily.

"Ruggghhhhmmm…" Ned moaned. Elly sat up, looking at Ned. His face was scrunched up and his hand was reaching for his neck.

"Are you hurting?" he asked.

"Mmhmm," Ned said, breathing deeply.

"You want me to grab your pills?"

"Please," Ned answered, moving to sit up.

"Be right back."

Elly headed for the kitchen, grabbing a glass of water, and then found the pills on the desk where Ned had left them the night before. He brought both bottles in, not sure if Ned wanted both or just one of them, and then came to sit on the edge of the bed.

"Vicodin, Flexeril, or both?" he asked.

"I think I need the Vicodin. I tried to roll over in my sleep and it woke me up. I may have done more damage to it just now. It hurts like a bitch."

"Do you wanna go get it looked at?" Elly asked.

"Let me see if the pill helps, and if not, then I'll call Ducky and see what he suggests."

"Fair enough," Elly said, tapping a Vicodin into Ned's open hand and handing him the glass of water. Ned tossed it back, trying to drink from the glass without tilting his head. He handed it back to Elly once it had gone down.

"Thanks," Ned said.

"Sure. I knew the doc said not to put icepacks directly only it, but do you want me to wrap one in a towel for you? Maybe that would help."

"I'm willing to try anything right now," Ned said.

 _That doesn't sound good,_ Elly thought to himself as he looked at the obvious pain on Ned's face. "I'll be right back." It took them another twenty minutes before Ned was comfortable enough to fall back to sleep. Elly couldn't though. He knew the Vicodin would keep Ned out for a while, and that was probably for the best. He watched Ned's chest rise and fall as he breathed the shallow breaths of sleep, and then turned his gaze on the bruises on his neck. Even in the dim light of dawn he could tell that the bruises were changing to a sickly black color. It made him shiver as he looked at them.

He grabbed his phone from the nightstand and texted Tony.

_I don't know if we're going to be able to help move today. Ned's neck is pretty bad. He's in a lot of pain. I may have to come without him._

He put the phone down, hoping the message didn't wake his boss. He rolled back over and watched Ned sleep until he dozed off himself.

* * *

Amira was lying awake between Tony and Jethro. She felt very sad. She wished she was waking up next to her Mommy. That made her feel funny inside. She loved Gibbsy and Tony. She liked being able to snuggle with them. She knew she was okay there. They wouldn't let the bad guys get her. But the bad guys had gotten Mommy. She felt her lip quiver, and her stomach did all sorts of things that didn't feel good. She hugged Dirt tightly to her and whispered to the bear. "Dirt? Can you talk to angels? Can you tell Mommy I miss her and want her to come home?"

She felt the tears slide down her face, and get lost in Dirt's fur. She sniffled and wiped her nose on her sleeve. She rolled over and snuggled into Tony's chest as she cried. Her little crying turned into big crying and she grabbed Tony's shirt. She felt strong arms come around her, and Tony's voice started talking to her. Tony sat up and Amira crawled into his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck. She felt another strong hand on her back, rubbing it gently. She didn't know what was going on around her. She heard Tony's voice and Gibbsy's voice, but she couldn't understand what they were saying. All she could do is cry, and it wouldn't stop. That scared her, and she cried harder.

She cried for a long time. Everything hurt, both the insides and the outsides. It hurt really bad. She felt a cool wet something on her neck, and then her hair was pulled back. She could feel it go up in her ponytail holder, and then her whole neck was wet and cold. She shivered, but it felt good. She felt the cold stuff on her cheek, then her ear and her chin. She knew Tony was still holding her, and she felt him move back and forth. She kept crying though. She wanted to stop. She wanted to stop crying and stop hurting. She wanted to be normal again. She didn't like this.

Tony looked up at Jethro, his own eyes red as he tried to blink back his tears. Jethro was trying to cool Amira down. She was burning up. He could feel it through her shirt when he ran his hand over her back.

"She's sick, Tony. We need to get her temperature. She's burning up. You're going to have to put her down. She needs to cool down."

Tony shook his head no vehemently, holding the little girl tighter. "She's got a deathgrip on me, Jethro. Even if I wanted to put her down, I'm scared of what will happen if I do."

"Let's get her in the shower then. You're about to get very wet and very cold."

Tony nodded. He was okay with that. He leaned his cheek against hers to speak gently in her ear.

"Amira, sweetheart? We're going to have to get in the water, okay? You're sick, but this is going to help you feel better." He wasn't getting any response from her, just like he hadn't for the past half an hour. He put his legs over the side of the bed and carried her into the bathroom, following Jethro. Jethro was bent over the tub, trying the knobs to get the water lukewarm. He didn't want to shock her, but he knew they had to do something. Once he got it to a temperature he figured both she and Tony could handle, he helped take Tony's PJ pants off of him, leaving him in a tshirt and boxers. He watched Tony get under the water with Amira as he dialed Ducky.

It only took a moment for Amira's crying to subside once the water hit her. It shocked her enough that she snapped out of it, and took deep shuddering breaths against Tony's neck.

"Jethro?" Ducky answered, half awake. Jethro put the phone on speaker so Tony could hear it.

"Duck, we got a problem. Amira's burning up. She was sleeping between us, and we woke up to her crying, which is getting to be normal for her, but she was really hot to the touch. She wasn't responsive. She just kept crying, and crying…"

"Can you take her temperature?" Ducky asked.

"Not yet. Tony has her and just stepped into the shower. The cool water did something. She stopped crying."

"Is she responsive yet?"

"Amira?" Jethro asked, trying to see if she would look at him. "Munchkin? Look at me?"

"I think she fell asleep," Tony said.

"Either that or she's in shock," Ducky said. "You should probably take her to the hospital. Grief does horrible things to us. Children are especially resilient, but they are also especially vulnerable. It brings our immune system to a screeching halt, and we become susceptible to all sorts of illnesses and infections. Is she eating well? Has she shown any signs of illness?"

"No. She's eating fine. She's been sleeping a lot, but she's shown no signs of any kind of illness, and she hasn't complained of feeling sick." Jethro ran his hand through his hair. It had been too long since he'd done this. He'd forgotten how nerve wrecking it could be to have your child fall ill.

"If nothing else, you'll both feel better if you find out what it is. You should take her. Would you like for me to join you?"

Jethro felt relief at the idea of having a doctor with him that could translate whatever was told to them. He couldn't believe he felt so needy all of the sudden. "Would you?"

"Certainly. I'll meet you at Children's Hospital in twenty minutes."

"We'll see you there," Jethro answered, closing his phone and pulling back the curtain while he grabbed a towel.

Tony handed Amira's limp body to Jethro to wrap in the towel. She was breathing shuddery breaths, and Jethro gulped as she felt like dead weight in his arms. Tony jumped out and grabbed another towel, stripping out of his clothes to leave in the bottom of the tub to drain. They both headed for the bedroom, and Jethro laid Amira down on the bed while he put on a pair of jeans and Tony threw clothes on, all in less than two minutes.

Tony picked Amira back up, wrapped in the towel. "Grab my phone for me? And Dirt?" Tony asked. Jethro reached across the bed and picked it up from the nightstand, unplugging it, then grabbed the bear. They headed for the door, and Jethro stopped in Amira's room to get her some dry clothes. Tony was already standing next to his car, which was blocking the driveway when Jethro came running out. They got in, Jethro behind the wheel, and managed to get their seatbelts on.

"Amira, sweetheart. Talk to me," Tony said. She moaned a little, but sighed and went back to lying against Tony's shoulder. She seemed a little more responsive, but didn't move her arms to put them over Tony's neck. "What the hell is going on?"

"Try not to panic. It's probably something simple, and it's just compounded by the grief. Let's just stay calm," Jethro said, though he knew that his tone of voice betrayed him. He rested his hand on Tony's knee, despite knowing he couldn't let Amira go to take it.

They arrived at the hospital and Jethro let Tony off at the front door with Amira, then went to park the car. Tony headed in without waiting for him, and up to the front desk.

"Can I help you?" a woman in cartoon character scrubs asked.

"Yes. She's got a bad fever and she's not responding. She was in bed with us, and she started crying, and woke us up, and then she wouldn't stop crying, and I don't know what's wrong." Tony had never felt so unglued in his life. He was panicking in a way he had never known he could panic.

"What's her name?" The nurse said, turning to her computer.

"Amira Shakarji."

"Can you spell that for me?"

Tony sighed in a huff. "S-H-A-K-A-R-J-I."

"Her date of birth?"

"Damn it. I don't know. Jethro will know. He's on his way in."

"Are you her parent?" the woman asked, obviously confused.

"My fiance and I are her legal guardians. Her mother passed away last week."

"I'm so sorry."

"Hey," Jethro said, coming up behind him.

"Thank god. What's Amira's date of birth?"

"December 14th, 2010."

The woman looked between the two men for a moment, then put the date into the computer. "Do you have her social?"

"Uh…" Jethro reached into his wallet and pulled out Amira's social security card. He's found it in Leyla's purse and hadn't put it away yet. "377-92-7608."

"Thank you. I'm going to need for you to bring her around here for me," she said. "Lucy will get her vitals and then we'll take her back."

Tony and Jethro moved behind a wall and found an older woman in tie-dye scrubs waiting for them with a calm smile. "Goodness," she said softly. "What's going on?"

"She woke us up crying, and she wouldn't stop, which has been normal since her mom died last week, but she wasn't very responsive, and she's all hot, and now she's not responding at all and…"

"Okay. Deep breath," Lucy said in an equally calm voice to her appearance. It made Tony swallow and nod. "Why don't you sit down with her right here. I'm going to get some vitals, and then we'll get her looked at right away."

Tony sat down, glad to have some sort of instructions he could easily follow to feel like he was doing _something,_ anything.

Lucy ran a device from one of Amira's ears, across her forehead, to the other ear.

"Okay. She has a fever of 104.2. When did she start feeling bad?"

"She hasn't shown any signs of feeling bad since she came into our custody this week. She's been surprisingly resilient since losing her mom. She's eating well, drinking plenty, and sleeping…"

Tony interrupted Jethro. "She's sleeping a lot. And she's wanted to sleep with us every night since she came home to us. And she was sleeping with us tonight, and I woke up to her crying, and she wouldn't stop…" Jethro's hand rested on Tony's shoulder, grounding him. Tony stopped and swallowed hard, realizing he was close to tears.

A tiny blood pressure cuff went around Amira's wrist and Lucy instructed Tony to hold Amira's hand up by her chest. She held a stethoscope to Amira's elbow, and clipped a little device to her finger. She recorded all of the read outs on a computer behind her.

"Her blood pressure is low, but not dangerously. Let's get her back to the room. I'll get the doctor to look at her immediately."

Tony looked up at Jethro, understanding that despite Lucy's very calm appearance, that meant she was worried.

Jethro's phone rang. He reached for it and answered it. "Yeah Duck. We're back with the nurse."

"Do you want me back there?"

"Yes."

"Then you'll need to come get me," Ducky said as he stared at the front desk nurse.

Jethro hung up the phone and stuck his head around the bend. "He's with us," he told the nurse. She nodded, and Ducky went around the bend. They all followed Lucy down a hallway and through a set of doors. They went through another corridor of rooms, and came to one where the door was open. Tony sat on the edge of the bed and held Amira to him.

"You'll need to lay her down on the bed," Lucy said. "Why is she wet?"

"She was responsive to a wet cloth on her neck, so Tony got in the shower with her. Her crying stopped immediately, and she hasn't been responsive since," Jethro said. He shrugged. "We panicked."

"It's okay. With her fever this high, she's probably going to get a wet towel down anyway." Jethro held up the tiny backpack he'd shoved Amira's dry clothes in from her room. Dirt's head was sticking out of the side of it since he wouldn't fit in the bag.

"I brought dry clothes," Jethro said blankly.

Tony was still holding Amira, unwilling to put her down.

"What's your name?" she asked Tony.

"Tony DiNozzo Jr.," Tony answered, startled by the question.

"Tony, you're going to have to lay Amira down so the doctor can treat her. Your body warmth isn't helping the fever," Lucy said rationally.

Tony nodded slowly and got up, laying Amira down on the bed like she was going to break. Jethro put his hands around Tony's waist and pulled him back a step to give Amira room. He didn't let go, and he rested his chin on Tony's shoulder as they watched Amira's sleeping form, begging for her to sit up and say something or do something.

"You said she lost her mother last week?" Lucy asked.

All three men nodded.

"I take it you're new to having children," she said gently.

"I am," Tony croaked. "He's not."

Lucy nodded. "Okay. Well let me tell you what's going to happen." She started taking Amira's wet clothes off of her and put a tiny gown on her as she talked and hooked Amira up to a heart monitor. "The doctor will be in momentarily to check for any signs of infection. We'll run blood tests to see what's causing the fever and unconsciousness, and the whole time we're going to monitor her heart, her blood pressure, and her temperature. She's probably going to have an IV with medicine to help with the fever. Has she had any surgeries?"

"No," Jethro answered.

"Okay. That's good. Has she had any injuries recently? Anything from a papercut to a broken bone."

"Not since she's been with us, and I haven't seen anything on her. She hasn't complained of anything," Jethro said.

"No rashes?"

"None," Tony said.

"Good. Any allergies?"

Tony looked to Jethro. "None that I know of," he answered for them.

"Hello everyone," came a surprised male voice from the doorway. A chorus of greetings came up from around the room. "I'm Doctor Bean."

"Doctor Bean," Ducky said, stepping forward to shake his hand. "This is Jethro Gibbs and Tony DiNozzo, and their goddaughter Amira. I'm Doctor Mallard, a family friend. We're quite worried about Amira."

Jethro sighed in relief that Ducky was stepping in to take over the conversation. He could feel his own blood pressure was through the roof. He'd never seen anything like this in Kelly, or heard about it from any of the other parents he hung around back then. He was worried sick.

"She's still unresponsive?" Dr. Bean asked Lucy.

"Hasn't moved since they brought her in," Lucy said quietly.

The doctor took his penlight out and shined it in Amira's eyes, lifting her lids gently with his finger. She moaned quietly, but didn't move.

"Well she's not completely unresponsive," he said. "That's a good sign." He took his stethoscope out and listened to her chest. "Her breathing is clear." He reached behind the bed and took a light off the wall. He shined it up her nose, squinting, then shined it in her ear. "Oh. There we go. That looks like one nasty infection in there."

Jethro and Tony both sighed in unison.

"Is it bad enough to cause this kind of reaction?" Tony asked.

"Coupled with the grief of losing her mother this week?" Ducky asked Dr. Bean.

"I'm really sorry to hear that," Dr. Bean said, meeting Tony and Jethro's eyes with sympathy. "That probably masked a lot of the warning signs that this was building. I bet she's been sleeping a lot, maybe a little loss of appetite…?"

"Yes to the sleeping," Jethro said.

"No to the eating. She's been eating fine," Tony said.

Dr. Bean nodded. "We'll get an IV in her to start an antibiotic treatment and some Tylenol to get that fever down. It will help a lot. She'll probably be responsive again in no time."

All three men nodded.

"It's good you brought her in though. That fever is too high for a child her age."

"And that's after the cold shower we took," Tony said with a shake of his head.

Dr. Bean raised an eyebrow, but just nodded. He turned to Lucy, and started relaying instructions for Amira's care. He turned back to Jethro and Tony. "We're going to get some blood drawn to make sure the infection hasn't spread to anywhere else in her body and cover all bases."

Both men nodded, and Jethro looked at Ducky, who nodded the faintest.

They were still standing by the bed silently watching Amira sleep when Lucy came in with another chair so all three men could sit down. Tony went to move one to the side of Amira's bed, when Lucy rested a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm going to need to get to her to set up the IV. I need you to sit on the other side please." Her tone was very compassionate and calm, and Tony nodded, getting back to his feet. He moved to sit next to Jethro in the corner until he could figure out where it was safe to move. Ducky sat next to Jethro on the other side.

"Would you like for me to call Abigail and let her know that you won't be able to assist her today?"

"That would be great. Thanks, Duck. Go ahead and tell her what's going on. I know she's going to have questions." Jethro tried to look over at Ducky, but he couldn't look away from Amira's ashen face.

"I'll be in the hallway if you need me," Ducky said, getting up.

Jethro's hand took Tony's without even looking. They sat in silence while Lucy hooked up the equipment next to the bed. When she went to put the IV in Amira, she squirmed a little and let out a small cry of a moan. Tony's fingers went so tightly around Jethro's that neither man could feel their fingers. Any movement, any sound from their little girl was welcome, even if it was in pain.

Jethro's pocket suddenly made a noise he wasn't familiar with, and he realized Tony's phone was still in it. He reached his free hand in and retrieved it, handing it to Tony.

Tony looked at it to find Elly's message. He groaned. "Ned's neck is really screwed up," Tony said, tapping a message back with one hand. "He's not coming to help Abby and Tim either." He forwarded the text to Abby and sighed.

"If they still want everyone's help, they're just going to have to wait until next weekend," Jethro said. "No big deal. It's okay."

"It's just that they had the moving truck scheduled for today and everything," Tony said.

"Well, let Palmer and Parke and them move the big stuff today, and we'll help them move all the other stuff next weekend. They're adults. They'll understand and do what they can."

"True," Tony said, forgetting that everyone else was helping them.

"I should call dad," Jethro said. "He was going to come over to our house this morning."

"Do you need for me to look up the hotel number?" Tony asked, already opening his app.

"Yeah. They're at the Comfort Inn."

"You ready for it?" Tony asked a minute later.

"Yeah." They spent the next few minutes on the phone with Jack. When Ducky came back into the room, Tony filled him in on Ned's message.

"I'll take care of Agent Dorneget. You take care of Amira. How are the two of you?" he asked them.

"A little better knowing it's a treatable infection," Tony said, staring at Amira. "This just… what else could go wrong?"

"Don't say that. We still haven't gotten the blood work back," Jethro said, squeezing Tony's hand.

"This is certainly an extreme case. Coupled with the grief she's experiencing, her mind and body are probably simply in need of a respite. She'll be back to herself shortly," Ducky consoled.

"Did anything like this ever happen to Kelly?" Tony finally asked. It had been a question on his mind for over an hour now, but he finally had the voice to say it.

Jethro shook his head. "She had ear infections, of course, every kid does, but nothing like this. Then again, Shannon had to put up with a lot more than I did while I was deployed or away. She was a colicky baby though. That was a pain in the ass, but no. She didn't have anything like this."

Ducky was mesmerized by how easily his two friends had a conversation about ghosts from the past rarely spoke of. He was glad to see that they had come to a point where they could speak casually of Jethro's previous life. He knew that was a good sign for their relationship. He tried to check the smile he felt creeping over his face in lieu of the situation, but he felt genuinely happy for them.

Jethro took the pack from between his feet and took Dirt from it. He got up and slid it next to Amira, folding the arm that didn't have an IV in it over the bear. Amira held her arm in place to keep the bear close, and Jethro and Tony smiled at each other. Even when the rest of the world was being tuned out, that bear was welcome.

They sat together quietly for over an hour while the nurse and phlebotomist came in and took blood and checked on her. Another hour and the nurse smiled at them. "Her fever's coming down. She's at 102.9."

Tony and Jethro smiled at each other. They got a visit from registration, which was awkward and frustrating. They had to explain their situation, and they didn't know what to do about Amira's insurance. Once the registration lady was gone, the three men talked about how the next big mission was to combine their insurance policies into a family policy and include their new daughter.

The doctor came in to bring them the test results, and Tony and Jethro's hands found each other again.

"Everything looks as suspected. She has a serious ear infection, and the spike in fever has her knocked out. We'll watch to see if she starts coming around, give her some more medicine through the IVs, and take it from there. If she becomes more lucid, we may even be able to send her home today. That's really the only thing that has me concerned now that her fever is coming down to the safety zone."

Jethro and Tony both sighed and slouched at the same time. The relief in the room was palpable.

"I'll be back in a couple of hours to check in, unless she wakes up before then. In that case I'll be back sooner."

"Thanks, doc," Jethro said.

"Yeah, thanks," Tony echoed.

Once they were alone, the two men noticed how relieved Ducky looked.

"You look almost as relieved as us," Tony said, eyeing him.

"Of course I am! She's a part of our little patchwork family. Her care is important to me. I must admit, I was concerned that with her state we may be looking at septicemia, but she wasn't presenting long enough beforehand to make that likely." Ducky shrugged, trying to make light of it.

"Thanks for not panicking us any further, Duck," Jethro said.

They sat there talking for a while longer. Jethro brought up the idea of making Abby and Tim their best man and best woman, and Tony loved it. The three of them also talked about what kinds of things they could do to incorporate Amira into the wedding. They distracted themselves as best as they could from the semi-conscious girl next to them.

"Mommy?" a soft voice said into the room. The three of them turned to Amira. Tony leaned over the side of her bed and took her hand, and Jethro got to his feet to move Amira's hair out of her face.

"Tony and Gibbsy are here with you, Munchkin," Jethro said softly.

"M'kay," Amira said, then turned her head and went back to sleep.

Tony's free hand found Jethro's and they both stared at Amira. "She's going to be okay," Tony said with a sigh.

"Yeah, she will," Jethro said, running his hand over Amira's head over and over again.

"I'll go let the nurse know we've had a little progress," Ducky said.

"Thanks, Duck," Jethro said.

They sat in silence for a minute, and then Tony turned to Jethro. "So this is what it's like being a parent, huh?"

"Yeah. This is what it's like," Jethro said, turning to sit back down next to Tony.

"I hope I can take it," Tony said with a sigh.

"You can take more than you ever thought you could take as a parent. You can take this, and so much more."

Tony nodded. "I don't think I've been so scared since I pulled you out of that car and had to give you mouth to mouth."

Jethro looked at Tony. "You won't ever know how grateful I am for you."

"I think I've got a pretty good idea," Tony said with a wink. Jethro chuckled, and they continued their vigil in silence, hands folded into one another.

* * *

Three hours later and the room was livened up by the arrival of Jack and Shane with lunch. They were just dropping it off before they started the journey back to Pennsylvania.

"We stopped at Tim's and saw everyone," Shane said. "They all send their best wishes and want to know as soon as they can come see Amira."

"We're hoping she'll be coming home today," Tony said.

"I hope so," Jack said, watching the sleeping girl in front of them. "She looks so tired. Poor thing."

"Tony and Gibbs look pretty tired, too," Shane pointed out.

"We're all exhausted. After the funeral tomorrow, I'm going to sleep until I can't sleep anymore," Tony said.

"I second that," Jethro said.

"Will she be able to go tomorrow?" Shane asked.

"We're going to play it by ear."

"A little advice?" Shane said. "Even if you have to carry her the whole time, take her. I didn't get to go to my parents' funeral. Always felt like I'd missed something important."

Tony looked at Jethro and nodded slowly. "I can understand that."

"She doesn't have to stay the whole time. Just long enough to say goodbye," Shane added.

"Gibbsy?"

Everyone jumped at Amira's voice.

"I'm right here, Munchkin," Jethro said with a bright smile. "Tony's right here, too. So is Jack, and our friends Shane and Ducky are here, too."

"There's a duck?" Amira asked, confused, her eyes slightly open as she tried to look around the room disoriented.

"No, that's my friend's nickname."

"Oh."

"How're you feeling?" Tony asked gently.

"My head feels funny." Amira reached up to pull on her ear, and she exhaled deeply as her eyes closed.

"It's okay. You're a little sick. You're at the hospital," Tony said.

"Try to keep her awake a minute to judge how she's doing," Ducky said softly.

"Munchkin?" Jethro said. "Are you thirsty?"

Amira nodded, but her eyes stayed closed.

"I'll go get Lucy," Ducky said.

"Stay awake with us and we'll get you something to drink," Tony said.

"Blue?" she asked.

Tony and Jethro chuckled. "Not right now, but when we get home you can have a blue."

"Can we go home, Gibbsy?" she whispered.

"We can't go home until you can stay awake for us. You want to rest some more, or do you want to stay awake and talk to us?" Jethro said quietly.

"Dirt," she said.

"What about Dirt?" Tony asked.

She wrapped her arms around the bear. "He talked to Mommy for me."

Jethro and Tony looked at each other, and Jethro inhaled sharply.

"Good," Tony said, unsure of what else you say to something like that.

"She can't come home," Amira said, turning over on her side to snuggle the bear.

"No, Munchkin. She can't. But she's an angel now, and she'll watch over you forever," Jethro said, his voice crackling.

"I know. Dirt told me." Tony and Jethro shared a pained look.

Lucy came in with Ducky. "Well hello there!" she said gently, coming over to the side of Amira's bed that had the IV in.

Amira turned her head to look at Jethro, and he nodded. "This is Lucy. She's taking care of you. She's a good guy."

Amira nodded.

"And what's your name?" Lucy asked.

"Amira," she whispered.

"Nice to meet you, Amira. How are you feeling?"

Amira shrugged.

"She said her head felt funny, then started pulling on the bad ear," Tony offered.

Lucy nodded. "When you say your head feels funny, does it feel all fuzzy inside? Maybe heavy? Like you want to sleep forever and ever?" she asked.

Amira nodded.

"That's okay. Your ear is sick, but you see this tube here?" Lucy pointed to the tube in Amira's arm, and Amira nodded again. "We're putting medicine in that tube so you don't have to swallow it. It tastes a lot better that way. No icky medicine in your mouth. It's going to make you feel all better, okay?"

"'kay."

"Try to rest for a while. I'm just going to take your temperature, and then you can go back to sleep." Lucy ran the thermometer over Amira's forehead again, and then looked up at Tony and Jethro. "100.8. Much, much better. The medicines are working well. Sleep is the best thing for her right now."

"Thank you," Tony said, smiling at Lucy, then Amira. "You hear that, sweetheart? You can go back to sleep for now."

"Blue?" Amira asked.

"Oh, can she get a drink?" Jethro asked.

"Sure. I'll bring her some water."

"Thanks." By time they turned back to Amira, she was already asleep.

"We should probably take off," Shane said quietly.

"Are you okay, Leroy?" Jack asked.

"Yeah, Dad. Thanks. Was scared like hell earlier, but I'm okay now. She's going to be fine."

"Of course she is- she has you two."

Jethro smiled. "Thanks, Dad. Safe travels home."

Jackson pulled Jethro in for a hug, which Jethro took much easier than usual. Tony stood up behind him, knowing he was next. He liked that Jack was a hugger. He'd found that Jethro actually could be sometimes, too, and not just with him. That was such a juxtaposition to his usual front that he was certain it was genetically programmed into him. He found Shane reaching for a hug after Jack though, and that surprised him. He obliged, and he remembered Elly saying that Parke and Shane would also want to be adopted into the family if they were taking a roster. He smiled to himself for a brief moment.

"Call me when you get settled in," he told him.

Shane smiled brightly at him. "I will. Take care of her," he said.

"Oh, we will."

"I know."

After they left, Ducky decided it was time for him to take his leave too. "I'm glad all will be well with her. She is, indeed, very lucky to have the two of you."

"Thanks for coming today, Ducky," Tony said.

"Yeah. We really appreciate it," Jethro added.

"There was no place that could have been more important for me to be, than right here. Make sure you take the time to eat and get some rest. Let me know tonight if she has made it home or if you're camped out in here. If you're stuck here, I'll provide dinner."

"Thanks, Duck," Jethro said, reaching up to clasp his shoulder a moment.

"So long."

Once it was just the two of them alone with Amira, Tony picked up the sack of food that the guys had brought, and sat it on the rolling table tray. "I'm suddenly starving. What did they bring us?" They unwrapped sandwiches from the bag and took a look.

"Turkey clubs," Jethro said. "Dad's doing."

They spent the next fifteen minutes scarfing down their clubs and the chips and even the pickles that came with them.

"I feel like I could eat a horse," Tony said.

"I've always noticed you're a stress eater," Jethro said with a smirk.

"You're not," Tony said. "I'm incredibly surprised though that you haven't threatened somebody's life if they didn't bring you some coffee."

"I've been wired enough as is," Jethro said with a shrug. "But now that you mention it…"

Tony chuckled. "If you want to go get some coffee, and maybe raid a vending machine for me, I'd be okay with that."

"What are you craving?" Jethro asked, looking at Tony with a cocked eyebrow.

"I want like three candy bars."

"Chocolate?"

"Snickers, Reese Cups, something."

"I'll be back in few," Jethro said. He stood up, threw his container away, and then bent down to kiss Tony. Tony kissed him back, his hands coming to Jethro's face to hold him there a moment longer.

"Love you, Jethro."

"Love you, too." Jethro stood up, then went over to Amira, kissing her forehead softly before turning to walk out of the room. Tony watched him go, and shook his head.

_I don't know what I've gotten myself into, but I hope I never get myself out of it._

* * *

Amira started waking up. The first thing she noticed was that she was cold- _really cold._ She shivered, and reached to pull the blanket around her, but it was only a sheet. That confused her. She had a fuzzy blanket. Where was her fuzzy blanket? She hugged Dirt a little tighter. She sighed, snuggling under him to get warm. He was snuggly. She liked it. She was still very cold.

She could hear Gibbsy and Tony talking really quietly next to her. They were talking like they were telling secrets. Her head felt funny. Her ear hurt. She reached up and pulled on it, and felt something slimy on her hand. She didn't like it. She pouted, and she wanted to cry. Mommy said big girls don't cry about everything. They cry about big things, not little things. Amira slowly opened her eyes to look at her hand. It was shiny from the wet stuff from her ear, and it smelled gross. She wiped it on the sheet and tried not to get upset, but it was icky and she didn't like it. She used the sheet to wipe her ear, and saw the icky stuff came off on the sheet.

She tried to listen to Gibbsy and Tony. They sounded sad. She didn't know why they were sad. Did they have icky stuff coming out of their ears too? she wondered. She rolled over and realized she wasn't at home. She remembered now. Her ear was sick and she was at the hospital. The nice lady told her that there was medicine in the tube. She looked at it. It was scary and she didn't like it. She looked up at Tony and Gibbsy. They were sitting next to her with cups in their hands. She wanted a blue. She remembered Tony said she could have one if she went home. To go home she had to wake up. She didn't want to sleep anymore. She wanted to wake up, go home, and have a blue. She wanted her own fuzzy blanket and her fluffy pillow.

She opened her mouth, but stopped when she suddenly sneezed. That made her ear hurt really bad and she started crying. Gibbsy and Tony both jumped up and came over to her. They made her feel not so scared, but it still hurt, and she still cried. The nice lady came back into the room and tried to help her. She cleaned off her ear with a stinky wet thing that made her nose burn and she sneezed again. That hurt a lot.

"Amira?" said the nice lady. "I need to put a couple of drops in your ear to help make it stop hurting. After I do, I need for you to lie very still for five whole minutes. Can you do that for me?"

Amira nodded her head. Gibbsy and Tony told her she was very brave. Tony got into the bed with her and scooped her up in his arms. She lay against his shoulder, and the lady put the drops in. It felt weird and tickled. She sat very still with Tony though. She liked snuggling with him. She wasn't squishy like Mommy, but he smelled good, and she knew she was safe from the bad guys.

She started to close her eyes, feeling sleepy again. But no! She didn't want to sleep! She had to stay awake if she wanted to go home and have a blue and have her blanket. She tried her bestest to hold still. It was very hard, but Tony talked to her and let her know she was doing a good job, and Gibbsy held her hand. Gibbsy looked sad. He looked sad a lot, but this was different. He looked right at her, and she looked back at him.

"Gibbsy? Why are you sad?" she asked him.

"Because you're sick, Munchkin. I don't like it when you're sick."

"Oh. I don't either," she said. She felt Tony's tummy shake under her as he laughed. Gibbsy smiled at her. She didn't know why, but she was glad he didn't look sad anymore. She didn't want him sad. She wanted him happy.

She thought about what Mommy had said. She said that Gibbsy and Tony would be her daddies if something happened and the bad guys got her. She really wanted Mommy, but if Mommy had to go be an angel, she was really glad that Gibbsy and Tony were her new daddies.

"Can we go home, Daddy?" she asked. Gibbsy's eyes got really big, and suddenly they were all wet looking like he was crying. She didn't know why though. He was just laughing. It was very confusing.

"Soon, Munchkin. Very soon."

"And I can have a blue?" she asked. Gibbsy laughed, but wiped his eyes. He was crying, and she didn't know why.

"When we get home, you can have a blue," he said.

"Gibbsy? Why, why can you cry and laugh at the same time?" she asked.

"That happens sometimes when you feel all sorts of emotions at the same time. Right now I feel happy and sad."

"Oh." She tried to understand. "Like when I'm sad about Mommy, but I'm doing puzzles too?"

"Yeah. Like that," he said.

"Okay. I feel sad about Mommy a lot."

"I know sweetie," Tony said, kissing her head. "We do, too."

"You do?" she asked quietly. She didn't know that.

"Yeah, we do," Gibbsy said.

"We- we're all sad together, at the same time?" she asked.

"At the same time," Tony said.

"Oh." She thought about that for a minute. "Do you want to tell Mommy you miss her? Dirt can tell her."

Gibbsy smiled at her. "Mommy's an angel now. She sees us all the time, and she knows that we miss her, and that we'll always love her."

"Really?" Amira asked. "Even when I- when I go to sleep?"

"Especially when you go to sleep," Tony said. "She's always watching over you, just like my mommy and Gibbsy's mommy watches over us."

"'Cause your mommies are angels, too?" she asked. She hadn't thought about that before. Her daddies didn't talk about their mommies.

"Yeah, Munchkin," Gibbsy said.

"Okay."

The nice lady came back in and let them know Amira could sit up again. She was comfy where she was at though. The three big people talked for a few minutes, and then another came in the room. He was in doctor clothes, and he was nice to Amira, too. They did something to her head and the doctor put something in Amira's ear. It felt funny, and it made stuff drain out of her ear again. When he was done though, he told Gibbsy and Tony that they could all go home. She was happy. She was going home to get a blue, to snuggle with her blanket, and to live with her daddies, and she was never ever going back to the hospital!

* * *

Tony headed up the stairs towards the bedrooms, Amira asleep in his arms. Jethro followed them with a bottle of Gatorade and Dirt. They'd gotten Amira to eat some soup, and then she laid down on the couch and fell asleep. As they were tucking her in, a piece of cotton stuck in her ear to catch the disgusting drainage she was experiencing, she stirred. She reached up for her bear, and tucked it under her fleece blanket with her.

Tony bent down and kissed her forehead. "Love you, Daddy," she mumbled. Tony couldn't swallow. He took short breaths, those words kicking him in the gut. He cleared his throat.

"Love you, too, sweetheart."

Jethro bent over her and kissed her cheek. Her arms came around his neck and a semi-hug. "Love you, too, other Daddy."

Jethro and Tony chuckled, and when Jethro stood up, they both saw Amira smiling up at them.

"Love you, too. Sleep well, Munchkin."

They left the door cracked and headed for their bedroom. They had to be up at 0530 to prepare for the funeral the next day. They had no idea what Amira was going to wear, or if she'd even feel like going. They'd talked about their options while at the hospital, and they decided that they were going to try to get Amira to go, and if she got too sick, Tony would take her home.

It was only 1900 according to Tony's phone, but they didn't care. They stripped down to their boxers, and crawled into bed.

"She's calling us, Daddy," Tony said into the dusky light.

"Yeah," Jethro said, equal amazement in his voice as Tony's.

"That's gotta be the best thing ever," Tony said. "My stomach did a somersault. I can't believe I'm someone's Daddy."

"It feels so weird to hear someone call me that again. Good! Don't get me wrong. It feels… fantastic… but weird."

They laid in silence for a few minutes. "Daddy…" Tony murmured.

"Daddy," Jethro echoed.


	46. Chapter 46

Ned was propped up on the couch with Elly's head in his lap. They were watching Twister and dozing. Ned had gotten a call from Ducky about how he was feeling. He'd followed his instructions and had taken his pain meds again, and Elly brought him fresh cool rags and icepacks every hour or so. The pain was subsiding back to the initial horror, but the pills were making him loopy and sleepy. When the scene came on with the cow flying through the air, he broke out into a fit of giggles that made Elly smile. Elly sat up and looked into the happy expression on his lover's face, and sighed contently.

"Are you feeling better? Do you want another icepack?" he asked.

"I think I'm okay for now," Ned replied with a smile. "Thanks though. How are _you_ feeling? Any flashbacks or weirdness?"

With all of the pain Ned was in, Elly had almost forgotten about his own issues.

"I'm fine. It's almost like it never happened. I told you, I was a wild child in college. Not that I'd ever tried Existence, but this hasn't been a completely foreign experience for me."

"I don't think I'm really in the right mindset to hear about this right now," Ned said with a daunted look on his face.

"I should probably tell you at some point so nothing sneaks up on us."

"True, but not tonight," Ned asked more than said.

Elly leaned forward and kissed him sweetly, earning a bright smile in return. When he pulled back, he looked into Ned's eyes. "Love you," he said quietly.

"I love you, too," Ned replied.

"I think I'm going to order us some dinner. What are you in the mood for?"

"Chocolate."

Elly laughed as he got to his feet. "There's brownies and chocolate chip cookies at Pizza Hut. Do they deliver here?" he asked.

"They do, and brownies sound amazing. Maybe I'll do wings instead of pizza though." They spent the next five minutes discussing their order, and Elly went into the kitchen to sit at the little dinette table at his laptop to place it.

As he waited for the order to process his mind wandered to his conversation with Ned the night before about his dad. Elly didn't believe his dad was a bad man. He had the best of intentions. His priorities simply didn't coincide with his son's, and that was especially true when it came to who his dad considered to be an appropriate partner. Ned wasn't a political person, he wasn't financially well off, and he wasn't some easy answer. Ned was a passionate person. He believed in preserving life, while his dad had come to see lives as figures in rank or war. Ned was a connected person, finding personal ties with those around him, while his dad was as disconnected as could be. His dad lacked emotion, and he had no concern for true love.

Elly had always known that the marriage to his stepmom had been out of convenience. He needed someone to take care of his kids, and they tolerated each other pretty well. She had a chance at a ready-made family, something she'd always wanted, but was never able to have. It was a win-win.

He knew that his stepmom had really tried to be there for him, and he even believed that she loved him. They were very different people though. Out of the two of them, he'd definitely felt more warmth from her than he ever had from his father. He sometimes felt bad for not letting her in. No matter how hard she tried, he just couldn't. He felt like she was playing house. It had never felt real.

Elly couldn't really remember too many conversations on sexuality with his dad. Other than the awkward safe-sex talk he'd been given, there were occasional comments made about DADT needing to be repealed, but he knew his dad was still pretty conservative. The thing about having a dad that was gone all the time was that you didn't really get to know him. He wasn't sure how he was going to react to the whole "two men" part of this scenario, but he had enough to dislike about Ned before even looking at their genders.

A couple of days before, Elly had imagined what his dad must be like with military maneuvers versus what Ned was like when working an op. The differences startled him. It had been on his mind a lot since then, but it wasn't until the conversation in the car the night before that he'd realized just how much it bothered him. How could he be so in love with someone that was the complete opposite of his dad? After only a moment's thought he realized that it was precisely those differences that he was so in love with.

He got up and went to the kitchen doorway, then leaned on the frame and watched Ned as he watched the movie. His fiancé's response had been perfect after he tried to explain why he believed things would be a nightmare when the family finally met him. Ned had pointed out that he wasn't marrying his dad, and that as long as it didn't matter to Elly, it didn't matter to him. He knew where to focus his attention, and it was on them and their relationship, not the negative people in their lives.

A phone chimed from the coffee table, and Elly saw that it was Ned's that lit up. Ned started reaching for it, and then hissed.

"I'll get it!" Elly said. "You're going to need to be haloed. You can't keep going like this." He picked up the phone and handed it to his fiancé.

"It's Abby," Ned said with a smile. "She's telling me that she hopes I feel better soon. That's nice of her."

"Tim about freaked out this morning. He was afraid it was a bad omen that both you and Amira were suddenly too ill to help. Or, I should say, he was afraid that _Abby_ was going to think it was a bad omen. I got the sense that he's a little worried about this move." Elly reached for his glass of soda from the end table and sipped it while looking at Ned.

"Abby adores Tim. There's no reason he should be worried."

Elly shrugged. "He's told me that she's a little skittish about the move. It's kinda been eating him up."

"Huh. I wouldn't have known," Ned said, trying not to shrug.

"I think he's afraid that if he shows it, Abby will think he's nervous too, and they'll not go through with it."

"Doubt is a powerful thing," Ned said, looking into Elly's eyes.

"Don't worry," Elly said with a soft smile. "I don't have any doubts about wanting to spend the rest of my life with you."

A bright smile lit up Ned's face. "Neither do I."

"Did Tony ever tell you what he has written on the inside of Gibbs' ring?"

"No?"

"Abby told me. It says, in Italian might I add, 'No doubt, only love'. How sweet is that?"

A dreamy look came over Ned's face as he sighed. "They really are the cutest couple ever."

"Something to aspire to, huh?" Elly said with a chuckle.

"We're giving them a run for their money," Ned said with a smirk.

"Ya think?" Elly asked with a grin.

"Definitely! And if I didn't feel like my neck had a red hot iron bar in it, I'd affirm it."

"Time for another icepack?" Elly asked with a wince.

"Yeah. I think so."

"Be right back," he said as he jumped up to hit the freezer.

Twenty minutes later, they were eating brownies before tearing into the pizza.

"So what's with the chocolate cravings?" Elly asked.

"Honestly, I'm just a big baby when I don't feel good."

"Good to know!" Elly said with a chuckle.

"Yeah. Chicken noodle soup, popsicles, Jell-O and all that good stuff when I'm sick with a cold or flu. Chocolate and candy when I have a booboo."

Elly eyed him critically. "A booboo? Really? This isn't a booboo. This is a serious injury."

"Po-tay-to, po-tah-to," Ned said as he tried to reach for the pizza.

"You need to go to the doctor tomorrow and get the brace," Elly said sternly as he handed the box of pizza to Ned.

"Yeah, I do."

"I expect you to make an appointment first thing in the morning before the funeral."

"I will. I promise."

"Good."

"Can I have more lemonade? Pwetty pwease?" Ned asked with a dramatic pouty face.

Elly smirked and shook his head. "You're lucky I love you."

"Yeah, I know."

NCIS*NCIS*NCIS

Abby and Tim's living room was full of boxes and random pieces of furniture. They had no idea where they wanted everything. They thought they did, but as soon as they started putting it there, they realized that they didn't like the way the light reflected off of the TV screen, and they decided to rearrange the room. The rest of the rooms in the new townhome looked similar. There was a scattering of boxes and furniture in each of the rooms upstairs, and everyone was going through boxes in the kitchen so they could find the glasses that were packed in there somewhere. They'd ordered pizza, and they needed something to help wash it down with.

Parke and Tiffany, Palmer and Breena, Ziva, and of course Abby and Tim had spent the day moving the two into their new place. It was an exhausting task, especially with fewer hands than they'd expected to have. They'd managed to get everything from both apartments into one home, and now all that was left to do was rearrange the furniture and unpack.

The doorbell rang, and Tim headed over to answer it. Everyone watched curiously from where they were in the kitchen. He found Ducky on the other side and smiled.

"Hey! Come on in! How's Amira?" he asked, stepping aside to let the older man in before closing the door.

"She's coming around, thankfully. She has a rather grievous ear infection, which appears to have being masked by her grief. Tony had asked me about her sleeping patterns, and I never thought she may be ill on top of the sadness she was feeling at the loss of Leyla."

"She seemed physically fine the last time we all saw her, too Ducky. Don't beat yourself up over it. Tony and Gibbs have been watching her like a hawk and they still missed it," Tim consoled. "Come have pizza with us."

Ducky followed Tim into the kitchen, glad to be around friends that weren't miserable.

"Ducky!" Abby said, throwing her arms around him. "Let me show you around!" She led him through the labyrinth of boxes and explained what each room would look like once everything was unpacked.

"I am delighted that the two of you are making a home together, Abigail," he said with a soft smile while they stood in the guest bedroom upstairs.

"Thanks, Ducky," she replied, pulling on a pigtail. "It's still a little uncomfortable sometimes to think about how permanent this is it- there's no backing out now. It's not that I don't want to be exactly where I am, and with who I am with, it's just the permanence factor that makes me itch. Like I may be in paradise, but I'm trapped there."

Ducky was worried about that. "Have you told Timothy this?"

"Yeah. We've talked about it. He assures me everything is going to be okay, and that if it's not we can still work if I want us to, and that makes me feel a lot better. He's being incredibly patient, and I love him Ducky, like, _really_ love him, especially because he's so patient and understanding. I'm afraid that he's the one that's not really committing here. Like he's waiting for me to ditch him or something."

Ducky found himself being brutally honest. "You're giving him every reason to believe this is temporary, Abigail. Your doubts, your fears, your "trapped" mentality, are all telling Timothy that one day you're going to want to leave him. You don't fall so hard if you don't climb so high. You can't blame him for shielding himself at least somewhat from what sounds like the pending fallout."

Abby looked at him with wide eyes. She'd never had Ducky be so critical of her.

"What you need to decide is if you really want this; if you're willing to share your life with someone. When you're in a relationship, you're constantly struggling to find the balance between being your own person, and being part of a couple. That's normal for any healthy relationship. The two of you have always had that balance naturally. It's how you've maintained your friendship for so long. You know when to be a team, and when to be individuals. You have ways of understanding each other that only the other could possibly ever understand, and yet you appear as different as night and day to the outside world. Timothy is never going to ask you to be something you're not Abigail. In fact, I believe he would be very disappointed if you tried to be."

"I've always been honest with him about how I'm feeling about this, and he's always understood," she said.

"But are you being honest with yourself?" he asked.

"Well, yeah! I mean, I wouldn't be doing this unless I really wanted it, right? I wouldn't be changing my entire life around to fit with Tim's if I didn't want to be with him. Out of this whole thing, the one thing I know I want in my life is him. I just don't know what else I want. Do I want to get married, have kids, settle down…"

"I seriously doubt you will ever _settle down_ my dear. And I don't believe Timothy thinks you will either. You can have married, you can have kids, and you can have your happy ending without settling down."

"He's right."

Both of them turned to find Tim standing in the doorway, leaning against the jamb.

"I'm never going to expect you to settle for anything you don't want, Abs. I'd never, _ever_ ask that of you. I've been willing to take life at your pace since the day I met you. You changed my safe little world, and you… you brought it to life. From black and white to technicolor. The pace we live will always be yours, and so will I."

Abby looked at Tim, and Ducky saw so much love in both of their expressions that any doubts Abby had just given him were wiped away.

"I want this journey with you, Abs. Wherever it takes us. I'm not going anywhere."

Abby swallowed and nodded, and she blinked back tears that sprung up on her. "I'm not going anywhere either, Timmy," she said. The smile that bloomed across Tim's face told Ducky and Abby both that he no longer doubted that. That was all he had needed to hear from day one- that he was enough for her.

Tim held out his arms and Abby came over, letting them fold around her.

"That's all I need to know," he said softly.

Ducky excused himself to leave them to have a few moments alone. It had seemed the air was clearing between the two of them, but he hadn't realized it had been so foggy. He joined the group in the kitchen. He ate a piece of pizza and made small talk for a while before getting into a deep conversation with Parke on Melinda Stafford's psych profile. They were interrupted when his phone rang. He was afraid it was Tony and Jethro, so he stepped into the next room to take the call.

"Ducky?" Elly asked.

"Elijah. How is our patient?"

"He's been better. He really needs to be braced. He can't move at all without it hurting him really badly."

"He'll most likely need another MRI to assess whether or not he's incurred more damage since the incident."

"Should he go to the ER?" he asked, looking at the dozing man on the couch.

"Is he getting any rest at all?" Ducky asked.

"He's actually in a brownie and Vicodin induced coma as we speak. He'll be out of the meds by tomorrow night at this rate."

"Let him rest. That's the best thing for him."

"Very true. Okay," Elly sighed heavily. "I'm going to try to get some rest while Ned's out. I've been taking care of him all day, and I have a feeling I'll be doing so half the night. Going to sleep while I can."

"I'd say that's a good idea," Duck agreed.

"Thanks again, Ducky," Elly said.

"That's what I'm here for. Call me if things get worse."

"Will do. I'll see you tomorrow. Goonight."

Ducky hung up the phone and sighed. He hadn't this much on his plate in a long time. He suddenly smiled wryly to himself. He was loving it.

* * *

Morning came. It was dark, rainy, and everything that could ever be considered a bad day. Tony and Jethro had barely slept. They'd kept getting up to check on Amira, who somehow was sleeping through the night much better than either of them. They were cranky as they made their way in and out of the shower and dressed with the exception of a comment about Jethro looking sexy in his suit. Tony tried to be a little more positive with Amira when he finally woke up her. It wasn't working. She was cranky, too.

They managed to get her medicated and dressed. Tony wasn't sure how to take care of her hair. Its curly mass had been unruly on a good day, but after sleeping almost twenty four hours straight, it was a nightmare. He raked a wet brush through it, and finally got it looking halfway decent, but Amira wasn't happy with him. He made a note to himself to Google some stuff on how to take care of her curly locks.

Jethro brought him a mug of coffee that he immediately downed.

"Thank you," he said somberly, leaning forward to kiss Jethro gently.

"You're welcome."

Amira didn't say anything as she stood between them about cooties or mushiness, and that made Jethro think that she might not be feeling nearly as well as she was putting up the front as being. He sighed. That was something he had in common with her, and it was probably how it had taken so long for them to know she had an ear infection to begin with. He bent over and picked her up, holding her close to him, kissing her temple as her arms came around his neck and her head landed on his shoulder.

Tony stood with them, and they mourned together in silence, one hand on Amira's back and another on Jethro's waist. There'd been so much distraction over the past few days as they got used to being a new family unit, but this was reality calling. Someone they loved dearly was gone. She'd never again say their names, or embrace them. She wouldn't hold Amira in the night when she had a nightmare; instead she'd be the reason for them. She wouldn't offer a comforting glance or kind word of encouragement when it was needed. She would never again open her bright eyes and exude hope and happiness, tinged by a bit of sorrow and determination at what it had taken her to get to where she was.

Jethro promised Amira silently that he'd teach his new daughter to be as brave and hopeful as her mother. At the same time Tony was asking himself how he'd ever love Amira with as much compassion and courage as Leyla had, asking whatever God there may be that he'd find the strength and wisdom when the time was right. He asked for it for that very moment, and for the rest of the day as they said goodbye to the beautiful, strong, caring woman he'd only barely gotten to know.

"We should get going," Tony murmured quietly.

Jethro nodded.

"Do you want a cereal bar, Munchkin?" Tony asked.

"Blue?" she asked.

"If you eat a cereal bar you can have a blue," he said with a nod.

"Okay," she said, tugging on her ear.

"Hold on," Jethro said. He reached past Tony into the medicine cabinet in the bathroom. He pulled out a handful of cotton balls from a little plastic container, and put most of them in his pocket. He gently put one into Amira's bad ear and kissed her temple again. "Leave that in there to catch the gross stuff, okay?" Amira nodded, laying her head back on his shoulder.

"I'll go get the lights and meet you downstairs. You need anything from the bedroom?" Tony asked.

"My phone is on the nightstand," he answered with a nod. "And the box of photos is on the coffee table downstairs."

"Okay. I'll grab them."

"Thanks."

Fifteen minutes later, Amira was sitting in the backseat of Tony's car, both hands wrapped around a blue Gatorade. The wrapper of a Nutrigrain bar was sitting on the seat next to her.

"Do you have any questions, sweetheart?" Tony asked in the stifling silence as they drove along.

Amira looked out the window with the same pensive look she got when she was trying to find the words she needed. He looked back from the rearview mirror and waited.

"Will I get to see her?" she asked quietly.

Tony looked at Jethro in a panic.

"Do you want to see her?" Jethro asked cautiously, his eyes showing almost as much panic as he looked back at Tony.

"No. She'll look scary, right?" she asked.

"Sometimes people think dead people are scary," Tony said tentatively, wondering if he was being too insensitive.

"The casket, that's the big shiny box she's in, is going to be closed. If you want to see her, we can take a look before everyone gets there, but you have to make up your mind before we get there, okay?" Jethro said gently.

"Your grandmother should be there when we get there," Tony said. "Are you excited to see her?"

Amira shrugged.

"Make sure you're nice to her. She loves you very much," Jethro said, trying to hide the smile he couldn't help but feel bubble to the surface. He was relieved that she didn't feel any strong feelings for her grandmother, and wouldn't prefer to live elsewhere with her.

"Okay," Amira said quietly, then slurped at her Gatorade.

"How's your ear feeling?" Tony asked.

"Icky," she said as she screwed the lid back onto her drink crookedly.

"I know, but the medicine is going to help it," he consoled. "It just takes a couple of days. Hang in there, okay?"

Amira nodded again and sighed, tugging at the black jumper she was wearing. It was the only black dress in her wardrobe, and Tony and Jethro had agreed that it would be okay. They put a white shirt on underneath it with a collar, black tights, and little black velvet shoes. It was comfortable enough but still looked at least a little dressy. She was miserable as is. They didn't need some kind of fancy dress no one would ever remember making a horrible day any more unbearable. She wore a pink raincoat over it all anyway, so it didn't really matter.

They pulled up to the funeral home and Tony and Jethro sighed in unison. They gave each other a small, sad smile and slipped on their game faces. A cab pulled in behind them, and as they parked, they saw Leyla's mom getting out of it.

"There's Shada," Jethro murmured. "Your grandma is here, remember what I said."

"Yes, Gibbsy," she said as she didn't move to get out of the car.

Tony and Jethro got out, both grateful that the rain had temporarily let up, and Jethro opened the door for Amira. She still didn't move to get out of the car. Jethro glanced up at Tony, who came around to stand next to him. Another glance and he crouched next to the little girl who wasn't looking up to meet their gaze.

"Hey, Munchkin," he said softly as he reached over and unhooked her seatbelt. She finally looked up at him with wet eyes. He picked her up, getting to his feet, one hand guarding her head from hitting the door frame on the way up. Jethro grabbed the bottle of Gatorade from her and fixed the lid before it could spill down Tony's back.

Amira played with Tony's tie in that way she did when she was thinking, then took a deep breath. Tears slid down her cheeks, and he reached a hand up to catch one with his finger, which made Amira look up at him. There was nothing to be said. She was little, and scared, and trying so hard to be strong. He hugged her fiercely, and she hugged him back.

"We gotcha," he said passionately in her ear. "We've got you, and we will always have you, and we'll always love you. It's okay to miss her, it's okay to be sad, and it's okay to love her forever." He thought of how much he would have loved to have someone say something like that to him when his own mom died. He could feel Amira nod and felt the little sobs escaping her. Jethro reached over to rub her back, his other hand wrapping around one of her tiny hands around Tony's neck. She held it back, squeezing tightly.

"Have you decided if you want to see her?" Jethro asked softly.

Amira sat up and shook her head. "No. I don't wanna."

Jethro nodded as he headed to get the box of photos from the trunk. Tony reached into his pocket and pulled out his handkerchief. He held it up to Amira's nose. "Blow," he directed and she did. "Blow again." Tony winced as he heard everything that blow produced. "Ew!" he joked with her. She giggled as she wiped her eyes.

"Are you ready to do this?" Jethro said, trying to keep as strong of a front up as possible for his little girl.

Amira let out a long shaky breath, then nodded. "Atta girl," he said with a small smile for her.

Tony carried her to the door, walking side by side with Jethro. They found Shada waiting in the doorway for them, watching them closely. Tony turned to Jethro and whispered. "She knows about me, right?"

"Yes. I told her when I called her," he whispered back as he opened the door.

"Hello, Gibbs," she greeted.

"Hello, Shada," he returned. "Did you make it through customs okay?"

"I did. Thank you. They somehow knew what I was here for."

"I didn't want to take any chances. Made a call."

"I appreciate it. After last time, I was ready for a good argument."

Tony and Amira stood there watching the situation unfold curiously, each for their own reasons.

"Amira, my love, how are you?" she asked.

Amira just stared at her until Tony poked her discreetly. "Fine," she lied. Tony looked at Jethro, barely suppressing an eye roll.

"She's got a bad ear infection," Tony relayed. "We spent the day at the hospital yesterday."

"Are you okay?" she asked. Amira simply nodded, then tucked her head into Tony's shoulder.

"She's been cranky all morning," Tony said, trying to give Shada a smile.

Shada said something to Amira in Arabic, and Tony glanced at Jethro. Amira looked at Shada without lifting her head, then tucked it back so she couldn't see Shada at all. Tony shrugged a little, his eyebrows raising a moment in apology for Amira's lack of communication.

"So visitation starts in half an hour, and then after the service we'll all process to the cemetery," Jethro said.

"Thank you," she said. They moved into the actual funeral home, and were greeted by an appropriately pleasant and welcoming middle-aged woman who escorted them to the room that was set up for them. It had dark wooden features and wallpaper that reminded them both of old ladies, but it was decorated with bouquets that had been sent from various people. Tony and Jethro walked up to the casket that was waiting there closed. Amira was holding onto Tony with a death grip.

"This is your last chance to change your mind about seeing her," Tony whispered.

Amira whispered loudly in his ear. "She's in there?"

"Yes," he said. "Do you want to see?"

Amira shook her head no.

"Okay," he said, nodding. "I don't want to either."

"Really?" she asked.

"Really."

"Why not?" she asked.

"I have never liked to see dead people since my own mommy died when I was little." He wasn't going to tell her that he'd already said his goodbye in the morgue at NCIS a few days prior. While what he said was true, he'd always done it anyway.

"Oh," Amira said, looking like she suddenly had a lot more questions that she wasn't ready to ask. He knew she would when the time was right so he let it go.

Tony's hand reached out for Jethro's instinctively, and Jethro grabbed it, giving it a squeeze. He felt better at the simple touch. He looked over and saw the sad smile Jethro wore, and matched it with one of his own.

Shada joined them. "Thank you for having her properly cleansed," she said softly.

"You'll need to thank Miram when you meet her. It was at her request that they did. She and her friends did the actual cleansing," Jethro said quietly.

"Please introduce me when she arrives. I would like to show my gratitude."

"I will," Jethro said. He turned around and opened the box he'd sat down and started taking out the photos that they'd pulled from Leyla's house. The funeral director helped him put them around the room. Tony carried Amira from photo to photo and asked about it. Shada shadowed them, smiling at the little girl as she tried to tell stories, even though they came out as a series of mumbles.

Twenty minutes later, just when Tony was going stir crazy , Abby walked in with Tim.

"Abby!" Amira said, sitting up with a smile. Tony sat her down and she tried to run up to Abby, but stopped, holding her arms out to her sides as she felt the world swaying. She turned and looked at Tony, who came up behind her and took her hand.

"It's okay," he told her, realizing what was going on. "Sometimes when our ears get sick it makes us lose our balance."

"Ohhh…" Amira said like it made all the sense in the world. "Okay."

"How are you?" Abby said with a small smile, crouching down to Amira's height.

"My ear is sick," she said.

"I heard!" Abby said. "I was worried about you! Are you feeling better?"

Amira nodded. "My ear is icky, but I'm not sleepy anymore. It was scary."

"I bet! I'm glad you're feeling better, though."

"Thanks," Amira said. Abby hugged her and she hugged her back.

Meanwhile, Tim was checking in with Jethro. "Hey, Boss."

"Hey, Tim," Jethro said, reaching out to shake Tim's hand. "Thanks for coming."

"Is there anything we can help with?" Jethro looked over to where Amira and Abby were hugging.

"Looks like you're already doing it," he said with a small smile.

"Why don't you show Abby the pictures," Tony said to Amira, and Amira pulled Abby's hand along, but didn't let go of Tony's either, so they had to go through all the pictures together. Jethro and Tim sat in the first row and watched them, occasionally turning to one another with a grin or a muffled chuckle.

Ducky arrived and Jethro got to his feet, greeting his friend with a quick embrace. "Thanks for coming, Duck."

"Certainly, Jethro. How is Amira holding up?" he asked.

"She hasn't complained about her ear since we left the house, but she's a little off balance. We gave her the penicillin this morning and the ear drop, and I wedged some cotton in there to catch the drainage."

"Make sure you give it some time to breathe, as well. It needs to be alternated. I know it's easier to put something there to catch the puss that will be draining for probably days, but it needs a chance to dry."

Jethro nodded. "I have more cotton in my pocket. Figure we'll change it out before we drive to the cemetery."

"Very good," Ducky said with a nod. "It sounds like you've been through this before?" Ducky carefully prodded.

Jethro nodded. "Kelly had a couple of ear infections as a kid. None like this, but it's something I guess most kids go through at some point. I remember so much… it's all right there, like it's been waiting for me to use again."

Ducky smiled broadly, honored to be having a conversation with Jethro about his late daughter. It was a rare thing to see his old friend open up about his past like this, and he knew it wouldn't happen often.

"The things learned as a parent cannot be unlearned," he said.

"Apparently. You remember Shada?" Jethro said, aiming his head towards Amira's grandmother.

"Are we to be worried?" Ducky asked through squinted eyes.

"I don't think so, but I'm keeping my eyes and ears open. She said something to Amira in Arabic earlier, but Amira didn't seem too fazed by it. I think she was just trying to get her to open up."

"You'll soon have Ziva here to translate for you," Ducky said reassuringly.

"And Dorneget," Jethro said with a shrug.

"I spoke with him this morning," Ducky said with a small frown. "He's in intense pain. Elijah was going to take him to the emergency room since his doctor couldn't be reached."

"Aw, hell. Does Tony know yet?"

"No, I told them I would tell him."

"I'll do it," Jethro said, moving away from Ducky to go over to the group as they stood by a picture of Amira in a Halloween costume the year before. She was telling Abby about the costume with a smile on her face. He leaned over and spoke in Tony's ear, reaching for his hand. "Elly's taking Ned to the ER. His neck is bad. They won't be here."

Tony turned to Jethro, a worried look on his face. "Watch her a minute. I'm going to go call them and get an update."

Jethro nodded.

"I'll be right back, Munchkin," Tony said. "Gibbsy is going to stay with you. Be good for him."

"Okay," she said.

Tony turned around as he reached the entrance, his phone to his ear, and saw Amira being lifted up into Jethro's arms. Elly's voice startled him as he almost tripped over a rug, his thoughts on the little girl and his fiancé.

"Hey, Boss."

"Hey, Elly. How's Dorney doing?"

"We just got MRI results back. We've been here for almost two hours. The tear has gotten worse. They're bracing him now."

"Damn."

"Yeah. They gave him a shot of something directly into his neck as soon as we got here though. Some steroid. He's already feeling better, and the inflammation is going down substantially. It's also got him a little hyper. I think it's giving him the munchies too, because he's started talking about pancakes and now that's all he can talk about."

"Not true!" Ned said from the background. "I've talked about eggs and bacon, too!"

Tony couldn't help but smile. "Take care of him, Elly."

"I will." With that they disconnected, and Tony headed back inside.

The next thirty minutes was spent meeting and greeting all of the people that Amira worked with at the Epiphany. When Miram came in, she brought a little girl with her that Amira broke free from Tony's grasp to run up to. They threw their arms around each other and held on tight.

"And that must be Tanzi," Tony said quietly to Jethro, who nodded back. Jethro moved to tap Shada, and direct her towards Miram. They approached together as Tony was saying hello to her. The whole time, Amira and Tanzi hadn't let go of each other. Shada and Miram began speaking to one another. Shada spoke in Arabic, and Miram replied in English for the benefit of Tony and Jethro. It was simple a discussion of gratitude for preserving the rites Shada was accustomed to. Miram made sure to emphasize that the service was a mixed service, because that's how Leyla would have wanted it. Tony and Jethro exchanged a glance, but they kept their expressions neutral.

Tony turned to look for Amira and didn't see her. He turned around, slightly alarmed, causing Jethro to do the same. Tony sighed though when he saw Amira and Tanzi standing side by side, hand in hand at Leyla's coffin. Tanzi let go of Amira's hand to reach over and hug her again. Tony felt his heart melt as the group of four of them watched the situation unfold.

"She's a good friend," Tony said to Miram.

"Best friend," Miram said back with a small smile. "Just like her mother was to me."

"We'll need to get them together more often."

"I would very much like that." The two smiled at each other, and then Tony felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Hi, Boss," Parke greeted. "Wow. That is adorable," he said softly once he could see what they were all staring at.

"Isn't it?" Tony asked. "Thanks for coming."

"Definitely. Funerals are for those left behind," Parke answered with a shrug. Tony noted that Ziva was talking with Abby in the doorway. He wondered if she and Parke had ridden in together. They'd bonded, and Tony could easily see it happening.

Tanzi and Amira came back to the group, and Amira reached for Tony to pick her up. He did, and she laid her head on his shoulder. It made Tony close his eyes and sigh, leaning his head on Amira's. The soft music that had been playing in the room changed, and Tony knew that was the signal to take their seats. As he moved, Amira suddenly sat up with a gasp.

"Boyfriends!"

Tony turned around to find Elly and Ned standing in the doorway. Ned had a brace on his neck, and it made Tony wince. He walked up to them and Amira looked at Ned with dismay. "What happened Dorney?" she asked.

"My booboo wasn't getting better so they put this on me so it can help fix me," he said trying to be nonchalant.

"I didn't think you two were going to make it," Tony said with a smile.

"The doctor came in to sign him off as soon as we got off the phone. All he wanted to do was come here, so we're here," Elly said with a smile, patting Tony on the upper arm.

Amira reached out for Ned, who reached back. "No!" both Elly and Tony practically shouted. Amira and Ned both jerked back in surprise.

"He's hurt, Munchkin. He can't hold you right now." Amira nodded solemnly.

"But I can hold your hand," Ned said to console her. She smiled, and Tony put her down. She took Ned and Elly's hand, and dragged them up to where Tony led in the front row.

Once they were all together, Tony had Jethro on one side of him, Ned on the other with Amira now in his lap, and Elly next to him. On Jethro's other side was Abby and Tim and behind them sat Greg and Ziva. Shada and Miram took seats next to Elly and Tanzia sat on Miram's lap. The rest of the small room was full of coworkers and some of Leyla's clients.

The funeral home's pastor was a nice enough guy. He led the service without pretending he knew Leyla. He offered general prayers for the peace of those left behind, and for the eternal rest of the woman they'd all lost. He then offered the floor to Miram, who had written a beautiful eulogy. Tony felt himself getting misty-eyed, and he held Leyla on his lap when she climbed into it, and his other hand was wrapped in Jethro's. Miram talked about Leyla's strength, her courage, and her unyielding hope.

"She could have lost that hope when Amira's father was killed, but she did not. She could have lost that hope when she lost her first clients, or her last, but she did not. She was always the one pushing us to move on, to carry the flame, to be the protectors as often as we could. She was the highest courage, and she gave the brightest love. Leyla gave the world more compassion than it deserved, and now that she is gone, it is up to us to carry on in her name. We must be the hope. We must be the courage. We must give the love that she gave to so many. She must live on through us."

Jethro turned to find Tony staring at him. He felt his eyes getting moist. It was true that Leyla had seen love where so many saw darkness. Jethro didn't want to think about the battle they may be facing if she hadn't changed her will to include Tony. It was like she knew what was going to happen, but she moved on courageously doing the good work she was doing anyway, trusting them to one day raise her daughter should anything happen.

He looked at the little girl in Tony's arms. Her head was resting on his left shoulder, and she was able to look around Tony's head to meet his eyes. They locked, both sets wet, both refusing to let the tears fall. _She's so much like me and Tony. I see more and more of it every time I turn around. She could be ours if we ever had a kid together. She has Tony's playful side, and his insecurities. She has my strength, and need to put on a face for the rest of the world to see, while letting it down for the two of us when we're all alone, just like I do with Tony. Just like Tony does with me. She fits right in. She's got Tony's resiliency. She's going to need it._

Miram sat back down, and the pastor continued with the final closing prayer. Jethro knew that Miram had arranged for a coworker to lead a prayer at the graveside service. It was traditionally led by a male with the family joining in, and Miram had assured Shada it was being done.

Tony discreetly wiped at his eyes. They'd burned, but no tears had fallen. He kissed Amira's shoulder, and then stood up as the rest of the room began to move about. Jethro stood as well, turning to Abby and whispering in her ear. She nodded and moved to begin gathering the picture frames from around the room. He moved to thank Miram for the eulogy, and Tony turned to give Ned a severe once over.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Fine. This thing holds my head up just right, and the shot hasn't worn off yet. I could really use some pancakes though."

"Maybe after we get rid of the crowds after the burial. We'll see how Amira is feeling."

"You hear that Amira?" Ned said as he got to his feet. "If we're good we can go have pancakes!"

Amira turned and looked at Ned, wiping at her red eyes. "Pancakes?"

"Do you like pancakes?" Ned asked. Elly rolled his eyes.

Amira nodded.

Tony chuckled. "If you're hungry after the funeral we can all go get pancakes. We're not doing a reception, so maybe brunch somewhere would be nice."

"Yes!" Ned said, looking at Elly. "Oh, man, Elly! We're getting pancakes!"

Elly laughed silently and shook his head. "Sorry, Boss. He's heavily medicated right now."

"I got that," Tony said with a smile. "You want to ask Miram and Tanzia if they want to get pancakes with us after the service?" he asked Amira. She nodded, and he sat her down. "Okay. Go ask her." Amira jumped over to Miram and took her hand excitedly. Jethro looked up at Tony with a smile.

The crowd was dispersing and the funeral director had people coming to take Leyla's casket away.

"That's our cue," Jethro said.

The rest of them shuffled outside and made their way to their cars. An aide handed them all purple funeral flags to stick in their doors for the procession. They were right behind the hearse on the way to the cemetery.

"Is Mommy in that car?" Amira suddenly asked from the back seat.

"Yes," Jethro said, turning in his seat to look at her. "How's your ear?" he said, suddenly remembering what Ducky had told him.

"It tickles."

"Hand me the cotton ball that's in it," he said, opening the empty coffee cup in the cup holder for her to drop it in. It was slimy and smelled horrible.

"Oh! Gross!" Tony said, looking over his shoulder to wrinkle his nose at Amira and wink at her. She wrinkled her nose back, but she smiled a little at him. Jethro looked in the glove box and found a napkin, and handed it back to Amira to wipe her ear off with. She did and it went into the cup, too.

"It hurts," she said, tugging on her lobe.

"I know, sweetheart," Tony said. "We'll put some more medicine in it when we get to where we're going and put more cotton in it, okay? That will make it feel better."

"You've got the drops with you?" Jethro asked.

"In my chest pocket," Tony said, smirking with pride that he did the dad thing well and remembered the meds. Jethro nodded his agreement that Tony had done well.

"Blue?" Amira asked.

"Check the box next to you," Jethro said, looking at the box of picture frames in the backseat. He turned around and watched the procession behind them in the side mirror a minute. When he looked back into the backseat, Amira had her Gatorade between her legs and a picture in her hands. She was staring at it contemplatively, running her finger over it delicately. It was such a mature moment for someone so young that Jethro thought of how Amira was going to be one of those "old souls" as she got older. Tony turned to look at her while they were waiting to turn into the cemetery. He looked up at Jethro, and then back at the road, shaking his head slightly.

They followed the hearse into the cemetery, a trail of people behind them, and parked along the road once the hearse stopped. They got out, and Tony put more drops in Amira's ear, and then Jethro stuck another cotton ball in it. The funeral director got out to remove the casket, and then a number of people came up to carry it. Tony and Gibbs stepped forward, and Ned came to take Amira's hand. It all happened wordlessly. Shada had ridden with Miram and Tanzi, and the three of them came up to stand with Ned, Elly, and Amira as they waited to follow the pallbearers.

They processed behind them, and made their way to the gravesite. When Amira saw the hole in the ground, something changed in her. She started clinging to Ned's leg. He looked down at the little girl holding on to him, and saw that she was frightened for some reason. He bent down and picked her up, feeling suddenly very protective of her. Elly made a noise, but stopped when he saw that Amira was shaking. Ned rubbed her back calmly, mentally urging Tony and Gibbs to come over to where he was waiting with her.

"It's okay," he whispered. "It's okay. What's wrong?" he asked. She only shook her head before looking over at the hole in the ground again that the casket was being sat on.

Tony and Jethro stood up from laying the palls on the ground, and dusted off their hands. They looked to see where Amira ended up, and found Ned holding her, rubbing her back. They looked at each other and went to her.

"She's shaking pretty bad," Ned said with a slight panic to his voice as Tony took her from him.

"Hey, Munchkin. What's going on?" Tony whispered, holding her close.

Amira simply shook her head again, laying it on Tony's shoulder, and began to cry silent tears. They watched as a number of Leyla's friends prayed the Salat al-Janazah for her, and both Tony and Jethro secretly prayed they'd hurry up. Neither of them liked the way Amira was shaking, and they couldn't tell if it was physical or emotional.

"Are you hurting?" Tony whispered to her. She nodded. "Is it a body hurt or a heart hurt?" he asked.

"Both," she whispered.

"Which hurts more?" he asked.

"Heart hurt," she whispered, sucking up snot that Tony cringed to think was getting all over him. Like always though, Jethro had read his mind and had his handkerchief held up to Amira's nose.

"Blow," he whispered, and she did. She sat up and started playing with Tony's tie. All of Tony and Jethro's attention was on her.

"They- they're going to put Mommy in the hole?" she whispered.

"Yes," Tony whispered. "But she's also an angel now, remember. So it's not really her that's going in the hole."

Amira nodded, sucking up more snot. Jethro returned the hanky with another demand to blow. Amira did so dutifully, and then turned to watch the group praying. Once it was finished, Shada looked at Jethro mournfully, then looked at Amira. He realized that she thought Amira would be saying the prayer with them, but it was clear that Amira had no urge to do so, and Jethro and Tony had no urge to request it of her. The pastor offered another prayer, and then it was over. People started meandering, a group waiting off to the side to throw dirt on the casket once it was lowered in a resemblance to traditions they held. The grave diggers began the process of lowering the casket almost immediately at their request, and Tony and Jethro rushed Amira away from the scene, knowing that something about the finality of burial was pushing her buttons in all the wrong ways.

The team gathered around Tony's car. Amira was still shaking, and she looked over her shoulder a couple of times to see the changes at the gravesite.

Ned stood next to Tony, watching Amira. "[ _What's wrong?_ ]" he asked her quietly in Arabic.

"[ _They're putting Mommy in the ground. She won't be able to get out_ ,]" she said quietly, shaking harder.

Ned suddenly lost all of the energy the shot had given him. He swallowed hard. This was above his paygrade as a friend, but he had gotten her to talk, and he knew that he had to keep it going. Something told him it was important.

"[ _Did you think she was coming out of the box?_ ]" he asked.

Amira looked over at the gravesite again. "[ _No. But I want her to._ ]"

"[ _We all do. That's why it hurts so much when we have to say goodbye to someone like this. We never get to see them again. That doesn't mean that we stop loving them, or that they stop loving us._ ]"

Amira heaved a silent sob. "But I want her to come back!" she suddenly said, wrapping her arms around Tony's neck while the dam burst and she started crying in earnest.

Jethro leaned in to Ned. "What were you saying?"

Ned stepped a couple of paces away and Jethro followed. "She didn't want them to put her in the ground because then she couldn't come back. I asked her if she thought she was coming back, and she said no, but she wanted her to. I guess reality is just sinking in." Jethro nodded, and they moved back over to Amira. The team was standing around silently, not sure of what they could do to help the sobbing child.

Tony reached in his pocket and handed Jethro the keys. "I think we're just going to go home," Tony said.

"Yeah, that's probably for the best," Elly said with a shrug. "Too many people around for her."

"Thank you all for being here today. It really means a lot to us," Tony said to the group before turning and getting into the car. They watched the car leave the cemetery, Amira in Tony's lap in the back seat.

"That's so sad," Abby said.

"Reminds me of my mom," Elly said with a sigh.

"Reminds me of Nona," Parke said with a nod.

"I bet it reminds Gibbs and Tony of their moms, too," Abby said, linking her arm in Tim's. "Reminds me of mine."

"It had _not_ reminded me of my mother's, but now _you_ have," Ziva said, scanning the group.

"Now _I_ want pancakes," Elly said. "Some comfort food."

"Funny," Ned said. "I'm suddenly not hungry at all."


	47. Chapter 47

Jethro stood in the doorway of the living room with a mug of coffee watching the man he loved and the little girl he loved sleep on the couch together. Neither looked peaceful as they rested. He played over everything that had happened during the past week. He was a father again. Out of nowhere, completely unexpectedly, life changed in ways he was only starting to dream about. A daughter. A little girl that was his to raise. A husband to raise her with. This was his life now.

He started laying out all of his priorities. The first was taking care of Amira. She was confronting the truth of her grief now, and it wasn't pretty. It wasn't just that Leyla wasn't there; it was that she would never be there again. That really started to sink in at the funeral, and the drive home was one of the most heartbreaking things he'd ever witnessed. The three of them had held each other on the couch for a while when they got home until Amira fell asleep.

His second priority was keeping Tony steady. His fiancé was incredible with Amira, taking on the role as if though he was meant to. It was a complete surprise to him. Tony had never been good with kids. Actually, it had been the complete opposite, but he'd always had a way with Amira. They were a great team. There was so much love there. But Tony wasn't just a new father- he was also a fairly new supervisor to a team that needed his attention. He was also a fiancé- a fiancé that was supposed to be able to plan his dream wedding.

That made his third priority the wedding. Getting married would only make the adoption paperwork easier, so it was important that their big day went off without a hitch. They would have the perfect little wedding in the park, and everyone they loved would be there to support them, come hell or high water.

Finalizing the adoption was next. Thankfully it looked like Shada wasn't going to try to break his new family apart. She'd been pretty distant, and Amira's reaction to her made it clear where her preferences lay. It was one win he'd accept without question.

His team was his next priority. They were relying on him to keep them together and lead them. He knew that he had to go ahead and find someone to fill Tony's old spot so that they had the coverage they needed to be the MCRT. It was on his list to have HR send him files of candidates. He could look over them from home while he and Amira spent the next two weeks together, and then interview when he got back. Until then, he knew Tim and Ziva would be able to stand on their own, and if they needed Tony, he was only feet away. He'd trusted Tony in that role before, and he only trusted him more now. He hoped when it was his turn, he'd do Tony's team justice.

He watched Tony stir on the couch, and stood ready to pounce in case he rolled over and knocked Amira off his sleeping stomach. He'd done that once with Kelly, and he didn't sleep soundly for a month. Tony didn't move that much though. His left arm went around Amira securely while his right hand went to rub his face. When his eyes opened, they met Jethro's.

"Can you take her for a few minutes? I gotta hit the head," he asked groggily.

"Sure," Jethro said, moving towards the couch and setting his coffee mug on the table. He carefully picked Amira up, grateful that she merely stirred and didn't fully wake. Once Tony stood up, he sat down in his place with the sleeping little girl.

Five minutes later, Tony joined him on the couch again. He'd taken the chance to change into sweatpants and a tshirt. Jethro's lips twitched in a brief smile when Tony's hand fell on his knee and his head landed on his free shoulder. He'd never felt so much trust as he did from Tony. Sure, he'd known Shannon had trusted him completely, but something about how hard earned Tony's trust was made it so poignant, and he genuinely appreciated it. It was returned implicitly. He hoped Tony knew that.

They sat in silence for a long while, breathing in the moment. It was peacefully somber while they gathered their thoughts.

"She's going to have to eat soon," Jethro whispered.

"I know," Tony said. "I'm not hungry though."

"Me neither. We're going to have to try though so that she does."

"I'll go put a pizza in the oven," Tony whispered with a sigh, getting to his feet. Jethro felt cold at the loss of contact with the younger man. He reached over for the blanket over the back of the couch and covered up him and Amira. The next thing he knew it was twenty minutes later and the pizza was out of the oven. He'd fallen asleep.

When he woke up, he caused Amira to stir and wake. Tony was coming in with a couple of plates with slices on them. He had two Gatorades tucked under his arm for him and Amira, and a fresh mug of coffee for Jethro. He laid them out on the coffee table while Jethro watched Amira sit up and rub her eyes.

"You hungry sleepyhead?" Jethro asked quietly. She shook her head no and let it fall back onto his shoulder. "Can you try to eat a couple of bites for me?"

"I have a blue for you if you eat some," Tony said with that tone of a parent trying to bribe their child.

Amira reached out for the Gatorade, but Tony shook his head. "You only get to have a blue if you have some pizza." She shook her head and turned it so that she was looking away from Tony. She sighed deeply, and Jethro could tell she was drifting off into sleep.

"So much for that," Tony said, taking an unimpressed bite of his pizza before grimacing and putting it back on the plate. "And so much for that."

"You should try and get some sleep," Jethro said softly. "She's probably going to be up all night, and you have to work tomorrow."

Tony groaned. "I hate the thought of leaving her behind all day."

"Two weeks and you'll be staying home with her all day while I try to leave her behind," Jethro all but whispered.

"True. You want to bring her up to bed with us? You can lay down too."

"Sure."

Tony nodded, got to his feet, and put the pizza away while Jethro carefully got to his feet with Amira in his arms. Tony grabbed the two Gatorades and headed upstairs behind them. Jethro could feel Amira shiver against him and his arm came protectively around her as he kissed her head. They didn't bother changing their clothes. They slipped under the blankets, Amira resting between them, turning to snuggle against Tony, holding on to his shirt with little fists. Sleep took them all under in only minutes.

* * *

Ned and Elly drove back to Ned's apartment after the funeral. Ned was unusually quiet. He'd stopped talking about pancakes, and Elly knew something was going on in there that was less than pleasant. They pulled up in front of the building, and Ned didn't make any move to get out.

"Can I go to work with you?" he said quietly, turning to look at Elly, who shook his head no.

"Boss would kill me, and that's if there's anything left of me after Ducky got ahold of me."

"I'm probably just going to work from home anyway," he said. "And the loopy meds are wearing off. I could just drive myself."

"What's the rush?" Elly asked, pulling into a parking space when he realized something was indeed going on with his love.

"So many emotions are coming up, and I'd rather just bury them in work."

"From the funeral?"

"Yeah. Just… how a family could withstand so much pain together when they've only been a family for a week, and my family, my picture perfect little family couldn't even handle their son being gay. I feel like we've become a part of Tony and Gibbs' family, and I hate watching them go through all of this. I want to help. I want to fix it, and I can't. What I _can_ do though is work. And working on research for the op isn't going to take much out of me. It's just sitting in front of a computer and reading."

Elly sighed. He knew he was putting himself in the line of fire, but with Tony out, it was his call. "Alright. Let's go."

"Really?" Ned said with a bright smile.

"Yeah, but you're confined to you're frickin' desk! If you get up to do anything other than get coffee or go to the can I'm going to be so pissed at you!"

"Thanks! Okay, let me run upstairs to get my stuff and I'll be right back."

Ned jumped out of the car, realizing that his halo was working when it pinched him as he stopped paying attention to his movements. Elly shook his head at the hiss, and pulled out his phone. As Ned's door closed behind him, Elly dialed Ducky.

"Hello?"

"Hey Ducky. So, don't kill me, but I'm bringing Ned to work. He's all depressed, and I think he needs this."

"He needs rest!"

"And he's going to be sitting in front of a computer all day, which is exactly what he'd be doing at home."

"What medications was he given this morning?"

"A shot of kenalog in his neck, lidocaine, and a Vicodin, which is already wearing off. I'm driving, not him, and I already threatened him that if he gets up from his desk that I'll come down on him."

"Have him come see me, and if he gets tired at all, I insist that he take a respite in Abby's lab."

"Agreed. He's just taking this whole funeral thing pretty hard, and he doesn't want to be left alone right now."

"Some people have a difficult time with funerals, even if they do not know the deceased. It brings up dark, lonely memories, and reminds us that life is finite. If you believe that his mental wellbeing relies on being here today, then I'll acquiesce, but he's to stay at his desk."

"Thanks, Ducky. We'll be there soon and I'll send him straight down to you."

"Thank you, Elijah."

"You can call me Elly, Ducky. Everyone else does."

"If that's what you prefer, I will try."

"It is. Thanks, Ducky. We'll see you soon."

Elly disconnected the call and waited for Ned. He didn't have to wait long. He came bounding down the stairs in his work clothes with his backpack and when his jacket flapped back in the momentum of coming down the stairs, Elly saw that he was packing. He shook his head. There was no way Ned would be going out into the field right now. He didn't need his gun.

"Ready!" Ned said, opening the door and carefully getting in.

Elly pulled out of the driveway and took a deep breath. This was a conversation he'd been waiting to have until the time was right, but he knew there was never going to be a right time, and with Ned about to have to go see Ducky, he figured this might work.

"We should probably talk about something," he said.

"Oh?" Ned said, realizing this was serious.

"How are you dealing with the shooting?"

Ned exhaled. "I know I should be feeling something. I should feel regret, and pain, and be upset, but I'm not. I'm still angry at the bastard for having his arm around your throat and a gun to your head. Just thinking about it makes me want to shoot him again."

Elly's eyebrows rose on their own accord.

"Maybe it would be different if he had someone else hostage," Ned said quietly. "But it was you, Elly. The relief that you're okay is outweighing anything else. I could've-" Ned's voice cracked. "I could've lost you." Elly looked over to see that Ned was shaking and reached out to take his hand as he drove.

"I'm right here, Ned. I'm okay." He pulled Ned's hand up to his lips and kissed them, then sat their joined hands on his thigh. "I'm not going anywhere."

Ned's fingers tightened around his. Elly stole looks at the man next to him when he could, but traffic was crazy for the time of day, and he was trying to fight back the frog in his own throat.

"You were right," Ned said quietly.

"About what?" Elly said, turning into the Navy Yard.

"You told me that when the time came, I wouldn't think, I would just do it. You were right. There was no second guessing it at all. It was just a chain reaction of thoughts and movement, and now…"

Elly rubbed his thumb over the back of Ned's hand before he had to let go to flash his badge to the guard at the gate to NCIS.

"And now?" Elly prompted once they moved beyond the gate into the garage.

"And now a man is dead, and you're alive. That's all I really know."

"I'm not only alive, but a man that was involved with human trafficking is off the streets. A stop on that train has been closed. They're going to have to find another way to get their victims now. You're going to feel it though, Ned. I know you. You're going to have to deal with this, and when you do, I'm going to be right there." Elly parked in a space and turned to look at Ned, who looked back at him.

"What if I simply don't care that I killed him?" Ned said quietly.

"You will."

"I don't. I know I should. I know I should feel _something_ about it, but I don't."

"It may take a while to hit you, but you'll feel it eventually, and I'll be there when you do."

Ned gave Elly a forced smile and nodded. He looked at Elly's expression, so full of concern and hope, and he knew that his lover expected him to care about the life he took, but he honestly didn't. He had been afraid his entire career of taking a life, and now that he had, he didn't care. It wasn't a numb feeling, it was more of a relief. How could he tell Elly that he was far from upset that this guy was gone, and that he was actually somewhat proud that he was the one that made it happen?

They walked into the building together, and Elly suddenly turned to him. "I promised Ducky you'd come see him when you got in."

"Aww! You told Ducky on me?"

"Self-preservation. Go see him. Get it over with."

Ned groaned. "You're lucky I love you."

"Yeah, I know," Elly said, turning to Ned with a cheesy grin. The elevator closed on them and they got off on Ducky's level. They went into autopsy and he greeted them. "I'll leave you two alone," Elly said, bowing out gracefully.

"Thank you, Elly," Ducky said. Elly turned to him with a bright smile.

"There you go!" Elly smiled the rest of the way back to the bullpen, glad that Ducky was calling him by his preferred nickname.

Ned turned to watch Elly go, then gave Ducky his full attention.

"How are you feeling?" Ducky asked.

Ned sighed, knowing he had no choice rather than to be honest. "I feel tired. I feel worse in the head than the neck."

"You have a headache?"

"No. Just a brain ache. Maybe it's really a heartache," he admitted. "Doesn't matter. I'm here now, and I'm going to work and get my mind off of it all."

"Indeed. How is the pain in your neck right now?" Ducky asked, sidestepping the emotional pain for the moment.

"It's not too bad. They shot me full of a steroid and lidocaine. It's pretty much numb, and the Vicodin they had me take seems to be wearing off. I'm not nearly as loopy as I was when I left the hospital."

"A funeral can definitely be a sobering experience," Ducky said, ready to broach the subject now that he was assured that his physical pain was being managed. "I am constantly reminded that the span of time between now and when I'll be laid to rest is growing shorter and shorter at my age. There is honor in standing by the side of your loved ones when they are mourning, despite your own feelings about the experience."

Ned nodded the little bit that the brace would allow. "When they let me out of the hospital in time to get to the funeral, it's the only place I wanted to be. Tony and Gibbs are like the parents I've always needed, Doctor Mallard. They take care of me, they love me, they show me kindness and warmth, and they're always welcoming to me. To not be there for them today would have been wrong. But when little Amira lost it…"

"Yes. I know. You do exceptionally well with her," Ducky said, sitting on a stool across from where Ned was leaning against the metal table closest to the door. "She is quite comfortable with you."

Ned smiled. "Thanks. I've never really liked kids especially or anything, but she's just so… vulnerable right now. I have this urge to protect her. She likes it when I talk to her in Arabic. I think that's why she warmed up to me so well. She's a great kid though. Really smart, really affectionate, and she's funny for a kid."

"You've earned a special place in Tony and Jethro's hearts over the past few months, but to be trusted with their goddaughter is a momentous privilege."

"I know. And I feel honored. It's just another reason why today hit me so hard, I think. To be welcomed into this family so easily, to be cared for the way I feel with them, is so mind blowing. I've told you how my family treats me. I have a hard time accepting that these men that don't let just anyone in have accepted me as one of their own, while my own family has ousted me. It's both beautiful and painful."

Ducky nodded, understanding Ned's need to be at work today a lot better. "And that's why you wanted to be here today?"

Ned nodded that tiny nod again. "Yeah. This place is where I feel like I belong. Here or Tony's house, and they're a little busy today."

"That they are. You can work today, but please, please take it easy. If you get tired, or start hurting, take your medication and go sleep in Abby's lab. You're on light duty until your neck heals. That means you don't go out into the field, and you play it extra safe. I don't want to hear that you've overdone it yet again and that you've had to go back to the hospital. If you do, I shall be very disappointed in you."

Ned swallowed. "I'll be good. I promise."

"Very well then. Go ahead on upstairs. Check in with me before you leave for the day so I can see with my own eyes that you've stayed away from undue stress today."

"I will," Ned said. He couldn't imagine what kind of trouble he'd get himself into chained to his desk, but if it would make Ducky feel better, he'd behave himself.

He made his way upstairs and sat behind his desk.

"Ducky tell you anything I should know?" Elly asked.

"Just that if I start hurting I'm to take my meds and go sleep in Abby's lab, and that he wants to see me at the end of the day to prove that I didn't stress myself out today."

"Sounds good," Elly said, clicking away at his computer. He had received an email from Fornell with an update on his injured agent. She was awake and doing much better, and was expected to be released that afternoon. He shared this with Ned, and watched as Ned sighed in relief.

Ned was also going through his emails. There were the typical memos from HR on upcoming training opportunities, but there was a number from Andy and a couple from Diaz, and a whole string of them from Lundstahl, including one from Rod's own email address. He opened that one first.

_Hey Dorney,_

_You weren't there today when I tried to patch through! They said you were involved in a shooting incident, and that you weren't at work. I hope you're okay. They wouldn't tell me anything else. They just said you're alive, but that you weren't at work._

_ED'S AWAKE! You need to get ahold of me as soon as you can._

_Can't wait to talk to you and DiNozzo!_

_Take care of you,_

_Garnier_

"HE'S AWAKE!" Ned said, jumping up from his desk. He took off running for the stairs, Elly on his heels.

"Ned Dorneget! You get back here _right now!_ " Elly practically shouted as Ned ran up the stairs towards MTAC. They were halfway up the stairs when Vance came out of his office to witness the chase.

"Agent Dorneget! Critten!" he shouted.

"Stephens is awake!" Ned shouted as he scanned himself in. Vance rushed over to join him and Elly as they went into MTAC.

"You're supposed to be chained to your desk!" Elly said heatedly as they went down the ramp.

"I'm just standing in a room!" Ned said back. "Evelyn! Can you patch me into Rod Garnier please?"

"Welcome back, Agent Dorneget! I'll get him up right now! He was really upset that you weren't here this weekend when he tried to get in touch with you. He said he had good news."

"The best news, Evelyn!" he said as the screen lit up. It took a minute, but Rod's face appeared on the screen, and he smiled when he saw who was contacting him.

"Dorney! He's awake! Ed's awake!"

"That's fantastic, Rod!" Ned said excitedly. "How is he?"

Rod took a deep breath and let it out. "He could be better, but he's awake and that's what matters." Rod coughed suddenly, long and hard. "I started respiratory therapy yesterday. I feel like I've had the shit kicked outta me."

"Ooo…" Ned said with a wince. "I'm sorry man."

"Don't be. It's going to get me stronger, and that's what matters."

"What are they doing for Lt. Stephens?" Vance asked.

"Director Vance," Rod said with another cough. "Good to see you, sir."

"Likewise."

"Ed knows who I am. He understands where he's at. He can't speak though. He's able to sit up on his own, and he can eat with assistance. His coordination is shot to hell and back. He can't walk right now, but they have high hopes that he's going to. It's just going to be a lot of occupational and physical therapy. He knows how to do a little sign language. Just the alphabet and a couple of other signs. One of the nurse's aides knows how to understand him, and she's been assigned to stay with him, and has even taught me a thing or two. He fumbles through it, but he's trying so hard to communicate. It's good to see him pissed. That's a good thing. He's a fighter, and he's going to fight, and he's going to get better."

"That's so great to hear," Ned said with a bright smile. "There's nothing that I needed to hear more today than this."

Rod smiled at him and then his smile fell. "What happened to you?" he asked.

"The bad guys got me," Ned answered as he thought about how Tony had explained it to Amira. "Happened last week, but it's not healing so they had to brace me."

"Looks painful," Rod said with a grimace.

"It's not fun, that's for sure," Ned said with a shrug. "So when can Ed come home?"

"They need to keep him here for a couple of weeks, and then he can be transferred to a rehab hospital in the States. I'll be travelling with him."

"Do you know which one yet?" Vance asked.

"No, sir. They're trying to decide between Richmond, Virginia or Tampa, Florida. Once he gets out of rehab he's free to come stay with me in Louisiana, and I have already researched it and there's care teams down there that can keep him on track. I'm prepared to stay with him through it all."

"Would you rather be in Richmond, or would you rather be in Tampa?" Ned asked.

"As much as I want to get back to the ocean, I'd have no one there. Richmond is about an hour and a half from DC. That's the nearest place that I'd have any kind of support network outside of Louisiana."

"Where does Lt. Stephens want to be?" Vance asked.

Ed took another deep breath. "Wherever I am, sir."

"We'll get you to Richmond when you're ready. How long are they expecting his rehab?"

"Six months to a year," Ed said, looking back and forth between Vance and Ned.

Vance nodded. "We'll arrange an apartment for you near the center." That made Ed smile.

"I'd appreciate that, sir."

"Gentlemen, we're going to lose the satellite in two minutes," Evelyn said.

"We gotta go," Ned said. "I'm so glad Ed is awake and that he's hanging in there. Tell him we want to see him next time we all talk."

"Will do," Ed said with a nod. "Thanks, Dorney."

"Take care of yourself, Garnier," Vance said.

"I'm trying, sir," Ed said with a nod. He reached forward and turned off his tablet and the screen went blue in front of them.

"You're in so much trouble," Elly said from behind Ned.

"But-"

"You promised me that if you came in today you'd stay at your desk and just research. Taking off like a bat out of hell, running up the stairs-"

"Uh, guys?" Evelyn said. "We have an incoming signal from Sergeant Davidson."

"Put him up," Ned said, turning around and ignoring the affronted look on Elly's face. The screen went from blue to the face of Davidson immediately. "Davidson? Talk to me."

"That was quick," Davidson said, panting. "We've got problems."

"What's going on?" Ned said, reaching inside of his jacket pocket for his notebook and pen.

"We've been tracking the Qureshi, and now they're tracking us."

" _Tracking_ us?!" a voice said from the background in disbelief. "They're on our fucking tails with a fucking rocket launcher! That's not tracking us!"

"Okay. So. We're exposed. In a bad way," Davidson said with a shrug.

"Evelyn! I need coordinates! Davidson where are you?"

"'Aynak," he answered. "The fast eastern side, at the foothills of some hilly area."

"I've got coordinates!" Evelyn said.

"We have an Army base in 'Aynak. Get me Russel!"

Elly took a few steps back and watched his lover taking control of the room, completely ignoring Vance next to them.

"We're getting into the hills. I'm afraid we might lose signal," the man on the screen said.

"Russel is coming online," Evelyn said calmly as the screen split.

"Agent Dorneget, what can I do for you?" Russel said, concern written on his face.

"Davidson's team is in 'Aynak being chased down by members of the Qureshi with a rocket launcher," Ned said without pause. "He's on the line with us."

"Davidson? Where are you?" Evelyn shouted out the coordinates. "Okay, this is what I want you to do. I need for you to hang a turn and head northwest. The base is about seven kilometers from you. They're idiots for being that close." Russel picked up a phone on his desk and started talking to someone while Davidson gave instructions for Booker to make a hard turn and they shouted their way through dodging something that came at them. Ned wasn't sure if it was the rocket launcher or gunfire, but it didn't sound good.

"Davidson, you've got friendlies heading for you. ETA is five minutes. Hang in there." Russel hung the phone up on his desk. They waited in tense silence for almost a full minute, the sound of gunfire chasing the jeep that the guys were in. Suddenly Ned realized he had some news to share.

"While I have you all on the line together, Ed Stephens woke up yesterday!"

There were shouts of celebration and laughter from the jeep, and Russel slammed his hand down on the table and smiled. "Hot damn! That's great news! Now if we can just get these guys a little further without getting blown up, we'll be having a great day."

"SHIT! SHIT! SHIT!" Booker said, swerving hard one direction, and then swerving again, then driving off to the side and slamming to a stop.

"Calvary's here!" Davidson said. The jeep was suddenly spinning around, and then taking off like a bat out of hell again. "They're engaging the Qureshi. We're getting out of the line of fire. They brought the big guns."

"Are they planning on taking them out of capturing them, Colonel?" Ned asked.

"They're to try to capture if it doesn't cause potential loss of life. If the bastards have a rocket launcher though, they'll probably just take them out."

Ned nodded and stared back at the other side of the screen. Davidson's face broke out into a smile as they bounced over a rough pot hole and then entered the Army base.

"We made it!" Davidson said.

"That's because Booker's a badass mother fucker behind the wheel!" Diaz chimed up from the backseat, reaching forward to grab Booker's shoulder and shake him.

"So how did this happen?" Ned said, much sterner now that he knew the guys were safe.

"We've been following the bread crumbs for the past couple of days, and we found the location of the new Qureshi stronghold. We were scoping it out, hoping that with it being after sundown we'd be able to get some recon in to come back tomorrow when we had backup, but we were spotted. And well, you saw the rest."

"We have the coordinates though. About how many people do you estimate are in the compound?" Ned asked, taking notes.

"Approximately 75-100."

"Davidson, did you see anything that makes you think they may be creating any kind of bioweapons there?" Russel asked.

"We couldn't see inside any buildings. We were up on a hillside looking down on the camp. We have reason to believe that they were though."

Booker was talking to one of the soldiers through the window next to them, and he got out to talk to him, stealing Davidson's attention.

"Damn, Sarge! Someone just exploded someone out there!" he said, leaning into the jeep.

"Did you hear that?" Davidson asked.

"Yes," Ned said. "Why do you believe they're working on a weapon?"

"One of our informants said that he saw them unloading piping and lab equipment into one of the buildings."

"I think that's our tag in," Russell said.

"Wouldn't mind having your team with us again, Colonel," Davidson said. "I just need to call my superiors and update them on our situation. We're going to need a lot more manpower this time."

"You're looking at it, Sergeant. Those men on that base you've landed on will be at our disposal. We've known that camp is rebel territory, but we weren't aware it was Qureshi. There's a lot of camps around that tiny bit of water out there, both friendly and enemy, and it's a tense area. There's a lot of rebel action out there. This is going to start a shit storm, that's for sure."

"If we take out this base, Davidson, do you know how much the Qureshi will be crippled?" Ned asked.

"If we take out this base and everyone on it, then we'll be taking out the Qureshi with the exception of a handful of the former leadership, which we've learned has been overthrown by al Zafir. This is his compound."

"This is Mohamed Ahmed al Zafir's base?" Russel asked.

"Yes, sir Colonel."

"It looks like we've got some work ahead of us," Ned said. "Colonel, will your team be able to join Davidson's at the 'Aynak base?"

"We can be there in an hour."

"Let's reconvene at 2230," Ned said. "This ends tonight."

"I heard that!" Diaz said, leaning into the screen to be seen with a bright smile on his face.

"We'll see you in an hour, Davidson," Russel said. "2230 Agent Dorneget." Russel's screen went dark and Davidson's voice came through again.

"So how is Stephens?" he asked.

"He's awake, he knows who Rod is, and he's eating. He's not able to talk or walk yet though. Rod is going to stay with him until he can, and then some. He's in good hands."

"Rod's a good man. He's lucky to have him with him. He's going to be okay. Thanks for the update."

Ned smiled and nodded, then turned serious again. "Let's go get these bastards for them."

"Hell yeah!" Diaz said from the backseat again, making Davidson smile and shake his head.

"We'll get 'em, Agent Dorneget. See you in an hour."

Elly shivered as he watched Ned turn into someone he didn't know. He had to admit that the powerful, confident man in front of him was a serious turn on, but he was a surprise. He knew that Ned had been turning into a force to be reckoned with, but this was beyond anything he'd imagined.

"I need my notebook," Ned said, turning to Vance.

"Grab it and I'll see you in my office," Vance said, turning to leave the two men standing there with Evelyn across the room trying hard not to eavesdrop on them.

"I'm sorry, but I need to do this," Ned said, turning to Elly. Elly stepped up to him, but a hand on his hip and leaned in to whisper in his ear.

"You're mine when you get home." He pulled back, and Ned saw the fire in his eyes. Ned reached forward and pulled him towards him so hard that their bodies slammed into one another, then leaned to whisper in Elly's ear.

"No, you're mine." The tone of voice was just as strong and confident as it had been on the call, and all Elly could do was stare back and nod, his mouth hanging open. Ned let him go and headed for the door. Elly turned to watch him go and felt weak in the knees.

 _What have I gotten myself into?_ He thought to himself.

* * *

Tony heard a faint noise and it pulled him up from the depths of sleep. He took a deep breath, resigning himself to the fact that something was trying to get his attention. Jethro and Amira were still asleep in the bed with him, and he realized his phone was chiming. He reached behind him and picked up his phone off the nightstand, then slid the lock to read his messages.

- _Qureshis are going down tonight. Ned is working with Vance on a plan right now. Davidson's team is working with a Colonel Russel and they're planning on attacking a compound Davidson's team found tonight._

"What the hell?" Tony said softly to himself. He extracted himself from Amira's grasp, rolling her over to wrap her arms around Jethro, which made the older man stir.

"What's up?" he whispered.

"The op. Ned's working it, and they're going to take the Qureshis down tonight."

"You need to be there," Jethro said. It wasn't a question.

"I need to be here."

"I got this for a few hours. Dorneget is about to take down a terrorist cell. He's going to need you."

"He's got Vance."

"And Amira has me. Her grief will be here when you get back. Go."

Tony ran his hand through his hair. He was torn between responsibilities.

"It's okay. Amira would want you to go catch the bad guys."

Tony looked at Jethro, who was smiling at him with a half-smile.

"Okay. I'm getting dressed." Tony got into the closet and pulled out something professional enough to wear in MTAC and stepped into the bathroom. Ten minutes later he was kissing Amira on the forehead and Jethro on the lips, and then turning to walk out of the room. He stopped, looked back over his shoulder, sighed, and then headed for his car.

As he drove down the road, he dialed Ned.

"Hey, Boss," Ned said, surprised to find Tony on the other end of the phone.

"I'm on my way in. Elly texted me about your MTAC adventures. I thought you were supposed to stay home today?"

"I needed the distraction. Did Elly tell you that Ed woke up?"

"No! That's fantastic! How is he?"

"He's not able to speak or walk, but they believe that with extensive therapy he'll regain all of his functions."

"He's a tough guy. He's got Rod. They'll get through this together." Tony sighed happily. "So what are you doing right now?"

"I'm sitting at the conference table in the Director's office doing my thing," Ned said, staring up at Vance cautiously.

"The whole genius tactical planning thing?"

"Uh, yeah."

"I'll be there in fifteen. I'll meet you in Vance's office."

"I will let him know."

"Are you okay? You got this?" Tony asked while Vance couldn't hear him.

"Yeah. Definitely. See you when you get here." Ned had to get off the phone before Tony could make him second guess himself. "Boss is on his way in. Where were we?"

"DiNozzo's coming in? For this?"

"Yeah," Ned said. "If we did it this way, there'd be less lives lost, and we could probably extract their plan from the survivors."

"Agent Dorneget, as much as I respect your attempts to prevent loss of life, this is war. That's kind of the point."

"No, the point is to stop bad things from happening; to deactivate the threat. That doesn't equate to killing. Killing is just one of the options, and just because it's the easier option doesn't make it the right option."

"What are we going to do with 75 prisoners?"

"What do you normally do with them?" Ned asked, looking at Vance in disbelief. When he didn't get an answer, he answered for him. "You try them. These people have been conspiring to commit biological warfare. That's against International Humanitarian Law. They'll go before a war crimes tribunal. Until then, they'll rot in a jail cell somewhere."

"I've got to hand it to you, you know where you stand."

"Yeah, I do." Ned took a deep breath and stared down at his notebook. The large circle in the middle full of little circles represented the base, and each little circle represented a person. A living, breathing, human being. He knew it would be much easier to just bomb the hell out of it and pick up whoever survived it, but Ned couldn't do that with a clear conscience. He couldn't let anyone else do it either.

He continued to draw out his plan, and then jumped when Tony came in, putting his hand on his shoulder and startling him from his train of thought. A tray of coffees sat in front of them and Ned looked from them to his boss, who pulled one out and handed it to him.

"Thank you," he said with a sigh before sipping on the hot liquid.

"Not sure you need any caffeine with how jumpy you are," Tony said, raising an eyebrow.

"We're running out of time. We have to have this decided on in fifteen minutes," Ned said, turning the notebook sideways to run the plan through with Tony, unintentionally ignoring Vance.

"Show me what you've got," Tony said.

"We start by throwing incendiaries over the wall on this end and that end. There's two entrances-slash-exits to the compound according to the satellite shots, here and here." Ned pointed to opposite ends of the large circle. "The structures will catch fire, and people will take off running. We'll be waiting at the exits."

"The people coming out of the exits will have weapons, not to mention the people covering the exits," Tony pointed out.

"The people covering the exits are going to have to be disarmed or taken out. I concede to those deaths. I'm hoping that people will be startled by the fires, and we'll see less weaponry than usual in hand as they run. Plus, it will be the middle of the night, and that gives us the element of surprise. We're expecting the lab to be in one of these three buildings." Ned pointed to three large ovals within the larger circle. "They're the targets of the incendiaries. They're larger buildings, and current satellite readings show that minimal people are in them, and that they're moving. They wouldn't be homes or dorms. One is probably the mess hall, one the lab, and one another universal building."

"You're going to try to capture them alive," Tony realized.

"Yes. They'll be taken prisoner and tried for their crimes."

"You do realize that isn't usually how these kinds of things go, right?" Tony asked, taking a drink of his coffee as he looked Ned in the eyes.

"This is how they _should_ go, and if you want me in that room, this is how they're going to go."

Tony held his hands up in surrender, and he and Vance exchanged a look.

"How are you going to get Russel and Davidson to go along with this? They're used to shooting first and asking questions later," Vance asked.

"They need to know where the Qureshi leaders are so the faction doesn't reassemble and resurface. They also need to know if there are any other storage facilities with any other contaminants. The Yellow Triangle can't be the only group they were working with. We'll need to find out where the rest of the threats are. There's plenty of information to extract, and we don't know who is going to be the one to give it up, so we take as many people prisoner as possible."

Tony and Vance gave each other a visual confirmation that it should be enough to get their military cohorts to cooperate.

"What's your backup plan?" Tony asked.

"To go in with satellite and teams, building by building, and take out anyone with a weapon in their hands and arresting anyone else."

"Still brings casualties down from the most obvious go-to choice," Tony said.

"Yeah. Bombing the hell out of the place is going to get us no answers and a lot of dead people. If we go in and do a building by building take down, surround the perimeter for anyone trying to escape, and take even twenty five people alive, I'll be happy. Or at least happier than bombing the place. I have a feeling that this isn't going to be as over as Davidson thinks by taking out this compound. I'd rather capture people and find out for certain that this is the end all be all than find out we killed our only chance at uncovering something."

"What are we thinking for incendiaries for plan A?" Vance asked.

"Two things. I want to use a rocket launcher to take out the buildings we have targeted. Then I want teams to set the walls of the compound on fire. I want to use gelignite and spray down the top of the wall along the perimeter, then set it on fire. If the Qureshi can't climb over, then they'll have to run for the exits, and that's where we'll be waiting for them."

"I think your plan has three things going for it," Tony said. "It covers the possibility that we are missing information, they get to blow stuff up, and they get to set stuff on fire. We should emphasize those three points, and it will probably pass mustard."

"That's what I'm banking on too. Who turns down the chance to use a rocket launcher?"

Tony smirked at his agent and nodded, then turned to Vance who was sucking down his cup of coffee like it was water.

"There's an added bonus to this," Ned said, his head tilting to the side, then looking from Tony to Vance, who finally put his coffee down. "If we arrest instead of kill, it might keep tensions from getting too heated." He turned to Tony. "We got pulled into this because Davidson called us when he was being chased down by guards of the compound. We pulled in Russel, who pulled in a team from 'Aynak. The soldiers from 'Aynak will be responding with us today, er, tonight. Their base is surrounded by rebel factions. They're located where they are because of a small source of water in the desert, and it's been hard enough to play nice as is. If we were to just go in and kill everyone in the compound, the base would be swarmed by the other rebel groups. If we just _arrest_ them, there's a good chance that the retaliation will be less severe."

"Hadn't thought about that," Vance said. "That's your best chance of selling your plan."

Tony looked Ned over. Even with a thick white brace around his neck he looked confident and in control.

"Let's do this," Tony said, getting to his feet.

Ned smiled and stood up, Vance standing up with them. He felt a surge of confidence and power, but he also felt that sick feeling in his stomach that said more lives were about to be lost because of him and his plan. He knew that they wouldn't be able to save everybody, and more lives would be lost this time than last. Even with them being sadistic terrorists Ned still had a problem with their lives being lost at his word. He walked along side Tony and Vance as they headed for MTAC, his conversation with Elly that morning in the garage going through his head. He'd directly taken a man's life and he had no regrets. Why were these men any different? He was confused as he followed Tony into MTAC, but he pushed the confusion aside. He'd have to deal with it later- he had an op to lead.


	48. Chapter 48

Elly felt helpless as he watched Ned, Tony, and Vance walk together towards MTAC. He had sent Greg on a case with McGee and Ziva, and he was left all alone to work on the database while the rest of them were saving the world. He had to admit he was a little jealous, but not enough to be angry. He wanted to be there to help support Ned, but he was afraid of what he'd witness. His mind wandered to the authoritative man in MTAC earlier, and he sighed and smiled to think about his man taking control like that. He had always thought Ned would be the more passive of the two of them, but he'd learned pretty quickly once they started seeing each other that Ned may be uncertain of himself in day to day activities, but he certainly knew what he was doing in his love life, and apparently he knew what he was doing in MTAC, too. The correlation was too much for him, and he decided to stop thinking about it all and go visit Abby.

He locked down his computer and stood up, stretching, when his phone rang in his pocket. He pulled it out to stare at the screen in shock, then answered it.

"Hello?" he said.

"Hey, Elijah! How's it going?"

Elly sat there with his jaw dropped, unsure as to why his brother was calling him. He never called, and he was afraid he was bringing bad news. His voice wasn't somber though, and it confused him.

"Hey, Eric. It's going well. What's up?"

"Guess what? We just docked at the D.C. Naval Yard. Thought we could get together tonight for dinner before I have to fly out in the morning."

Elly sat down in his chair. He knew Ned would probably have a hard time tonight after the op, and he would need to be there for him. He didn't want to blow off his brother though. He chewed his bottom lip a moment, and then sighed.

"I have plans for tonight. What are you doing right now?" he asked.

"Uh, getting ready to check into my hotel room, but that can wait. Want to do coffee or something?"

"Coffee would be good. Where are you?"

They made plans to meet up at the coffee shop down the road from the Yard. Elly texted Tony that he was stepping out for an hour to meet up with him, and then he grabbed his gun and badge from his drawer. Slipping on his coat, he wondered what he was going to tell him about everything that had happened lately. He especially wondered about what he should tell him about Ned, and was worried about how he would react. As little as he knew his father, he knew even less about his brother. He asked himself why he cared about their opinions so much. He flashed to what Ned had said to him that morning and realized that it didn't matter that he was surrounded by great people who loved him. His family was still his family, and he still wanted them to love him and care about him.

* * *

Ned was explaining the two courses of action he had laid out to Tony and Vance earlier to Russel, Davison, and a couple of soldiers from the 'Aynak base.

"We create a second perimeter ring of defense that catches stragglers as they come through the preliminary line, and protects the preliminary line from anyone who tries to run to the defense of the Qureshi."

"This second line of defense- they'll be expected to capture those that make it that far alive?" Russel asked.

"If at all possible. I have a bad feeling that this isn't over yet, and anyone that we can take alive is potential information. Plus, the more people we arrest instead of outright kill will be a point in our defense against the other rebel groups in the area that are waiting for a reason to attack the base."

Davidson and Russel exchanged a glance. That seemed to make the most sense to them, so Ned continued.

"If we don't go in there with the intentions to wipe out everyone in the compound, we have a better chance at holding off the rest of the rebels in the area. Handling it as peacefully as possible is what's safest for everyone."

"What's our other options?" Davidson asked.

"We flood the compound on foot. We take out the guards at the gates, and we move in from both sides while another team sets up a perimeter to catch anyone who makes it over the walls. We move from building to building and take out anyone with a weapon, and we capture anyone without one. We take a more tactical approach. This will require a lot more manpower, and it will result in a lot more deaths on both sides. We don't know what al Zafir looks like, so we stand a good chance of killing him, and we really need him alive for questioning."

Russel nodded his head, and Davidson looked to him to gauge his reaction. "I think we can make either plan work, but I prefer the first," Russel said.

"Really?" Davidson asked, surprise coloring his voice.

"Yeah. We have plenty of fire power to use, and if we can capture those that have been trying to build the bioweapons we can learn where they have been getting their materials from and stop the leak. That takes the goals beyond this one incident and the Qureshi. We need to think beyond this one group and stop the contaminant leaks before the next group and the group after that gets their hands on it. I think the plan shows greater insight than we typically allow ourselves the patience for, and I think we need to start using long term solutions to these problems instead of the short term tactics we're used to using."

Ned forced himself not to smile at the glee of having the surly colonel agree with him. Tony nudged him discreetly though, and they shared a look, his eyes beaming pride at his agent. Ned's goal may be minimalizing the loss of life, but it worked both ways. There were a lot of threads woven together, each one a different point, a different need addressed, and they came together to make a decent plan. He'd hoped that his explanation would appeal to Russel's sense of curiosity the most considering he's ranking, and it appeared that it worked. Him being a bioterrorism specialist worked especially in their favor, and Ned knew just how to play on that.

"The fact of the matter is, we don't know if there's biohazardous material in the compound. The ability to keep our troops out of there and make the terrorists come to us is our best chance at remaining safe. Hopefully we're assuming correctly and one of these three buildings is the lab. We still need to proceed with caution in case someone is able to bring the weapon with them, and arm it to attack our men and women with."

"We have masks fitted with night vision," Russel said with a slight shrug. "We're prepared for that."

"Great," Ned said with a small nod until the brace reminded him that he couldn't move that way.

"Let us go explain the plan to the teams that are coming with us, and then we'll plan on a check in before we take off. We'll com Davidson, myself, and Captain Dotts. Davidson's team will take point at the entryways to capture or kill the men coming through to escape. I'll direct the incendiaries, and Dotts will be your go to man for the circle of defense."

Davidson and another man in the room nodded.

"We'll see you in half an hour," Davidson said.

The men on the screen immediately got to their feet and started heading for the exit, except for Russel who reached to turn off the cam. Ned sighed and felt the adrenaline rush through him. Tony reached up and shook him gently by the shoulder.

"I think Russel likes you," Vance said. "Strangest thing I've ever seen, but it seems you've made an ally."

"Yeah, I have heard horror stories about working with him, and you've got him eating out of your hand," Tony said with a smirk.

"I guess we just understand that there's a bigger picture, even if we're not focused on the same part of it," Ned said, shrugging a shoulder.

"Well put." Tony smiled and pulled his phone out of his pocket. He'd felt it vibrate as they started their conversation with the team, but was figured it was Jethro and had ignored it with hopes to call him back later. He opened it and saw it was Elly's text. He squinted at the screen a moment as he thought about the idea that his brother was mysteriously appearing out of nowhere, but decided he had bigger issues at hand. He also decided that it was a little fact that Ned didn't need to know about right now. He knew his agent had to go into the current situation with a clear head. He didn't need to be thinking about his fiancé's family drama right then.

"This is a much larger event than the Yellow Triangle take down," Vance said. "You're going to give the initial order to take off running, and then you'll just advise as they move forward. You can't manage all three teams, so you're going to need to focus on the team initializing the event, which is Russel's. You'll basically tell them ready, set, go and then back off and let the three ground control leaders take charge while we sit back and pray."

Ned nodded and took a deep breath, staring ahead at a blue screen. "Evelyn, can you please bring up satellite with infrared of the compound?"

"Sure thing, Dorney," she said, clicking away at her keyboard.

A minute later the screen was flickering until the satellite imagery came up and then lit up with the infrared. They watched the bodies moving around, and saw that one of the buildings they'd planned on taking out was loaded with people, where before there were just a few. They watched their movements, and Ned felt a sinking feeling in his stomach.

"That's the lab," he said. "They're rushing to get it created now. They know we're coming for them. I'm sure they've had people approach the compound before. What's set them off?"

"Probably the firefight when the team went to save Davidson's ass earlier," Vance said, reaching in his pocket by habit for a toothpick that wasn't there. He sighed.

"Great. I hope they aren't anywhere near production. If they're in the building we're going to take them out with the rocket launcher, and we'll probably lose a lot of the people we're hoping to capture. The scientists among them are the best chances at understanding what they've had and what they've been doing with it."

"And al Zafir himself is probably in the building overseeing everything," Tony said with a sigh of his own.

"We'll hit it last then. The distraction of the other buildings blowing will cause a number of the people in the building to rush out of it to see what's going on, and hopefully that will cut down on how many we take out when we launch on it." Ned was nodding that tiny nod to himself, hoping that worked.

"You're going to have to make that clear to Russel first thing when you talk to him," Vance said.

"Evelyn? Can you pinpoint the coordinates of each of the three largest buildings for me?" Ned asked, walking over to the woman at the terminal.

"Sure, just a second." She read off the coordinates to each building, pointing to it on her screen as Ned wrote them down.

"Thanks," he said with a bright smile for her that was returned. He turned back to Tony and Vance, moving to rejoin them. "I'll relay the coordinates that he needs to set the guns to when they come back online."

Tony's phone vibrated in his pocket, and he pulled it out to see Jethro was calling him. He excused himself to the hallway and answered it.

"Hey," he said. "What's up?"

"Just checking in," Jethro said.

"We're about to take down the Qureshi! Dorney is shining like usual. We're doing good. How's Amira?"

"Here, why don't you ask her," Jethro said, handing the phone to Amira.

"Hi, Daddy," she said, making Tony's heart melt as he leaned back against the wall outside of MTAC with a bright smile.

"Hi, Munchkin. How are you feeling?"

"Sad. Can I have a blue?"

"If Gibbsy says you can have a blue, then yes," he said with a bubble of a chuckle in his chest. He felt his eyes burning and took a deep breath.

"He said it's okay if you say it's okay," she said.

"I say it's okay," Tony said. "What are you doing?"

"Coloring," she said. "I drew you a picture."

"You did? I bet it's pretty," he said.

"Daddy says it is," she said.

"I bet he's right. Did you eat something?"

"I had a piece of pizza. It had sauce edge on it."

"You mean sausage?" he asked with a snicker.

"That's what I said!" she huffed. "Sauce edge!" Tony could hear Jethro laughing in the background, and then Amira shouted "Blue!" and suddenly there was a loud thunk as she dropped the phone.

Jethro picked it up. "She's a little excited," he said.

"I can tell! I got ditched for a Gatorade. I don't know how to feel about that."

"Oh, wait. She's reaching for the phone again."

"Okay."

"When are you coming home?" her little voice asked.

"In a couple of hours," he said. "We're helping to catch some very bad guys."

"Whose with you?" she asked suspiciously.

"Dorney and Director Vance," he said.

"Oh. Okay. Say to Dorney that I said to beat 'em up!" Tony laughed.

"I will. You behave for Gibbsy."

"I will. I love you."

"I love you, too Munchkin. Hand me back to Gibbsy."

"Hey," Jethro said.

"We're going to be getting started again in a few minutes. I'll give you the run down when I get home."

"Hmm. Nothing like tactical operations for pillow talk," Jethro said quietly as he poured himself a cup of coffee.

"You know you love it," Tony said with a bright smile.

"Yeah, yeah," Jethro said with a chuckle.

"I love you," Tony said.

"Love you, too. Come home soon."

"I will. I promise."

"I'll hold you to that."

"I hope so. Talk later."

"Bye."

Tony pressed the button on his phone to disconnect the call and wiped at his burning eyes. He took a deep breath, scanned himself back in, and headed down the ramp to join Dorney and Vance.

"You okay?" Ned asked immediately.

"Yeah, why?"

"You look like you were crying," Ned said, calling him out without thinking.

Tony looked back and forth between the two men and cleared his throat. "Amira is calling Jethro and I "daddy". "

"Wow," Ned said.

"That's pretty significant," Vance said. "Not to mention it pulls at you right here." He rested his hand over his chest, and Tony nodded.

"Oh, yeah. She buried her mom today, and she's already calling us her dads. She's just so resilient. She's in so much pain, but she's moving on so much better than I did when I lost Mom. It's rough, don't get me wrong. She's crying all the time, and she's sleeping with Jethro and I, but she's…"

"Being a kid?" Vance offered.

"Yeah," Tony said with a nod. "Like right now, she's coloring and eating pizza. Her biggest priority was whether or not I had backup as I took on the bad guys, and whether or not she could have a Gatorade. By the way, she told me to tell you to beat up the bad guys." He turned to Ned who smiled and shook his head.

"That's kids for you," Vance said with a smile.

"Let's hope she never has to know what we're doing in here tonight," Ned said.

"She says she wants to beat up the bad guys one day. I don't know what her future holds, but I'm sure she's going to fully understand what happens in this room when she grows up. She's a really smart kid. I see really big things for her. And with her mother being a former Iraqi national, and her adoptive fathers being federal agents, one a former cop and one a former Marine, she's going to be entrenched in this stuff. Just wait."

"Unless she completely rebels," Ned said with a smirk. "She could decide she's going to be a face painting clown in the Russian circus instead."

"It doesn't matter what she wants to do," Tony said with a dreamy smile. "I'll still be proud of her."

"Now you're talking like a father," Vance said.

"Gentlemen, you're being hailed," Evelyn said.

"Ready," Ned said, turning to the screen.

The next twenty minutes were Ned explaining his expectations to Russel, and watching on the helmet cams and listening on the coms as the groups headed for the compound. Things happened really quickly then, and Ned watched everyone move into place like they were a well-tuned orchestra, each coming in and moving in time.

"On your mark Agent Dorneget," Russel said. There were four screens up in front of them. There were three helmet cams, one on each leader, and one of the satellite imagery.

"They're scattering. They know you're there. Fire one," Ned said, watching on the infrared as it lit up dramatically, the rocket that was launched hitting building one directly. It exploded into a bright array of colors. "Fire two," he said, his eyes on the third building. People started running from it like he had hoped and he sighed. He waited, watching as more made their way to the exits, and as soon as it was as clear as he could expect it, he called for the third shot.

"Light the walls," he added, watching the group of men circling the walls that were supposed to be spraying gelignite. The infrared became a ring of yellow and red, illuminating the three other screens as the teams' surroundings were suddenly much brighter.

They stood there and watched as Davidson's team and a group of soldiers began snatching people who ran through the exits. The twenty soldiers at the gates were catching almost everyone, but a couple were sneaking past. Others came out with weapons raised, and a team of two waited with the task of taking them down where they stood. The stack of bodies was much higher than Ned preferred.

"Dotts, get ready. You've got some heading your way," he warned.

"Copy," came through the coms, and their eyes focused again on the gates. Russel and his team joined the teams at the exits, and they assisted with capturing the flushed out terrorists and getting them chained. It also gave the people watching in MTAC eyes on the other end of the compound.

After about fifteen minutes, a voice came through the coms. "Dorneget, how many more are in the compound?" Russel asked.

Ned counted quickly. "There's ten bodies lining the walls directly inside of the south gate. Davidson, go to plan B. Proceed with caution."

"Yes, sir." They watched Davidson's cam and the infrared as the four Marines and two soldiers entered the south end and split. There were shouts to drop weapons in Arabic, which Ned translated quietly for Tony and Vance. Of course, they did just the opposite and aimed their weapons at the incoming troops, and they were terminated immediately. The few that weren't armed were led from the compound quietly and added to those chained and herded into trucks.

"Russel, do you want to raid the compound for additional evidence or burn it down now that there's no one left in it?" Ned asked.

"We'll raid it. If we can find out what they were trying to weaponize, we'll have the upper hand. Dotts, your team will secure the compound until daylight."

"Yes, sir Colonel."

"I'm not able to get any readings on any live bodies in the compound," Ned announced. "That doesn't mean we don't have anyone hiding out closer to the structures that are on fire though. The fires are burning hot and blotting out large portions of the image."

"You hear that, Dotts? Stay on your toes."

"Yes, sir."

"The rest of us are going to move out Agent Dorneget. We'll let you know of any information were able to extract."

"Thank you, Colonel Russel. We look forward to hearing from you."

The screens stayed up and the coms stayed on, and Ned kept watching. It was like a macabre nightmare. There were dozens of people chained together, being loaded into trucks by men with gas masks on while the world burned behind them. He could hear the angry shouts of the Qureshi at the troops, and he shook off the threats. He wasn't about to translate them for Tony and Vance. He paid attention though, trying to hear anything worthwhile. It was mostly a cacophony with a couple of the troops yelling intermittently to be quiet. He heard one man yell back that they couldn't take his voice and Ned winced at the thought of all the ways they really could, and very likely would if he didn't tell them what they needed to know.

Davidson turned his camera off first, and the sound got a little quieter. They listened as Russel and Dotts exchanged an itinerary for the morning. Ned took it down in his little notebook so he knew when to expect to hear back on it. After a couple of minutes of mundane noises and little imagery in the dark night, Ned motioned for Evelyn to cut off the feed.

"We did it," Tony said. "We just took down the Qureshi faction." He reached over and shook Ned excitedly. "Way to go, kid."

"I won't celebrate until we know that whatever they were planning is definitely called off," Ned said, tucking his notebook in his jacket. "Once I know that there's no one else out there planning to pick up where they left off with the means to, I'll dance a jig. Until then, I'm going to reserve the partying for later."

"Even if there's more to go, you've accomplished something incredible tonight. You should be proud of that," Vance said. "I know we're proud of you."

Ned looked back at the blue screen, imagining where just minutes before there was a stack of bodies. _They made their choices,_ he told himself. He pulled his phone out and looked at the time. It was a little after 1600 hours.

"I think I'm going to go take a Vicodin and nap in Abby's office. My neck is killing me," he lied.

"Go," Tony commanded. "You deserve it."

"You should go home and be with Amira," Ned said to Tony as the three men walked up the ramp to the door.

"I'm going to do just that," he confirmed.

"Good," Ned said. He suddenly remembered that he had emails from Andy, and he wanted to go read them to make sure there wasn't anything missing from the bigger picture. He doubted, but it was better to check than worry all night if he ignored them.

He went down to his desk and saw that Elly wasn't there. His computer was dark, idle long enough that the screensavers had turned off. He squinted to himself, and sat down to open the emails up. He popped a Vicodin, and then read through the first one.

"Oh, shit," he said.

"What?" Tony asked, startling him.

"Sorry, Boss. I didn't realize you were there," Ned said, opening the next email.

"That doesn't answer the question."

"Andy's coming to town."

"Oh. Shit. Can you handle that?" he asked.

"Yeah. I…" Ned stopped talking as he read the next email. "He wants to meet up to give me information that he's gathered that's classified. He doesn't feel safe enough to send it digitally."

"That sounds risky," Tony said, raising an eyebrow at him. "Do you think he's trying to make a pass at you?"

"I don't know. You never know with Andy. I told him that I was seeing someone. I think he'd respect that."

"You think?" Tony asked, stopping his shuffling through the filing cabinet.

Ned gave him a one shoulder shrug.

"Maybe you should tell him you're engaged," Tony said. "And that your boss said that if you're meeting up with this troublemaker that he's coming with you."

Ned stared up at the Tony, surprised by the tension in his voice.

"You want to meet Andy?" Ned asked, his stomach dropping out from under him.

"Sure. You don't need to be alone with him."

"I'm not going to do anything with him, Boss." Ned tried to believe the words he said, thinking of how badly that would hurt Elly and how much he didn't want to hurt the love of his life.

"You may not think so, but then you're pressed against a wall with his tongue down your throat and all hell breaks loose."

Ned could feel himself blushing as he thought about how many times he'd been in that exact same position.

"Yeah," Tony said, closing the filing cabinet drawer. "Exactly. I'm going with you. By the way, your fiancé is with his brother right now who just popped into town unexpectedly."

"What!?" Ned asked. "Elly's with Eric?"

"Yeah. He texted me before the op. Couldn't have your head scrambled, but he's going to be back any minute, so you might want to figure out what you're doing with your ex so that when he gets here you two can head out and talk about it."

Ned groaned and started typing fervently at his computer. He was glad Tony was coming with him. He hated to admit it, but Andy was a temptation for him. Elly was amazing, and he wanted everything he could ever have with him. The chemistry he'd always had with Andy though was explosive. He wouldn't put it past him to try and seduce him when they met up, and he hated to admit it, but he couldn't swear that he'd be impervious to it.

He hit send on his email and started going through a couple more when a shadow descended on his desk. He looked up to find Elly standing there, and he looked pissed.

"Honey? What's wrong?" Ned said, standing up to come around the desk, ignoring the fact that they were in the bullpen. He grabbed Elly's arms in his hands, barely restraining himself from pulling him against him.

"Can we talk?" he asked.

"Yeah. Boss? Can we go?" Ned asked.

"Yeah. I'll see you both tomorrow. Let me know if you need me." Tony watched the two men head for the elevator and sighed. He packed up and headed out after them. He was rooting for them, but it was becoming very obvious that they had a lot of hurdles to jump first, and he was crossing his fingers that neither of them got hurt along the way.

He headed down the stairs, pulling his phone out and dialing Jethro.

"Hey," he answered quietly.

"Hey. Is she asleep?" Tony asked.

"Yeah," Jethro almost whispered.

"Okay. I'm on my way home. We can talk then."

"Okay. See you soon. Love you."

"I love you, too, Jethro." Tony disconnected the phone and got into his car. He couldn't wait to be home with his family.

* * *

Once they were in Elly's car, Elly leaned against the steering wheel, wrapping his arms around it.

"What's wrong, Elly?" Ned asked, reaching over to rub his back.

"So, Eric's in town."

"Tony told me."

"Well, we were at the coffee shop, and I told him about you. He was actually really supportive. I was floored. Completely surprised. I mean, jaw on the ground, happy as can be, surprised."

"That's fantastic! Then why are you so pissed?" Ned asked.

"He suggested we call Dad and let him know the good news. Said that he'd be there to support me in case Dad didn't take it so well. I saw the sense in that, so we called him. Let's just say that Dad didn't take it well that I was engaged to a man."

"Oh. I'm sorry honey. That sucks."

"Yeah. The choice words he used stunned even Eric, and we sat there in shock. I can't believe he could say that crap to me."

"Do I want to know what he said?" Ned asked, trying not to let the rage bubble up in him.

"Not really. I'll tell you this though- he told me he didn't want to meet you, and he didn't want to hear from me again."

"Holy shit," Ned whispered. "I'm sorry. I know that means very little right now, trust me, but I am. I am so sorry." He could feel the sudden shuddering under his hand as Elly began shaking in sobs. He undid his seatbelt and turned, pulling Elly towards him. He came willingly and leaned against Ned as he cried. "Give him some time to cool down. Maybe he'll come around."

"I don't want that bastard to even try to apologize!" Elly said between his tears with vehement anger. "I don't want to ever see him again."

Ned ran his hand through Elly's hair over and over again as he tried to calm him. He was feeling the Vicodin and the op pulling him down. He was suddenly exhausted.

"Let's just go home and sleep," he said. "We can rest and hopefully tomorrow will bring a fresh perspective on a lot of things." He imagined the stack of dead bodies, the fire glowing behind it, and shivered.

"I'm sorry," Elly said. "You had the op today. Did it go okay?"

"The mission was successful," Ned said coldly. "I don't know what's okay anymore."

Elly looked up at Ned's eyes as they suddenly went dark. "Let's go home," he said. "I just want to hold you and sleep."

"That sounds perfect."

* * *

Tony walked into the house to find Jethro sitting on the couch, a book in his hands, a cup of coffee next to him, and Amira asleep with her head in his lap, the afghan over her. He hung his jacket on the rack and went over, bending over to kiss Jethro.

"Hi," he said with a smile.

"Hi," Jethro said, smiling back softly.

"How long has she been out?"

"About an hour."

"I want to tell you what happened at work, so I'm going to take her upstairs and put her in her bed," Tony whispered.

"Okay," Jethro said, watching as Tony gently lifted the little girl. She curled around Tony, her eyes fluttering for just a moment before she nuzzled into him. He carried her up the stairs and Jethro got up to grab a beer for each of them, and heated up a couple pieces of pizza for Tony. He was carrying it all back to the table when Tony came downstairs.

"Thanks," he said, taking the beer and kissing Jethro again with another smile for him. They sat down on the couch together, and Tony beaned at Jethro with pride. "Ned led the op tonight that took down the Qureshi."

"Really?" Jethro asked.

"Yes! It was awesome! You should've seen it! I get to the Yard, and I go up to Vance's office to find Ned going over a couple of different tactics with Vance, and he's all like, we're doing this my way or I'm not involved. I was really proud of him for completely sticking up for his beliefs, and he offered up great reasons to persuade us by the way. Then we went in there, and he talked _Colonel Russel,_ the guy from Army Decon? Yeah. He talked him into this plan. It was amazing. He really doesn't like the idea of people being killed for any reason, but he's got these great reasons to justify keeping them alive. We need the survivors for information extraction, and if we kill them we're going to piss off these groups, and it was all very sensible. And Russel, _of all people,_ takes Ned's side. It was incredible!"

"You seem really proud of him," Jethro said, taking Tony's hand.

"I am. We don't have the official numbers yet, but we probably took 50-75% of the group into custody for questioning and trial. We took down al Zafir's compound! It's the end of the Qureshi! Ned's not so sure about that, but I am. There's not enough left to rebound after this. This is a huge victory!"

"I'm glad," Jethro said. He took a long drink from his bottle, and Tony mirrored him. He sat his bottle on the table, then took Tony's bottle from him, sitting it next to his. Tony watched the bottle land on the table, then looked up at Jethro, who leaned forward and grabbed Tony's shirt, pulling him forward and kissed him.

Tony's hands went to the sides of Jethro's face as they kissed passionately. There was so much eager tension wrapped up in the kiss, and Tony felt his skin burning to be close to Jethro. Jethro couldn't take it anymore. He needed Tony. He'd needed him all day. He needed to feel close to him. He needed to feel the lifeblood running through him. He needed to feel how full of life he was, and be reassured that he was strong and vibrant, to know that he wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.

Jethro's hands worked at Tony's shirt buttons, and soon both men were working at each other's belts. He didn't care that he was on the couch and that Amira could wake up any minute now. He just needed to feel Tony. He needed to crawl up inside him and vice versa. He needed the closeness like he needed air. Tony leaned back against the arm of the couch, pushing his pants down, exposing his cock. Jethro reached into the end table drawer and pulled out the glasses case that they kept a small tube of lube in for occasions like this, and pushed his pants to the floor, stepping out of them.

Tony was surprised when Jethro began lubing his aching cock instead of his own. There was no doubt that Jethro was in charge tonight, but he apparently needed to go for a ride, and Tony wasn't about to deny him that. He grabbed Tony's arms, sitting him in an upright position, and straddled him. Their mouths were pressed together in a fiery kiss, and Jethro's hands ran up Tony's stomach and chest while Tony's hands ran up the back of Jethro's thighs and kneaded his ass.

There was a rushing urgency to their lovemaking that had nothing to do with the fact that there was a little girl upstairs that could walk in on them any minute. It was something else entirely. It was as if though they were racing a clock, beating death, getting in as much time with each other and making it count while they could. This was the lesson learned that day. Life could be taken from them at any minute, for any number of reasons, and they were going to have each other before that could happen.

Tony lined his slick dick up with Jethro's hole and Jethro slowly guided himself down on it. It was agonizingly slow since Jethro hadn't been prepped, but his head was thrown back in ecstasy, his hands on Tony's shoulders and Tony's mouth on his nipples. Once he had lowered himself completely, he sat there so still that Tony realized Jethro wasn't breathing. He reached up and took Jethro's head in his hands and moved it to look down in his eyes.

"Breathe, Jethro. I'm right here. I'm always going to be right here," he whispered.

Jethro took a deep inhale, and fell forward, his forehead against Tony's. Tony could feel him shaking. "I love you so much," he said soothingly. "So damn much." Jethro could only nod in return. "I'm right here."

"Stay," Jethro breathed out.

"Always," Tony reassured.

"Stay forever," Jethro said, his voice breaking, and Tony felt the tears fall from Jethro's eyes to his cheeks.

"Forever," he said. Jethro nodded and began moving. He lifted his body, his forehead still against Tony's, and he began a slow ride.

"God you feel amazing," Tony whispered. "So incredible. I love you so much."

Jethro nodded and sped up. He began a hard ride, his ass slapping against Tony's thighs as he bucked over him.

"Yesss…" Tony hissed out. He reached for Jethro's cock between them and began stroking it in time to Jethro's bouncing.

"I don't ever want to come," Jethro panted out.

"Please, Jethro? Please come with me?" Tony begged. "I can't let go until you do."

Jethro sat up suddenly and threw his head back, gasping loudly. His ass constricted Tony's cock almost painfully, milking his orgasm from him at the same time.

"Oh, god!" Tony started shouting, and Jethro's hand landed over his mouth, silencing it.

They sat rigidly still for a minute, and then Jethro collapsed into Tony's arms, his head on Tony's shoulder. They laid there panting for a long time.

"I love you, Antony Dante Gibbs."

"Mmmm… I love the sound of that. I can't wait until it's official."

"I was thinking about that today," Jethro said softly.

"Oh?" Tony asked.

"Can we get married sooner?"

Tony turned his head to look down at the man against him. "I'd marry you tomorrow if I could, but we don't have anything together."

"I know. I don't want to wait another two months though. I want us to be a family as soon as possible."

"Okay," Tony said. "Call the park tomorrow and see when they have availabilities, and I'll call Sully and Marcella and see if they can change the date of the cake and the catering. Go ahead and go with the park's seating options, and I'll have Abby set us up a photographer."

Jethro leaned over and stole Tony's lips in a loving kiss. "Out of all of the weddings I've had, this one is going to be my favorite."

"Really?" Tony asked sheepishly, thinking that surely that excludes the one with Shannon.

"Yeah. You'll be there."

Tony smiled. "So what's the rush?" he asked gently.

"Life's too short to wait for the important stuff," Jethro said softly.

Tony nodded. He turned his head and kissed Jethro's that was lying on his shoulder again. They laid there like that a long while, just being together, relishing in the comfort of one another's beating hearts that announced that they were alive and well, breathing and living their lives for one another.

* * *

Ned woke up panting and gasping. He'd been dreaming that he was on the ground during the invasion of the compound, wearing a gas mask like the rest of the team, and orchestrating the whole thing with tentacles instead of hands. He cackled manically over the heap of bodies in the doorway, and rubbed two of the tentacles together in glee, then awoke.

Elly was awake immediately next to him, handing him a bottle of water he had next to the bed and rubbing his back. He'd been sleeping fitfully himself, and was almost glad to have an excuse to wake up.

"The op?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah," Ned said. "A distortion of it, but the op. I don't know if I'm cut out for this. People are dying, and I'm a part of it. I'm not that person."

Elly wished he knew what to say. The truth is that he knew Ned wasn't that person. He knew his lover didn't have the kind of person in him that would ever be okay with people dying at his hand. However, he saw the man Ned was in MTAC that morning, and he knew without a doubt that was also Ned, if not the truest Ned he'd ever seen. It was a hard place to be.

"Ned, I saw you in that room this morning. Your confidence, the power you carried… that was definitely you. I think you spend so much time in positions that make you second guess yourself that you're doing it now by habit."

After a long silence, Ned started talking slowly. "There was a _pile_ of bodies there tonight. A littering of human life. The Qureshi that escaped the compound we were burning down had to walk over the remains of their family, friends, and colleagues to safety."

"Ned, these guys are terrorists. Dead bodies don't faze them."

"They faze me."

"Talk to Tony tomorrow. Hell, talk to Gibbs tomorrow. For tonight, let's just lie here together and pretend to sleep."

"You too?" Ned asked, looking over at Elly's tired and forlorn expression.

"No nightmares, just a sense of not being wanted."

Ned looked deeply into Elly's eyes. "Oh, you're wanted. Trust me, I want you. Badly."

Elly smiled slowly until it reached his ears. "How long does that brace have to stay on again?"

"He wants it on for four weeks."

Elly slid his arms around Ned, pulling him down into a laying position with him, sliding his leg between Ned's and pressing their bodies together. "I tell you what. You get the brace off, and I'll let you have me completely.

Ned smiled. "Really? Shaving a month off?"

"If it wouldn't cause you so much pain I'd let you have me tonight."

"The pain would be worth it!" Ned said, his hands running down Elly's back.

"No. I want our first actual time together to be perfect. When they take the brace off, it's on."

"Oh, it's definitely on. I'm going to be so good that it's off in three weeks."

Elly laughed. " _Sure_ …"

Ned's hand slid down Elly's back and to his ass and grabbed it, jerking Elly against him. "Until then, there are other things I want to do to you, and I'm gonna."

Elly sighed, enthralled by the tone of voice that just came out of his lover. It was clear, confident, and reminded him of his MTAC voice.

"What do you want?" he asked, his hands sliding up Ned's chest.

"Take your clothes off," Ned said, pulling away to take his own shirt and shorts off. He liked how Elly followed his demand eagerly, rushing and flailing to lose what little he was wearing to sleep in. Their bodies came back together as soon as they were naked, and Ned draped a leg over Elly, coming around him like one of the tentacles in his dream, and pulled him against him so that their cocks were against each other.

Ned's hands coasted down Elly's chest, looking from the tone body in front of him to the bright blue eyes, wide with enthralled anticipation. He leaned forward and captured Elly's lips, and Elly's arm went around Ned, pulling him to him as they devoured one another. Ned slid one hand up behind Elly's head as they kissed, then slid his fingers through the short blonde locks. He tightened his hold and pulled causing the kiss to break and Elly to moan, his eyes rolling into the back of his head.

"You love having your hair pulled," Ned said factually.

"Yes," Elly said, his voice higher than usual.

"You like being in my control," Ned stated.

"God, yes," Elly whispered, his eyes closed. "Please."

Ned pulled his hair a little tighter, causing Elly to moan. "I love that you give me this power over you so willingly, so eagerly. It makes me ache for you." Ned let go of Elly's hair to take his hand, and move it down to his dripping cock. "See how hard you make me?" Elly nodded. "Four weeks from now, you'd better be ready."

"I'm ready," Elly whimpered.

"Good." Ned let go of Elly's hand and wrapped his around Elly's cock. He loved the way it felt to touch the other man. It was even better when Elly was touching him, stroking him, rubbing against him. They thrust against each other as they slid their hands over their members again and again. A slick mess formed between them of sweat and pre-cum, and soon they were both panting as the thrusting grew more and more frantic.

"Can I come, Ned? Please let me come!" Elly said between panting.

"Yeah, baby. Come for me!"

It only took a few more thrusts for Elly to come, his shouts echoing through the apartment. Ned took over stroking his own cock, giving it short rough jerks to bring himself to his release. The sudden gasp and moan was followed by a series of shudders, and Elly held him close as he rode it out. They laid in a sticky mess together for a long while, panting and petting one another.

"We should go jump in the shower," Elly said, the stickiness getting to him.

"Yeah," Ned agreed. "I'll need your help to get the brace off and back on."

"No problem." Elly moved to get up and Ned grabbed him, pulling him back down and kissing him. It wasn't a sexual kiss. It was full of all of the love he felt for the man next to him, and Elly was blown away by the intensity of it.

"I love you, Elly," Ned whispered against his lips. "I love you so damned much."

Elly smiled. "I love you, too. It's incredible how much I love you. I didn't think this was possible."

"Can we go pick out rings after work tomorrow?" Ned asked, the powerful confident man gone, replaced by the shyer, uncertain man. Elly's smile almost split his face though, and Ned exhaled the breath he was holding.

"That would be awesome!" he answered excitedly. "So awesome!"

"Yes?" Ned asked, needing a little more affirmation.

"Definitely. I'm all about it. Let's rinse some of this mess off of us and we can talk about it some more."

"Perfect," Ned said, taking Elly's hand as they got to their feet. He pulled him back in for another kiss instead of heading for the shower though, and soon they were starting all over again.


	49. Chapter 49

Tony woke up with Amira between him and Jethro. He didn't remember her coming to bed with them the night before, but he wasn't surprised to find her there. She was curled up against Jethro, and he figured she had come in during the night and Jethro had handled it. Tony watched his family sleep for a minute or two, then got up to get ready for work. His alarm hadn't gone off yet, but it was due to any minute. He grabbed his phone and took it with him to the bathroom. He turned the alarms off while standing in front of the can relieving the morning pressure, and then flushed. He washed his hands, splashed water on his face, and brushed his teeth. He preferred to shave after his shower, so he put that on hold while he snuck out into the bedroom to get some clothes from the closet. With his outfit picked out, he grabbed some boxers and headed back for the bathroom.

Showered, shaved and dressed, he emerged to find some socks. Sitting on the bed to pull them on stirred Jethro just enough to wake him.

"Hey," he whispered. Tony turned to him with a bright smile.

"Hey," he whispered back as he stood up. "Go back to sleep."

"Don't want to go back to sleep. Want to kiss you."

Tony came around to Jethro's side of the bed and bent over, kissing his lover, fiancé, partner in crime. Jethro's hand came up behind Tony's head and held him to him, kissing him thoroughly. When Tony finally pulled back, he was a little stunned.

"Well good morning to you, too," he said, the smile reaching his eyes.

"I love you," Jethro said, caressing the side of Tony's face.

Tony laid his hand over Jethro's heart. "I love you, too."

"Have a good day," Jethro said.

"Call me?" Tony asked.

"I'll check in, and I know Amira will want to talk to you."

"Not a problem. Any time."

They smiled at each other and Tony stood up, staring down at the two in the bed for a moment longer before turning to head downstairs. He got his gun and badge out of his lockbox on the shelf in the living room, and then he debated on whether or not he wanted a breakfast bar or if he just wanted to pick something up when he grabbed coffee at Starbucks. The idea of meat and cheese won, and he headed for the door. He saw it was still raining and donned his jacket, then picked up his keys from the table and headed out.

Once he'd made his way through the drive thru and was sitting at his desk at work enjoying his breakfast sandwich, he brought up Sully's number. He took a bite and then dialed it, hoping that it wasn't too early. He got the voicemail at the cake shop and smiled to himself as he thought about what he was doing.

"Hi Sully. This is Tony DiNozzo. Jethro and I were talking about moving the wedding up. We've had some major life changes over the past week or two, and we've decided we don't want to wait any longer to tie the knot. We were thinking about changing the ceremony to the next couple of weeks. I know you're busy, and that's probably way too short of a notice, but if it's possible to still do our cake, we'd love it. Please return my call. Thank you."

Halfway through leaving his message, Greg came in and heard it. Once Tony hung up the phone, he pounced.

"You're moving the wedding up?" he asked.

"We're going to try to. We want to have it as soon as possible. Life is changing quickly for us, and we want to make it official. Not only are we anxious, but it will be easier for the adoption to go through if we're married, and it would make things easier on getting our wills settled."

"So this has nothing to do with the funeral yesterday?" Greg asked, putting his psychologist hat on.

Tony looked up into his wise young eyes, and smiled. "It has everything to do with the funeral yesterday."

"Thought so. Nothing like a funeral to remind you that you're alive."

"Very true," he said. "Elly has you working on a case with McTim and Ziva?" he asked.

"We wrapped it up. It was pretty simple. They just needed the extra set of hands with Gibbs gone and you not being there anymore. Any word on when Gibbs is going to replace you? They really need it."

Tony nodded. "He told me last night that he's requested files from HR for candidates. They'll probably have them to me by the end of the day, and he's going to look over them while he's out."

"Good! They kind of thought it was never going to happen."

"Nah. He's fine with it. It's just that everything with Amira happened, and he hasn't had time."

Greg nodded. "So I guess I'm helping with the database now that the Qureshi have been taken down?"

Tony nodded. "Have you talked to Dorney about it yet? He did a great job."

"No, but word travels fast. Evelyn pulled a Gibbs though. You should've seen it! She and the new guy up there were in the breakroom, and he turned and started telling me what happened. She turned around and slapped him upside the head and reprimanded him for talking about what happened in MTAC with anyone. It was great!"

"The first rule of MTAC is you don't talk about MTAC," Tony said with a chuckle.

"On a positive note though, it looks like Ned is finally getting the recognition he deserves. He's going from being the floundering agent to the tactical specialist. It's great to watch."

Tony took a drink of his coffee and thought about that. "Tactical specialist indeed. He's having one problem though, and I think I could use your help with it."

"Oh?" Greg said, moving to stand closer to Tony.

"He's having a hard time with the deaths. He can't move past the idea that people die on these operations. He's all about preserving life, and I can understand that to an extent. These are missions though to take out terrorist cells and factions. He needs to understand that sometimes people have to die."

Greg shook his head. "Tony, he's never going to be okay with that. It's what's going to make him one of the great ones."

"I'm not worried about the missions. I'm worried about the aftermath. I'm worried about the toll it takes on him. He's going to burn out really quickly at this rate. He's trying so hard to ensure that as many people survive as possible, and I could see it in his eyes yesterday that the bodies that stacked up got to him. He did an incredible job. We probably took anywhere between 50 and 75 percent of the faction into custody. That's much better numbers than we would've gotten if we would've bombed the hell out of the place, which was option number one for most of us, but annihilation didn't even make Ned's list. _And_ not a single US troop was injured."

"Those are some impressive figures."

"Can you talk to him?" Tony asked.

"Officially or unofficially?"

"Officially."

"Yeah, I can do that."

"Thanks." On cue, the elevators opened and Ned and Elly came out. They exchanged looks and Tony said quietly, "The sooner the better."

"Hey, Boss," Elly greeted, sitting behind his desk.

"Hey, Elly. Hey, Dorney. Did you guys work things out last night?" he asked.

"Huh?" The two looked at each other in confusion, then at Tony. Elly suddenly realized that Tony thought he was mad at Ned last night for some reason. "I wasn't mad at Ned. I was mad at my father."

"What happened?" Parke said, knowing that if Elly was mad at his dad, then they'd probably talked, and he knew that they hadn't done that in a long time. He came around to lean on the front of his desk and give Elly his full attention.

When Elly realized all eyes were on him he sighed and started the story.

"My brother hit shore yesterday morning. They docked here at the Navy Yard, and he called me to ask if we could get together before he headed back to Minnesota in the morning. I said sure, and we went to go get coffee. We were talking, and I told him about Ned and I getting engaged, and he was really excited for us. It didn't faze him at all that Ned was another guy, or that I was basically coming out to him. He was just… happy for me. I was stoked. I mean, that meant so much to me, and I didn't think it would, but it did. He suggested that we call and tell Dad. I was riding this coming out high, and I agreed. We called him. It wasn't good."

"Oh, that sucks," Greg said.

"Yeah, I'm sorry man," Tony agreed.

"He called me every name in the book, told me he didn't ever want to meet Ned, and then threw in there that he never wanted to see me again."

"Wow. That's… that's rough." Greg shook his head. "Are you okay?"

Elly looked over at Ned and smiled sadly. "I will be."

Ned smiled sadly back. "Eventually."

They were all silent for a long moment and then Tony sighed. "Well, that kills the buzz."

"What buzz?" Elly asked.

"Jethro and I decided to move the wedding up last night."

"Really?!" Ned asked, suddenly super excited.

"Yeah. The funeral got to us, and it makes sense. If we get married before the adoption goes through it makes everything a lot easier on all of us."

"This is true," Elly said, looking from Tony to Ned, smiling genuinely when he saw how excited his fiancé got at Tony's wedding plans.

"We decided we're going to pick out our rings tonight," Ned said, smiling back at Elly.

"You're really moving forward with this," Greg said, looking back and forth between the two of them and catching Tony's eye in between.

"Yeah, we really are," Elly said. "Now that my family knows, and seeing their reactions, I simply don't care what everyone else's reactions will be. There will be good ones, and there will be bad ones, but it doesn't matter. The only people whose reactions I care about know, and they're happy for me, so we're moving forward."

"Ditto," Ned said. He moved to turn on his computer and wondered if he shouldn't email his own brother and go ahead and get it out of the way. He knew that they had to check in with Russel in a couple of hours to see what the team was able to extract from their prisoners so far and what they were able to find in the compound. He had a little time though.

While everyone else went back to their desks and started getting situated for the day, Ned brought up his personal email account and opened the last email he got from his brother. It was a reply to the one he had sent a couple of weeks before about how great he was doing and how excited he was to be on a team finally. He reread the response, and then hit reply.

_Sorry it's taken me so long to reply to your email, but life has been pretty crazy. Between taking down a terrorist faction in Afghanistan, killing a suspect, and getting engaged to the most incredible man to ever walk the planet, I simply haven't had time to deal with your pettiness. This is where our paths diverge. I wish you nothing but the best, but my life is complete without an asshole like you in it. You and Mom can both go to hell._

_Sincerely,_

_Ned_

He sent the message and then forwarded it to Elly, who opened it and read it immediately.

"Whoa!" he said, looking across the room at Ned, causing Tony and Greg to look back and forth between them. "That was a little emotional."

"What's going on?" Tony asked.

"I just replied to an email from my brother and told him that he and my mom could go to hell."

Tony looked at Greg and the two of them shrugged. They knew that Ned's relationship with his family was just as bad, if not worse than Elly's. At least Elly's brother was supportive of him, even if his dad was a nuclear dick.

"Is this cause for celebration?" Greg asked.

"I think it just might be," Ned said with a smile.

"Well then congratulations! We should all go out this weekend and celebrate your engagement and your independence from your family's drama." Greg looked back and forth between the three of them. "And if all goes well and the baby is facing the right direction on Friday we may have an idea about the sex of it, and we can celebrate that, too."

"Awesome! Sounds good," Elly said with a smile.

"I'm in," Ned said.

"We might be in," Tony said. "We might also be struggling to put a wedding together."

"Do you still want me to DJ it?" Elly asked.

"That would be great! Think you could get the sound equipment you were talking about?"

"With a phone call," Elly said. "Just tell me when."

"Great! And I promise no one will drug you at my wedding." Tony gave Elly a smirk.

"I plan on having enough to drink that you won't have to!" Elly said with a laugh. Tony looked at Ned who was rolling his eyes.

"Why do I get the feeling you won't have to be drunk to go home with someone?" he asked playfully.

"Anyway!" Greg said from his desk with an exasperated sigh. "Before this turns into something HR inappropriate. Dorney, what time do you have to be back in MTAC?"

"1100. Why?"

"We need to talk. Finish what you're doing and let's head to the conference room."

Ned looked back and forth between Greg and Tony, who nodded at him with a reassuring smile. Elly was looking back and forth between all of them, curious as to what was going on. As the two men left, he got up and went over to Tony.

"What's happening there?" he asked.

"How's Ned doing with the aftermath of the op?" Tony asked. Elly nodded once, understanding.

"He's not doing so well. He's not sure he's going to be able to do this. He has a problem with the people dying. He dreams of the bodies, and it wakes him up, and that wakes me up… it's not good."

"That's what they're going to go talk about. I don't want it going to Ducky yet. I want to try to handle this amongst us first. If Greg can't talk it through with him then I'll send him to Ducky. If Ducky can't help we may have to accept the fact that this isn't the best thing for Ned to be doing for his own wellbeing, no matter how much he kicks ass at it."

Elly sighed. "That would suck."

"Yeah. I think if we give him some time, talk this one through with him, keep his head screwed on straight, we may be okay. We just need to attack the problem early. Last time, it was his first time, and I thought it would be better this time. It was! He wasn't a numb zombie afterwards. It's just going to take a little something more I think to help him over it. If we can establish Greg as his go-to person for talking these through then we can keep it off the record and he can keep doing it. He's too good at it. Rule five- you don't waste good."

"You don't waste good," Elly said slowly, leaning back on Tony's desk to contemplate the words. "I like that one."

"It's my favorite," Tony confessed. "Jethro told me that the day he recruited me for NCIS."

Elly smiled down at him. "That's sweet."

"He meant it professionally at the time, but I'd like to think it applies across the board now."

Elly laughed.

"So are you really okay?" Tony asked. Elly crossed his arms and looked down at his feet.

"No, but I will be. My dad isn't really a part of my life anyway. It just sucks. Bad. It sucks really bad. I'm excited that my brother is being all supportive though. That was really cool. I totally imagined him being the one to be the dick. I didn't think my dad would be happy, but I didn't think it would turn out like this."

"Sounds like you and Dorney have something else in common now."

"Yeah. You know, when I first met Ned I thought he was weird as hell." Tony laughed and Elly smiled before continuing. "Never in a thousand years did I ever think we'd be engaged. He snuck his way under my skin that first week after the raid that Greg was shot in. He was so self-conscious and he needed me. I felt good about that. Someone needed _me_ , of all people. It didn't take long for me to find out that I needed him just as much. I needed his laughter, and his quirkiness, and his sense of life. He proved to be so much more, and I never would have given him a chance if he wasn't a part of the team. I have you to thank for that."

"He's a great guy. A little… quirky's a good word for it. Yeah, he's' weird, but all the brilliant ones are."

"Brilliant indeed."

"Well, you and Ned are always welcome with Jethro and I. You know, if you want to just come over for dinner and hang out, or if you want to spend the holidays with us. Whatever. Just come on over. You're always welcome."

Elly smiled at Tony. "Thanks. That means a lot."

They went back to doing their work, and Elly sighed deeply. This was good. This was right. He pulled up the database and started looking through the data. There was a process to the chaos in front of him. He was looking for missed hits and for hits that had nothing to do with what they were searching for, trying to discover any flaws or errors in the system. He'd been through the files with a 41-60% relationship to Melinda Stafford, and he was just starting on the 40% when something caught his eye.

The name "Mindy" came up on the file, and he opened it. He was intrigued. It was an attempted murder. The file said that a man named Roger Hamilton was stabbed on a sidewalk by a girl he had hooked up with at a party a few months before. He didn't know her last name, but her first name was Mindy. They were both using, and it was a one night stand. He left the following morning before Mindy could wake up, and he didn't see her again until she was wielding a knife on the sidewalk outside of the crackhouse he scored at.

The detectives that looked into it had assumed the woman was high, though they heard rumors that she'd just had a miscarriage and that she had snapped. No one knew her last name though. She was a loner. She came to the vacant building to score sometimes, but she didn't stay long, and she didn't have any friends, just vague acquaintances. There, on the last page of the file was a sketch of the woman, and Elly pushed his chair back from his desk.

"Holy shit, Boss!"

"What?" Tony asked, startled as he looked up from his desk.

"I think I found the one that set it all off!"

"What do you mean?" Tony asked, getting up to come over to Elly's desk and look at his computer. Elly looked up to watch Tony's expression as he saw the sketch. His eyes widened and then he looked back at Elly. "Put it up! Let's see what we've got."

Elly put it up, and Tony went to stand in front of the screen.

"So there was a guy in Schenectady in '84 that hooked up with a chick named Mindy at some party. Three months later, said chick comes at him with a knife on the sidewalk in front of the abandoned building he went to score at. She stabs him multiple times, but he lives. He's able to tell the detectives that it was just a one night stand, and he didn't know the girl's full name. He did this sketch with them.

"Here's the creepy part though. The few people who knew anything about this Mindy chick said she'd just miscarried. They weren't reliable sources though, so they didn't pursue that option any further. They never found her."

Tony nodded. "And that sketch is definitely Stafford. So she ends up pregnant by this guy, loses the baby, and goes off the deep end. Why was she blaming this guy for losing the baby though?"

"I don't know. We'd have to ask Stafford."

"I don't think I care that much to be completely honest," Tony said, looking over at Elly.

"Should I tell Albany that we've got another?" Elly asked.

"Yeah. Go ahead. That's good work, Elly!"

Elly beamed as he picked up the phone to make the call. He felt the world turn right-side up for him again. This served to remind him that he was in the right place, with the right people, doing the right thing, and he sighed contently.

* * *

Ned sat down in a chair across from Parke and folded his hands on the tabletop, twirling his thumbs around each other over and over again. "Sooo… what's up?" he asked.

"Tony asked for me to check in on you."

"Tony asked you to shrink me?" Ned asked, unsure of how he felt about it.

"More or less," Parke said with a smile. "He needs to know how you're doing, and if he's having you talk to me instead of Ducky, then he must think the answer isn't going to be positive."

Ned sighed. He looked around the room, then down at his hands, knowing all the while that Parke was taking in every motion and interpreting it as he was trained, but he didn't really mind. A part of him was grateful that Tony had picked Parke instead of Ducky or one of the other shrinks. He saw the tactic there. If he got this off his mind with Parke, by time he could be questioned professionally he might have a chance at having his head on straight again.

"Where do you want me to start?" Ned asked.

"How about we start with the first op?" Parke suggested. He flipped his pen over and over slowly against his notebook while he waited for Ned to begin.

Ned finally sighed and leaned back. "I was excited. I was finally doing something that felt natural to me. I understood it. I could calculate every move, and I did. There were only so many options, and I knew which ones would be best, which would keep our men and women the safest, and which ones would cause the least amount of deaths. The option that had the least amount of deaths put all of those tallys on the US side though. Doing a walkthrough of the building would've caused us to lose our own troops, no matter how many of the Yellow Triangle lived. So I suggested the second option."

"Which was?" Parke asked gently.

"I had them attempt to get the group to surrender peacefully, and when they didn't, burn the building down, making them run for their lives. At that point we captured as many as we could, but we couldn't capture them all. Some tried to escape, and those were put down immediately. See, we had reason to believe there were infected people in the building. We couldn't let them escape. If someone looked to be ill, they were put down. If someone took off running, they were stopped forcefully, if not permanently."

"How many people died?"

"Too many."

"How many lived?"

"Twelve."

"You can remember how many lived but not how many died?" Parke asked.

"I apparently kept saying twelve over and over in the car on the way home. Tony said something to me about it."

"So these people died. The troops killed them. Why do you feel responsible?"

"I gave the orders. I specifically told them to kill those running off, and the man who tried to come out infected. I told them to. It was my decision, and I directed them that night."

Parke took some notes and nodded. "What happened that night after the op was over?"

"I went home, went to bed, had a nightmare, woke up and called Elly. He came over, and we slept until morning."

"What was your nightmare like?" Parke was worried that Ned was having flashbacks versus nightmares, and that was a big red flag.

"It was very vivid. I was going through everything with the drugging at the time, too, so it made things ultra-realistic. The dream I had last night was nothing like it, even though it was a nightmare, too."

Parke processed that. He knew that the drugging had caused flashbacks for a while, and he realized that had to suck when dealing with something like the op.

"We'll get to last night's dream in a minute. Tell me more about this first dream."

"I don't remember much now. I just remember that all of you were burning, and that Elly wouldn't let me save him."

"All of us as in the team?"

"And Gibbs' team I think. You're all my big happy family, and it was everyone that's a part of that group that showed up in this warehouse like building, and I think you were all telling me how ashamed you were of me? Or maybe that was just Tony."

"Why were we ashamed?"

"Because I let them die. Because I made them die. There's a lot of people dead now, and it's my fault."

"But they were bad people, Ned. Very bad people, and they were going to kill other people if you didn't stop them."

"But they were human beings! Just like me! It doesn't matter who they pledged their allegiance to. They were living, breathing, human beings, and now they're very dead human beings because of me!"

"How are you handling taking your first life?" Parke asked. He could see a physical change come over Ned. The passionate, desperate, sadness was replaced by a cold anger.

"He had Elly. I don't regret it."

"So it's okay for you to kill someone else if they're about to kill the man you love, but it's not okay to send troops that are trained to take lives to kill terrorists that are planning on killing hundreds, if not thousands."

Ned sighed. "I know it doesn't make any sense."

"No, I think it does. You've said before that you're not comfortable giving orders in MTAC because you've never been in the shoes of the agents, Marines, and soldiers that you're asking to follow your lead. It must be really hard to ask someone to do something that you wouldn't do yourself. The thing is, you have done it yourself now. You've taken a life. And in that situation, someone you loved needed you to. You may have detached and cleared your head to take the shot, but there was emotion behind it. There still is. It's written clear as day across your face this very minute. You were angry at the bastard for thinking he could mess with Elly. For thinking he could take him from you. You were protecting him.

"You haven't made the emotional connection with what you're doing in MTAC. You're protecting people in that room. You're protecting all of those people you send into that situation because you're coming up with the best strategies for them, the safest tactics, and you're helping them implement them. You're protecting troops all over the Middle East that would have been susceptible to the diseases that The Yellow Triangle and the Qureshi have been trying to release. And that's just the US side of this thing. Think about all of the innocent civilians that would have succumbed to the illness. Their immune systems wouldn't have been able to fight that off."

"I kept thinking about Rod and Ed yesterday," Ned said. "Throughout the op, their faces kept popping into my head. I think it made it easier than it was the last time. I was on autopilot again this time, but I didn't feel as numb as last time."

"And that may be what you have to do every time. You may have to think of the people you're protecting."

"My dream last night was disturbing. See, we weren't sure if there was going to be a biohazardous contaminant in the compound the strike teams were infiltrating or not, so the teams that responded were wearing gas masks. I've always thought those things looked demonic, but to have everyone wearing them last night made it worse. I arranged it so that two men stayed to the sides shooting anyone who was coming out of the entrance with weapons. I wasn't going to give them a chance to fight back and take out our guys. I knew going into this that there would be some death, that I couldn't prevent it. In my dream, I was a creature, not a human being, and I had these tentacles that were conducting everything happening around me. The bodies kept falling in front of me, and I laughed manically, happy that they were dying. Everyone had those masks on too. Made it extra creepy."

"I think you're afraid of becoming the monster. You're afraid of becoming one of the bad guys."

"That's just it- to them, I am the bad guy."

Parke thought for a moment. That was true. To the Qureshi, Ned would always be a villain now. He would be the one that came along and brought them down.

"That's the war that rages on in the hearts of kings everywhere," Parke said softly. "The human trafficking ring that Nick worked for thinks you're the enemy now, too. You're going to have to believe from somewhere deep inside of you that you're the good guy. And you're going to have to decide if doing this kind of work is healthy for you."

Ned shook his head as much as he could with the brace on. "I have never been so confident in my life as I was standing in that room, going over tactical options for the troops with Colonel Russel and Sergeant Davidson. I know I have a gift at doing this. I thought for a moment last night that I could just create the options and send someone else into the room to deliver them, but then I realized that I couldn't. If these were going to be my plans, if those plans were going to ask someone to take a life, I had to suck it up and go in there and deliver them myself. I had to accept that what I'm doing is going to cost lives, cause human suffering. I think it's going to take some time, but I'm afraid that one day, I'm going to get used to this. I just hope that when I do, I don't stop caring."

"You just have to learn to be okay with being the monster to someone, and focus on all the people you're saving and protecting."

Ned nodded. "Yeah. It's going to take some time for me to get there, but I imagine that one day I will."

"I want you to talk to me when you're having a hard time with this. I need for you to be honest. You need a sounding board. It's not my goal to take you out of that room or away from MTAC. It's my goal to support you as you decide to what extent you do your job. I don't care one way or the other. If you decide you don't want to do this anymore, I'll support that. If you want to suffer through this until it becomes something normal for you, I'll support that. But if things start getting out of hand, I want your permission to talk to Tony about it."

Ned thought about that for a minute. He trusted Parke. He'd been there for him since coming on board, and he knew that he wouldn't lead him astray. He finally nodded. "Okay."

Parke smiled at him. "Great. I'd like to observe you in MTAC today when you go. I think it would help me get an idea of what you're like in there. Everyone keeps saying there's a grand transformation that happens, and I want to make sure there's no tentacles or fins or something."

He got to his feet and Ned did too, both men laughing. "No fins. No tentacles. Just me being me."

"Horns?" Parke asked. "Antlers?"

Ned laughed and opened the door to the hallway, leading them out.

"Glowing red nose?" Parke continued, smiling as Ned chuckled.

They made their way back to the bullpen, accompanied by a train of suggested possible animal body parts. As they came around the bend Parke shot out one more. "Glowing eyes?"

"That one might be kind of cool," Ned said as they sat at their desks.

"Whose eyes are glowing?" Elly asked.

"Ned's. He's radioactive in MTAC apparently."

"Not radioactive. I never said radioactive!" Ned said, holding his hands up in defense.

"That's why your eyes shine? I thought that was me. Well, now I'm disappointed!" Elly said, crossing his arms as he pretended to pout.

"Guess what Elly did while you guys were gone!" Tony exclaimed.

"What?" Ned asked, smiling at Elly.

"He solved another murder."

"What?" Parke said, shaking his head in shock as he smiled at Elly.

"Found another Melinda Stafford murder amongst the results of the database. It was buried way down at the 40% likelihood mark, but there's a sketch in the case file, and it's definitely her." Elly shrugged, trying not to make a big deal out of it, but his smile gave away how proud he was.

"Woohoo!" Ned said. "Way to kick some ass, honey!"

Parke got up and high fived him. He was sitting back down when security started escorting an older woman off the elevator. She was about Gibbs' age, wearing jeans, a basic tshirt, a knee long khaki raincoat, and she was heading right for their part of the bullpen.

"Eli?" she said as the security guard pointed her in the right direction.

Elly's head jerked up from his desk in shock. There were only two people who called him Eli- his dad and his stepmom. He got to his feet and came around his desk as the woman approached him frantically.

"Oh, Eli! Honey! I'm so sorry!" she said, throwing her arms around him. He gingerly put his arms around her, looking over her shoulder at Tony for help.

"Carolyn?" he asked. "What are you doing here?"

"Eric called me last night and told me about your jackass of a father saying those things to you. I had to come see you and make sure you're okay. I can't believe him!" Tony watched Elly's face soften as the realization hit him that his stepmom didn't agree with his dad and that she was trying to be supportive. "He never did understand you. It doesn't matter. Eric and I still love you, and I'm so proud of you sweetie! And I'm so happy for you! Why didn't you call me? Why didn't you tell me?"

All of the men in the bullpen, including Ziva and Tim were paying close attention to the situation unfolding. They could hear the pain in the woman's voice when she asked why she hadn't been told, and Tony knew that this was the woman who had fought her entire life for the love and affection of the child she raised.

Elly's eyes closed, and he suddenly hugged the woman back tightly. "I didn't think you'd care," he said softly.

"Oh, honey! There is no one on this planet I care about more than you and Eric! No one and nothing! You mean everything to me. I wish you'd understand that."

Tears slipped out of Elly's eyes and down his cheeks as he hugged Carolyn back tightly. He wanted so much to believe those words. She's been saying them to him for his entire life, but he always balked when he heard them, brushing them off. He'd been a terror to her, and all she had ever tried to do was love him and be there for him.

His world was going gray around the edges. Nothing seemed real suddenly. The man he always knew as his father had proved to be anything but, and the woman that he had always believed was trying to fake her way through loving him had flown all the way to D.C. to give him a hug and tell him it was all going to be okay. He didn't understand anything at all suddenly. His world was topsy turvy.

He felt an extra hand on his back and stood up halfway out of the embrace to see Ned behind him. He smiled brightly at him through his tears and reached out a hand for him that he quickly took, the other wrapping around one of Carolyn's.

"Mom, I want you to meet my fiancé, Ned." Carolyn looked at Elly in shock. She had never heard him call her Mom before. Her eyes started burning and the tears slipped over as she reached for Ned's free hand and took it.

"It's very nice to meet you, Ned!" she said, the tears causing tracks down her cheeks. "Eric passed on great things about you when we talked last night. I can't wait to get to know you!"

"It's nice to meet you, too," Ned replied. "This is a big surprise. Did you come all the way out here from Minnesota?"

"Yes. Flew out of Duluth to Cincinnati to D.C." Carolyn looked at Elly. "Had to get to Eli and make sure he was okay. Your father's an idiot! This is the last straw!"

Elly looked at her with sad eyes and shook his head.

"No, Mom…"

"No. That's it. I'm done. He's been pushing me away for years. I haven't seen him in god only knows how long. Haven't heard from him, he doesn't call or write like he used to. You guys are grown now. I held on for too long as is. I deserve my happiness, and that includes you and Eric, and if he thinks he's going to keep me from my kids for any reason he's got another thing coming!"

Ned leaned in and got close to Elly's ear. "I like her!"

Elly let go of Ned's hand to wipe his eyes as he chuckled.

"I never thought I'd be grateful my father forced me to get a prenup," Carolyn said as she shook her head. "Don't worry about it all. We're going to make sure you have an incredible wedding!"

Carolyn let go of Ned's hand and wrapped her arms around Elly again. Elly hugged her back, trying to understand what was happening to him. Ned's phone rang behind them, startling everyone who was watching the situation unfolding with interest.

"The Bat Phone," Parke said, raising an eyebrow at Ned.

"What's that mean, honey?" Carolyn asked as Ned answered his phone, his eyes on Tony.

"On our way." Ned hung up the phone and nodded at Tony, who stood up.

"Oh, Mom, these are my other coworkers. My boss, Tony DiNozzo, Greg Parke, and over the wall here is Tim McGee and Ziva David." Elly introduced Carolyn to the people standing around watching them. "This is my stepmom, Carolyn."

Tony stepped forward and reached for her hand. Carolyn took it in a brief shake. "It was nice to meet you. We gotta run, but why don't the two of you go get coffee or something. I'm sure Elly has a lot to catch you up on."

"Nice to meet you, as well." Tony moved past her towards the steps and Ned moved to do the same, then stopped next to Carolyn.

"Are you going to be in town long?" he asked.

"A couple of days, I suspect," she said.

"Good! Then I'll see you soon," Ned said, moving to head towards the steps. Greg came over and shook her hand.

"I need to go with them for the time being, but I'm glad you're here. I'm sure we'll see each other again soon," he said, letting go of her hand and taking off to follow the two to MTAC.

"They're a nice bunch," she said. "Elly?" She raised an eyebrow at her stepson, who smiled and rolled his eyes.

"I told Greg that Mom used to call me Elly, and he started calling me it. He's the team psychologist. He knew it meant something to me, and soon everyone was calling me it. It's what everyone around here knows me as now."

"You good, Elly?" Tim asked over the wall.

"Yeah. Thanks, Tim."

"Nice to meet you ma'am," Tim said with a wave and a nod.

"Likewise," she said. Tim turned and went back to his desk, motioning for Ziva to do the same and give the two some privacy.

"You want to go get some coffee? There's a great little coffee shop down the road we all like."

"Sure, honey. Coffee sounds great. Been a long day so far, and I lost an hour in there somewhere."

"The time zones. Yeah. Got to me, too. Let me grab my coat and we'll go."

Elly went around his desk and locked everything down, then pulled his gun and badge from the drawer and slipped his coat on. When he turned around Carolyn was staring at his waist where his weapon had disappeared into its holster.

"Never liked the idea of you having to carry a weapon. I like to pretend that you're safe behind a desk somewhere," she admitted.

"I wouldn't be happy like that," he answered with a small smile.

"Are you staying safe?" she asked.

"Well…" Elly chewed on his lip. "Let's talk about that along the way, shall we?"

"I'm not going to like this, am I?" she asked, turning towards the elevator.

"Probably not."

* * *

Ned, Tony and Greg all stood in MTAC while Russel briefed them on what they were able to salvage from the compound. They found traces of something in some lab equipment in the third building they'd hit with the rocket launcher, confirming Ned's suspicions about it being where they were making the weapon. The residues they found were all being tested as they talked. The troops were questioning those captured the night before, and they determined that they did have al Zafir in custody. Ned nodded his head and sighed in relief with a small smile when he heard that.

"I think it's safe to say that we've successfully completed our mission of taking down this faction. We did good work," Russel said.

"I agree," Ned said with a nod.

"Gentleman, may I talk to Agent Dorneget alone for a moment?" Russel asked.

Ned turned to look at Tony and Greg, and seeing that they were both looking at him for permission, he swallowed hard and nodded. They headed out, and Ned saw out of the corner of his eye that even Evelyn had gotten up to leave him truly alone.

"I wanted to talk to you about the tactics you're using."

"Yes, Colonel?" he asked, the blood rushing from his face.

"I have noticed that you're trying hard to save as many people as you can." When Ned didn't deny it, he kept going. "I'm trying to figure out why."

Ned took a deep breath. "I don't believe in taking a human life unless absolutely necessary."

Russel nodded. "Working in bioterrorism, everyone sees the Colonel part of my name, but no one ever sees the Doctor part. They don't remember that as a doctor I took an oath to try to save people. It's a hard position to be in. I'm an Army colonel, working against some of the most despised people on the planet, and I'm surrounded by troops that would rather shoot first and ask questions later. These are good men, Agent Dorneget, but they don't see the value of a human life like you and I do.

"I'm also a doctor. And as a doctor it is my sworn duty to protect people from harm. It's how I got into bioterrorism. I saw it as my best way to protect people. Even if I have to take lives now and then, I know the long run, I'm saving them.

"I wanted to tell you that I know what you were trying to do with these missions, and it was an honor to work with someone who shares the same values I do. We're fighting a war that could kill the entire population of the planet with one stupid move, and it's hard to remember that these are people. Some are evil people, I won't deny that, but others are desperate and misguided. In the end though, we're all people. And as people, you and I will always be stuck in the middle of these decisions, between what is wrong and what is a little less wrong.

"You made a good balanced decision on how to proceed with both missions. You kept the troops out of the line of danger as much as possible, and you provided opportunity for as many of the enemy to survive as possible. Not only that, but you've made the hard calls when you've had to, like taking the lives of those infected in the Yellow Triangle, and having the sharp shooters take down those with weapons at the compound last night. You've got a good head on your shoulders, and I'm glad we got a chance to work together."

"Sir, I don't know what to say. I've been battling with this for a couple of weeks now, not sure if this is the right path for me, not sure if I can keep doing this. So much of me says that this is where I need to be, but the strain it's taking on me is making everyone around me second guess me, which makes me second guess me."

"You're doing just fine, kid. Hang in there. I'm going to tell you something it took me a long time to learn. It's okay to be proud of this work you're doing. It's important, it's powerful, and it's saving lives."

"Thank you, Colonel." Ned gave him a genuine smile.

"Until next time, Dorney!"

"Next time," Ned said, and Russel turned off his cam. Ned shook his head and ran up the ramp to tell Evelyn to come back in.

"So?" Tony asked. "What did he say?"

"That he understands what I'm going through. Did you know he's a doctor?" Ned asked, heading for the stairs to try to hide the pink he could feel in his cheeks.

"Huh. No, didn't know that." Tony and Parke followed him down the stairs.

"Yeah. He said most people don't know because it gets lost under his Colonel title, but it makes sense that a doctor would lead the decon team. You'd have to know an awful lot about biology and bioweapons, and it would take someone with medical or research background." They went back to their desks and found their seats.

"It does make sense. No one calls me Doctor Parke. They call me Special Agent Parke. Once you're branded everyone forgets the Doctor part."

Tony's cell rang and he reached for it, smiling when he saw it was Jethro.

"Very Special Agent Tony DiNozzo at your service," he said with a smile.

"Hi, Daddy," Amira said.

"Oh! Hi Munchkin! Does Gibbsy know you have his phone?" Tony heard his team snicker.

"Yeah. He's right here. I wanted to talk to you."

"You did?"

"Yeah. I missed you!"

"I miss you, too sweetheart. What are you doing?"

"I was watching cartoons, but then I got bored."

"Was Daddy Gibbsy watching cartoons with you?"

"No. He was playing with his wood stuff."

"Is he hanging out in the basement?"

"He- he was in the basement, but he said he missed me, and he brought a bunch of stuff upstairs, and now- now he's in the table room."

"The table room? You mean the dining room?" Tony asked with a chuckle.

"Yeah! That one!"

"What's he making?" Tony asked.

"I can't tell."

"Is it big or small?"

"Kinda small? Like the size of… well not as big as my head, but it's not as little as my hands." Tony smiled when he realized Jethro was working on their cake topper.

"Can I talk to him?"

"Sure! Hold on. Daddy wants to talk to you!" she yelled it without moving the phone away from her mouth, and Tony had to pull the phone away from his ear. "Here he is."

"Hey," Jethro said.

"Hey, handsome. Whatcha workin' on?" Tony asked with a smirk as quietly as possible knowing the rest of his team was eavesdropping.

"The cake thing."

"I heard you were in the basement and then moved upstairs."

"Yeah, well I didn't like her being alone up here. I got a phone call this morning though, and I needed some time with the wood."

"What happened?" Tony asked.

"Keith called me. I haven't told him what's been going on, and I missed our meeting yesterday."

"Oh, no." Tony leaned his head back and stared at the ceiling. "What happened?"

"He went to the meeting, and he told me that he understood once I told him why I wasn't there, but he was pretty let down yesterday. I'm not going to lie, I felt pretty bad."

"You couldn't have gone anyway, Jethro. Amira needed you."

"I know, but I should've called him and let him know I wasn't going to make the meeting."

"Did he go by himself?"

"Yeah."

"Good! Then he knows he doesn't need his security blanket to go, and next time you can't be there he'll have the courage to walk into the room without you."

Jethro sighed. "True enough."

"Did you call the park today?"

"Not yet. Had to get my head clear."

"I called and left Sully a voicemail, but I haven't called Marcella yet. I told my team, but I didn't tell yours, Abby or Ducky. I thought I'd leave that to you."

"Maybe I'll call Abby. She helped me book the place, maybe she can help me rebook it."

"Have her get a few dates that it's available, and we'll cross reference with Marcella and see which ones work."

"Will do."

"Hey."

"Yeah?"

"You okay?" Tony asked, not liking the tone of Jethro's voice.

"Yeah. Just tired."

"You need me to come home?" Tony asked.

"Nah," Jethro said, a smile appearing on his lips. "I got this. Just gotta get out of my head a little bit."

"Okay. Well, when I get home tonight I'll take over Amira duties and you can hide in the basement with your wood."

"When have you ever known me to hide my wood from you?" Jethro said quietly.

"You know it's so unfair to say that to me while I'm at work and my team is eavesdropping on me, right?" Tony watched as all three of his guys started shuffling around and doing random things at their desks. He chuckled to himself. "I love you and I'll see you when I get home."

"Love you, too, Tony."


	50. Chapter 50

Elly led Carolyn down to his car and tried to suppress the nervous energy running through him. It wasn't working. He was jiggling his keys in his pocket and Carolyn reached down to lay a hand on his arm, the signal to still it. He had to smile up at her. He'd always been a fidgety child, and it drove her up the wall. He was tapping on something at all times, and she used to tell him he was going to vibrate out of his chair. He always seemed to be tapping his foot and pencil at the same time while doing his homework. She learned by fifth grade that if he wasn't tapping, he wasn't working. She'd also learned that if he was nervous he picked up the habit uncontrollably, usually without realizing it.

"So are you going to tell me about what you've been doing that's unsafe?" she asked as they got into the car.

Elly took a deep breath and released it in the form of the truth. "I have been drugged twice in the past month, and Ned had to kill a man who took me hostage."

"Whoa! What?!" she exclaimed.

"The first time I was drugged I'd been working at this club, you know, doing my DJ thing to help out a friend of a friend who owns the place. I was having a blast! Ned and I were there together, it was great to be behind the tables again, and then things started changing around closing time. Ned was acting strange, and then I felt weird, and then there was no denying we'd been slipped something."

"Ned was drugged, too?!" she practically shouted.

"Yup."

"Oh, my god, Eli!"

"Then we went back to the club a week later to hang out with the other DJ there, a friend of mine named Michael, goes by DJ Rise, and when he stepped away for a minute, I took over doing the DJ thing, and these two girls slipped the drug in my drink again."

"Was Ned with you?" she asked.

"He was in the bathroom. But he'd just injured his neck on the job, so he couldn't drink since he was taking pain meds, so they didn't get him." Elly looked at Carolyn as they waited at a red light. She looked pale and shocked. He tried to reassure her. "It's okay. The drugs don't have any long term affects. They're usually used as date rape drugs actually."

"Someone slipped you roofies?! This just keeps getting worse and worse! What were they planning on doing to you? You're a federal agent for god's sake!"

"Well, that was the problem. See, someone was using this stuff to drug people at the club and then kidnap them for human traffickers. They didn't like that a fed was hanging around."

"I think I should be more worried about you than Eric, and he's the one on a stupid boat going off to war torn areas and-and-and stuff!"

"Yeah. The guy at the club that was overseeing all of the bad stuff worked there, and as we went to leave, he pulled me away from everyone and did the whole holding a gun to my head thing, and Ned just shot him. Didn't hesitate. Guy was a goner. Ned's a little protective of me." He turned to Carolyn and winked.

"I think I might love that boy," she said, holding a hand over her chest.

"I really hope you learn to. He isn't going anywhere."

Elly pulled up in front of the coffee shop and they got out. Once they had their coffee and some food they took a seat, and Elly braced himself for the questions he could see welling up on Carolyn's face.

"So…" she began, looking unsure of herself as she took a bite of her bagel sandwich.

"You can ask me anything you want to," Elly said, making it easier on her.

"Have you always liked guys?" she asked.

"Yeah. Women, too."

She nodded. "How did I miss that?"

Elly laughed. "Could've been the time you caught me making out with Lisa Chang when I was fourteen. Or the time you found me and Kelly Michaels in my bedroom together getting way too close for a couple of fifteen year olds. Or the time-"

"Okay!" Carolyn yelped, holding up a hand to stop him. Elly smiled and chuckled. "I get it."

"I didn't have much experience with guys until college to be honest."

"Well, let's be thankful whatever experiences you did have your father wasn't witness to. I can't believe that prick."

Elly sighed. "Have you talked to him since you talked to Eric?"

"I left him one hell of a pissed off voicemail, because of course he didn't answer, and I had my lawyer call him."

"You're seriously going to leave him?" Elly asked, tapping his foot wildly under the table.

"This is just the last straw, Eli. He's been a complete stranger since you moved out here. It was getting bad before, but you knew that. You saw it. When he was home, he wanted to be somewhere else. Anywhere else. It was painful. When I married him, he was noble. He gave a damn. He wanted something better for everybody- you and Eric, me, the country… Now… now he's a surly old sailor who has spent so much time at the top that he doesn't remember what it's like to be down below in the ranks. He doesn't remember what it's like to be a civilian. He doesn't know any other life than controlling every move people make on a ship. That's who he is now. There's no one else in there.

"When we met… geez. I loved his dedication. I loved his spirit. He was determined, and brilliant, and ambitious. But he also loved me. Even after losing your mother, he was able to find something special in me, and that made me feel loved. I had to defend him to my father because Dad thought he was just after my money, but I did because I loved him. Over the years that all faded. The time came that I started to believe that he just married me to raise the two of you. I love you though, and a part of me decided that I was okay with that. If I was blessed enough to have the chance to raise two beautiful, intelligent, compassionate, courageous boys into the amazing men that you are today, it was worth it. There's no real reason to hang on to him if he's not hanging on to me though, and so I'm going to keep the best part of this marriage." She reached over and took Elly's hand in hers. "You and Eric."

"I-" Elly swallowed, took a drink, and then swallowed again. His heart was racing, his palms were sweating, and both feet suddenly stopped tapping as if the whole world was stopping on a dime as the words tried to leave his mouth. "I love you, Mom."

Carolyn froze, barely able to breathe. The words hit her in the chest and exploded, knocking the wind out of her.

"You deserve a lot better than him," Elly said, continuing, knowing he was throwing his own father under the bus, but what did he care? His father had banished him from his life. There was a deeper reality to deal with than his father though. "You deserve someone much better than me."

"No!" she said, reaching up to cup his face and turn his red eyes up to hers. "There is no one better than you my love! I know the monsters that haunted you. I always understood. I knew that you tried hard to open yourself up and just couldn't. I watched. I saw. I saw how much it hurt you. I wanted so much to reach in and pull those memories out, but then I'd think how cruel that would be to pull even a second's memory of your mother from you. I would've been in agony if someone tried to take our precious memories from me. I would've been devastated. That's why I never tried to wish her away. I never tried to make you forget. She was your mother, and she always will be. I know she loved you very much. The one thing I have wanted more than anything in my entire life is for you to know that I love you just as much. Not to replace her love, but to walk side by side with it. Because you, my child, are worthy of so much love. So much. It's all I've ever wanted."

The tears fell down Elly's face and then down Carolyn's hands as she wiped them away. He tried to pull it together, but he wasn't having much luck.

"Can we go?" he asked, trying to let her know with his eyes that he wasn't uncomfortable with her, but with their surroundings.

"Sure honey."

Once they were in the car, Elly sighed and relaxed a little. He didn't turn over the key, instead turning to talk to Carolyn.

"I think Ned has taught me something very important that I didn't realize. I think he opened my eyes to what it's like to really love somebody. He makes it effortless. I don't have to try with him. There's no second guessing it. It happens naturally. That's never happened to me before. I've never been able to love easily, but he… he's so easy to love. He's… my whole world has turned upside down since I met him. I have such an appreciation for life now. My life, the lives of others, life in general. I found the truest friend I've ever had in him.

"When he asked me to marry him, I was a little surprised. We haven't been dating very long. But there was a very big piece of me that settled inside that has always been bouncing around like crazy, and I know that he's the one I want to spend every day of the rest of my life with. I have absolutely no doubts, and every time I think of him that bouncing thing inside of me settles and I know everything is going to be okay in the end because we're going to handle it together."

"That sounds beautiful, honey. I can't honestly say I've ever had that. I guess I'm just of the belief that only the lucky few get to find a love like that. Hold on it so damn tight that you never even think about letting it go, because you're one of the few. What you have is a priceless possession, a dream come true, and the answer to the wish every person on this planet made upon a star as a child."

Elly shook his head. "I don't believe that. I don't believe that only the lucky few are going to find this. I think it's going to take a lot of work to keep and maintain this. It's been freely given, but it won't be free to keep. I think that's true of every relationship. We just have to work hard to keep falling in love with each other over and over again." Elly suddenly had a flash of a memory from a few weeks earlier when he and Ned were talking about Mr. Right versus Mr. Right Now in his kitchen, and how Ned had said he believed people fall out of love with each other all the time. He chuckled. "Ned once told me that he wants someone to fall in love with over and over again. I'm going to do everything in my power to be that person."

"Maybe, just maybe, I'll find someone worth falling in love with over and over again too," Carolyn said.

"I really hope so, because I gotta tell ya, this pretty much rocks."

Carolyn laughed.

"And you deserve an incredible love, Mom. You deserve someone who is going to make you smile, and love you, and let you know that they're thinking about you. You deserve someone who is going to answer the phone when you call, and someone who is going to take you out on all of the dates Dad should've taken you on over the years. Someone to whisk you away to Paris, or take you up to a cabin for a romantic weekend away out of nowhere. You deserve someone who appreciates you."

"I think it's time I gave it a try. My lawyer says that the divorce should be easy to take care of because of the prenup, so I'll be on my own soon. You and Ned should come home and spend some time! It would be good for you to get away. I promise that no one will drug you at home!"

Elly burst out laughing. "My boss just said the same thing to me this morning when I promised to DJ at his wedding in a few weeks. He's actually marrying a guy, too. He and Gibbs are great, Mom. You'd love them. They're like surrogate parents to Ned and I down here. They've been there for us through so much it's ridiculous."

"Careful, you're going to make me jealous!" Carolyn said, giving him a look of stern disbelief.

"They've just wormed their way in. Having Tony take over the team was amazing. When he got rid of Simmons, Greg and I celebrated! She was horrible. Talking about going to get us killed? Uh, yeah. She was trying for it. Then Tony came in, and now I'm the Senior Field Agent, which I don't think I've told you yet, and then Ned joined the team, and he's become a tactical operations god. He's like crazy brilliant! You should see him! I was just in MTAC for a few minutes with him, that's the big room where we do camera talk with people in the military and stuff like that, and he was all crazy confident and not to mention _hot_! But that's another story.

"Tony and Gibbs have treated Ned and I like family. Ned's family is all like Dad. They actually stopped acknowledging that he was in the same room. Can you believe that? That happened when he was in college, and he still isn't quite over it. But Tony and Gibbs make him feel like he belongs. I have to tell you, Ned's a little weird when you first get to know him. It doesn't take long to see that he's just a little awkward, but that he has a really big heart. And he's crazy smart. He has his airheaded moments, and he's a bonafide germaphobe, but he's amazing and I can't tell you… "

Elly took a big breath, realizing that he was rambling like he used to when he was a kid and he'd get home from an exciting day at school. He exhaled and chewed on his lip for a moment and looked Carolyn in the eyes. "I can't tell you how much it means to me that you're willing to have him in your life." Elly's eyes started burning again, and when he realized that Carolyn was about to start crying too, his tears spilled over. "Because he means so damned much to me, and I don't know, but it's like it has somehow proven something to my stubborn heart, and I just feel so much love from you right now that I've never let myself feel before. I don't know if I'm ever going to stop crying." He chuckled and wiped at his eyes, holding the palms against them to try to make them stop burning.

Carolyn wiped at her own eyes. "I can't believe you're calling me "mom". I know it's stupid, but it just feels like a fairy tale. Like I'm going to wake up any minute now and this is going to be a dream. I mean, I understood, don't get me wrong, but that little thing means so much to me…" Her voice cracked and then she started crying in earnest. Elly pulled her in for a hug, and they held each other in the car while they cried for all the time they had lost.

* * *

Tony sighed and turned to look up at Ned. "He's fine. He'll be back soon."

The elevator had dinged again, and Ned had looked up hopefully just to be let down when Elly didn't come off of it. He continued pounding at his keyboard like it was a piece of meat and he was tenderizing it.

"We don't know that! He could be having a nervous breakdown or something! First his dad tells him he's not welcome in his life anymore, and then his stepmom shows up out of nowhere and tells Elly that he's the reason she's going to leave his dad. That's a lot to take in!"

"Dorney," Parke said, causing Ned to turn and look at him. "Take a deep breath man. He's a strong guy. He may need a little TLC later, but he's going to be fine."

The door next to the elevator opened up, and Ned's attention was suddenly focused on it like a dog hearing its owner come home. "Elly!" she practically shouted. He got up and went to meet him in the middle of the bullpen. "Are you okay?" He looked over his fiancé with a critical eye, making sure nothing was out of place. He noted the bloodshot eyes and the obvious signs he'd been crying, but he was smiling and it threw off the assessment.

"I'm okay, baby," he said softly so that only them and their friends could hear. "This is turning into a bizarre day."

"I'd say so. So that's your stepmom?" Elly asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yeah. I… I don't want to talk about it or I'll start to cry again."

"No! Don't cry!" Ned whispered, desperately trying not to kiss him right in front of everyone.

"I'm good. Let's just work, and I'll give you the run down when we leave."

Ned nodded, chewing on his lip. "Okay," he said, trying to do what he knew he needed to, but not liking it.

They both went back to their desks, and Elly's messenger popped up.

NDorneget01: I love you.

Elly smiled and looked up at Ned, who was pretending to shuffle some papers while he discreetly watched him. He mouthed "I love you, too" to him silently, and they both smiled. Parke and Tony had both watched it happen, and Parke rolled his eyes at Tony who tried not to laugh. Parke then turned back to his computer and messaged Ned.

GParke01: See? I told you he was okay! Though by the way his eyes are shining I expect he's going to need that TLC I was talking about earlier.

NDornget01: That won't be a problem. I think I can make that sacrifice.

GParke01: Yeah, I figured that would be the case ;)

Ned smirked and messaged Elly.

NDorneget01: Parke says I should give you some tender loving care tonight. What do you think?

ECritten01: *nods* I full heartedly agree. I think I need a lot of it. You think you can handle that?

NDorneget01: I'd get started now if it wouldn't get us fired.

ECritten01: Ha! Yeah. Don't wanna do that. We should probably work, but I can't concentrate.

NDorneget01: I really got to finish this report or I'll be here late, so I need to at least try.

ECritten01: Are we still going ring shopping tonight?

NDorneget01: If you want to!

ECritten01: Yeah! Definitely :) I'll do a little online sleuthing to see where we should go and get ideas.

NDorneget01: Awesome! You do that while I sit over here being jealous and writing about terrorists and how we killed them.

ECritten01: You didn't kill them, honey. You saved a lot of people.

NDorneget01: I did both. I'm trying to focus on the good though. Remind me to tell you what Colonel Russel told me.

ECritten01: Will do. GO! Work! Get the report done so we can get out of here on time!

NDorneget01: Okay, okay! I'm going. And pouting. But going.

* * *

At 1630, a man in a pair of khakis and a button down shirt came over and put a file box on Tony's desk.

"What are these?" Tony asked in confusion, looking up from his report on the op.

"The files from HR for Agent Gibbs," the man said.

"Oh! Yeah. I forgot about them. Thanks!" he said. As soon as the man walked away, Tony took the lid off the box. The rest of his team's eyes were glued to him excitedly. "McGee! Ziva! Come here!' he shouted over his shoulder.

"What's up?" Tim asked as Tony flipped through a stack of folders.

"Start looking through these. Pull out anyone you'd kill yourself not to work with."

"You mean…? Tim asked, looking excitedly at Ziva.

"I mean that these files are going home to Jethro tonight to look through and narrow down for a replacement for me. Your fourth person. If you take out anyone you'd hate to work with before I give the files to Jethro, it's less for him to go through."

Ziva picked up a stack and started rifling through them. "I do not know some of these people."

"Oh! No. No way," Tim said, holding up a file folder so Ziva could see it.

"Absolutely not!" she said in agreement.

"Just remember one thing," Ned said, causing everyone to turn and look at him. "Six months ago you would've said the same thing about me."

Tony looked up at Tim and Ziva who looked at the folders in their hands and tried not to grimace. "But, Dorney. It's Baines."

"Oh! In that case, I'm with you!" Ned said, his eyes wide. Trevor Baines had one of the cockiest attitudes in the bureau and was lucky to be alive. He'd harassed Abby, and he was known to the other agents as a bigoted asshole. The problem was he was one of those agents that looked excellent on paper. Fitness test scores, gun range scores, FLETC scores were all through the roof. However, he had the kind of personality that was going to get him killed- and not by a suspect.

Tim and Ziva nodded and left the file on Tony's desk. The three senior agents consulted about various possible replacements while Elly and Greg went back to analyzing the database, and Ned went back to his report on the op. After a few minutes, the voices stopped, and Ned glanced up to find all three agents were staring at him.

"What?" he asked.

"Your file is in here," Tony said.

"I didn't ask for it to be," Ned said, going pale. It had become pretty obvious that he wasn't going to go through with leaving the team after all. He hadn't made any indications to Vance or HR that he wanted to move. He knew this was the moment of truth. There was no denying it. He didn't want to be anywhere else but with his team, and he decided right then and there that he wasn't going anywhere. "Take it out. It doesn't belong in there."

Tony smiled as he snatched the folder from Tim's hands. "I'll take that! Thank you!" He opened his desk drawer and dropped it in, then slammed it shut. "Next?"

Ned looked at Elly who smiled brightly at him. Their conversation the other day after they'd talked to Tony came back to him, and he sighed. He was surrounded by incredible people that supported him. He turned back to the report in front of him and realized that he was doing exactly what he'd told Tony he wanted to do. He was making more of himself, stepping up to the challenge, and he was really shining.

* * *

Jethro looked out the kitchen window at the rain. He had a mug of coffee in his right hand, and the left one was resting on the ledge of the kitchen sink as it held him up. He'd just put a chicken noodle casserole in the oven. He'd found it on the back of a can of soup once and he made it sometimes. It was simple, and he found he could add variations when he wanted to try something new without messing it up too badly. He'd added carrots to this one, knowing that Amira was willing to eat them. He was running out of things he thought Amira would like to eat. He was going to need to learn some new tricks soon in the kitchen or his family would starve.

He wasn't sure what they were going to do about someone to take care of Amira after they took their leave. The clock was ticking and they hadn't even begun looking. He wondered if they should put an ad out, or if they should start their search through an agency of sorts. He knew Leon had gone through an agency, and it worked well for him. He made a mental note to call him and ask for their number. As he thought about it, his phone startled him from his pocket. Amira had passed out on the couch so he reached for it as quickly as he could to keep it from disturbing her. He stepped into the basement and down the stairs to keep the conversation from waking the little girl.

"Gibbs," he answered.

"Hi Gibbs," came Abby's cheerful voice. "I called the park and it looks like they don't have any openings until July 21st in the area you wanted, which I totally agree is the best area for the two of you. That's a Saturday, and they also have the 29th open, the following Sunday. That's about three and a half weeks out. That's like, really soon, Gibbs."

"We want soon, Abby. We really want soon. We just have to get our license, find someone to do the ceremony, and find a photographer. Everything else just needs rescheduled. I'll let Tony know about the dates and he can try to see if Marcella is free for the catering. He said he'd left a voicemail for the cake woman."

"Has she called him back yet? If not, she totally slipped me her personal number on the way out. I can make a call."

Jethro rolled his eyes. "Really, Abs?"

"I haven't used it! You know that I don't turn down good attention when it's aimed my way. Hell, even Tim knows that."

Jethro grunted at Abby and shook his head. "Thanks for hunting down the dates. I need to get back upstairs in case Amira wakes up from her nap. There's sharp tools out on the dining room table."

"Oh, yeah. That wouldn't be good."

"Bye, Abs." Jethro headed upstairs, deciding to move the stuff from the cake topper project back to the basement where it belonged. He hadn't been much fun for Amira today, but his head was somewhere else entirely. He got distant when he grieved. He knew that's what his funk that day had been about. He got like this. He'd get distant, and then clingy, and then distant, and then clingy. It was his modus operandi for dealing with losing someone he cared about. His solace hadn't really been found in the wood, but in the way that Amira was just like him. She was clingy in the morning, then distant, and then clingy and wanted Tony, and then distant again. It was like she kept checking in to make sure they were still there, but she really wanted to be left alone otherwise. That was okay with him. It's exactly how he felt, and he understood it completely.

When she fell asleep he was relieved. She'd gotten clingy again, and he was feeling less and less emotional until it was like someone had flipped the switch and turned it off. He'd been holding her, but neither of them were saying anything. To have her fall asleep was the best thing that could've happened to either of them. There was so much to figure out and he needed to think, not feel.

He took the cake topper stuff downstairs and then grabbed a notebook to sit down at the table and make a list. It was all of the things that needed to get done in the next month, from finding Amira a babysitter to finishing the cake topper. He put a T or a J next to certain things that were tasks identified already for one of them to take responsibility for, but half of the list was left unassigned. Find a new team member, J. Get a wedding cake, T. Find a babysitter for Amira, blank. There was getting Amira a new pediatrician on this side of town, getting her records transferred from her old one, getting a lawyer to finalize the adoption, getting someone to perform the wedding ceremony, rewriting their wills, learning to cook things that weren't frozen or from a can, or at least healthier things that were frozen or from a can, take Amira to the pick out a flower girl dress for the wedding, get their clothes for the wedding, research activities for Amira like swimming lessons, go grocery shopping, and somewhere in there he wanted to get something for the back yard to occupy Amira like a sandbox or swing set.

He tore the sheet off and stuck it on the fridge with a magnet Tony had of some Palm Trees that he'd picked up from some island they stopped at when he and the frat brothers used to take spring break cruises. He poured a fresh cup of coffee and looked out the back window again. Tony would be home any minute now.

Visions of the night before on the couch came back to him. He'd felt the need to be close to Tony like he needed to breathe. Now the idea of holding the man was having an even more feral effect on him. He turned around and added another item to the list on the fridge.

_Put doorknob with lock on bedroom door_

He put his initial next to it, and he knew that the next day would involve a trip to the hardware store. As he thought about it, that could kill two birds with one stone, and he could get the sandbox for Amira. He'd seen them sitting outside of the lawn and garden area in different shapes and sizes. She'd be able to pick out which one she'd want. Once again he was happy that he'd kept his sensible truck and treated it well. He'd be able to bring it home for her right away.

"Hel-" Tony started and then saw that Amira was asleep on the couch and stopped. Jethro came to the dining room doorway and saw Tony with a box coming at him. Jethro sat his mug down on the table, took the box from Tony as it was handed to him, ignored what he was saying and pulled him in for a fiery kiss. Tony's arms went around his neck in surprise, and after a moment of shock kissed him back desperately.

When they finally pulled away, Tony felt weak in the knees. "If Amira wasn't right there I'd take you on this table right here and now," Jethro whispered into his ear.

"Yes, please," Tony said a little roughly. "What's brought this on?"

"So much happening lately that I haven't been able to spend enough time with you," Jethro said, running his nose up the side of Tony's neck and into his hair as he inhaled him. Tony's eyes closed. He could hear the possessiveness in Jethro's voice and he relished in it.

"We need to spend some time together. Time to find the babysitter," Tony said. "I wonder if Amira would let Abby watch her for a date night this week."

"Mmmm… might be a little too soon for that, but I love the way you think," Jethro said, nipping at Tony's neck and then suddenly spinning to release the man and put distance between them. He picked up his cup of coffee and took a deep breath to clear his mind before he realized there was a box in front of him. He vaguely remembered taking it from Tony when he came in. "What's this?"

"Agent files," Tony said. "I had Tim and Ziva go through them and remove the agents they wouldn't work with already."

Tony headed for the kitchen to get a cup of coffee. Jethro followed him to check on dinner.

"Dorney's file ended up in there. Looks like our assumptions were right though," Tony said, taking a peek at dinner to find out what it was.

"He changed his mind about transferring teams?" Jethro asked, sliding the casserole back in the oven for another few minutes.

"You'd be proud of me. I didn't even think about saying 'I told you so'."

"Daddy?" Amira said from the doorway holding Dirt.

"Hey, Munchkin!" Tony said, reaching out for her. She ran up to him and rubbed her eyes at the same time. He scooped her up and she leaned into him.

"I missed you," she said with a yawn.

"I missed you, too," he said with a kiss to her cheek. "Were you good for Daddy Gibbsy today?"

She nodded, looking at Jethro and then back at Tony.

"She was very good. You want to tell Tony what you did today?" he asked her.

"I watched cartoons, and played with my light light, and I made pictures."

"Your light light? Tony asked her, looking over at Jethro.

"Her Lite Brite," he said with a chuckle.

"Oh!" Tony said with a smile and nod. "Did you make a dog with a blue nose?"

"No!" Amira said with a smile and giggle. Tony watched her with glee as he remembered the day he introduced her to the toy. It was the last time he'd seen Leyla alive. A heaviness took ahold of his heart.

"Why don't you go put Dirt in your room and get ready for dinner. It shouldn't take much longer," Jethro said.

Tony nodded. "Sounds good. We don't need Dirt to get dirty."

"But he wants to eat dinner, too!" Amira said, holding her arms out like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"He can't have people food. He needs to be tucked in anyway," Tony said, sitting her down. "Go put him to bed and tell him you'll be in after your bath."

"Bubble bath!" she said with a shout of celebration. She grabbed the bear and ran for the stairs, suddenly forgetting that she didn't want to be parted with it at the thought of some time in the tub.

"She's so-" Tony was suddenly pushed against the wall in the kitchen. Jethro was kissing him senseless, his hands working their way up into Tony's hair. Tony kissed him back, clawing at his chest, trying to find his breath. He didn't know what was getting into Jethro tonight, but he was loving every second of it. Every time Jethro opened this door he wanted to walk through it immediately, run through it, jump through it, dance through it, but it kept slamming shut. Explosions of lust amidst parenting. Jethro jerked away again, but Tony was hard as a rock and pulled him back towards him with a low moan.

"Tonight, we're barricading the door, and you're going to do everything you're thinking about doing to me. Understood?" Tony said fiercely.

Jethro nodded, leaning down to kiss Tony again. The kiss was slow and deep compared to the passionate frenzy they'd just been in, and Amira's announcement of cooties only caused the kiss to end, but they didn't pull away from each other.

"Cooties just mean that we love each other very, very, very much," Tony said, looking deeply into Jethro's eyes with a smile before looking over at Amira who was jumping in place in the doorway. He thought for a moment that their relationship wasn't something that Amira had ever been exposed to at all. Leyla had been single for the entirety of Amira's life until she passed. Amira had never seen her kiss someone romantically, had never watched a loving relationship as closely as she would growing up around him and Jethro. He smiled to himself as he realized that was one thing that they could give her- a healthy outlook on relationships.

"I need to take dinner out," Jethro said, leaning in to give Tony a quick kiss before letting him go. Tony chased down Amira and she squealed, taking off for the living room. He picked her up, spun her around and held her closely.

"Have you washed your hands yet?" he asked. She shook her head no. "Okay. Let's do that." They went back into the kitchen and Tony sat her on the counter next to the sink. He turned on the water, and then squeezed soap in her hands. "Now get them a little wet and then pull back and suds them up really good, then stick them back under the water and keep sudsing them… okay, good. Now let the water rinse the bubbles off. You're a natural!"

"I know how to wash my hands! I'm a big girl!" she reminded him.

"Of course you are. Silly me! How could I have forgotten," he said with a smile. He'd seen Amira's version of washing her hands, and it usually ended up with the sink full of water and the bar of soap floating in it until it's a mushy mess. He handed her a dishtowel to dry her hands with, then lifted her off the counter before he washed his own hands and took the towel back to dry them. "You want to help me set the table?" he asked her.

When she nodded he took silverware out of the drawer for him and Jethro and a plastic spoon and fork out that had animals on the ends of them for Amira. They'd come from Leyla's house, and Tony made sure to pay attention to whether or not that was a comfort or a negative reminder for the little girl. She didn't seem fazed, and turned to go put them all on the table. Tony came in with plates and sat them down at the three places Amira laid out for them. He returned to the kitchen and Jethro was filling one of Amira's plastic cups with milk.

"Milk?" he asked Tony.

"No, thanks. I'm going to do water and my coffee." Tony reached to take the milk from Jethro though and put it back in the fridge and take out a bottle of water. He tucked the water under his arm as he grabbed a mug in each hand and followed Jethro to the dining room with the casserole. They were just sitting down at the table when his phone rang. He looked at it to see a familiar number, but he didn't know whose it was.

"Special Agent Tony DiNozzo," he answered, his eyes squinted slightly as he focused on the voice that came through. Once he realized who it was he smiled brightly. "Hi, Sully! Thanks for getting back to me."

"July 21st or 29th," Jethro said as he dished out dinner.

"Yeah. We've had some things happen, and we wanted to move it up," Tony said, holding up a finger as he got up and moved out onto the back deck, thankful that the rain had stopped. He closed the door behind him and sighed. "A friend of ours passed, and we're raising her daughter now."

He listened patiently through the apologies and condolences.

"Thank you. We want to move the ceremony up so that we can be married by time we get a court date for the adoption. It would make things a lot easier on us. The venue we wanted is available on July 21st or the 29th. Would either of those be possible?" he asked with a grimace, knowing she was probably too booked.

"Your cake is actually rather simple," Sully reassured him. "I shouldn't have any problems getting it made for either of those dates. The only thing is that I have another wedding on the 21st. We'd have to deliver it to the venue incredibly early that morning, or possibly even the night before."

"That is not a problem!" Tony said. He didn't know if it would be or not, but he would make it not a problem if it took everything in him.

"Wonderful! Then we're still good. Just call me as soon as possible with the firmed up date if you would."

"I'll call you tomorrow," Tony said with a smile. "Thank you!"

They disconnected the call and Tony went back into the house, joining his family for dinner excitedly. "Sully can still do our cake!" he announced.

"That's great, Tony!" Jethro said, getting up just enough to lean over the corner of the table and kiss him chastely.

"I'll call Marcella after dinner. She's probably going to let it go to voicemail, but at least she'll get the message," he said with a smile as he cut up his chicken. He looked over at Amira's plate to see that Jethro had already cut hers up, and she was eating it with a fork in her fist. He smirked and looked up at Jethro, who smirked back. They were eventually going to have to teach her to use her fork correctly, but for now it was working for her, and she was content, so they let her be.

"I made a list of things that need to be done over the next month," Jethro said. "It's on the fridge."

"Want to go over it now or wait?" Tony asked.

"It can wait until tomorrow, but no later," Jethro said, looking at Amira. Tony got the point and tucked another piece of chicken in his mouth.

"This is good," he said after he swallowed. "I still find myself surprised when you cook things that didn't involve an open fire." He ducked the headslap that was coming his way and chuckled.

They ate their dinner with playful banter between the three of them, and then Tony took Amira upstairs to get her bath while Jethro cleaned up the kitchen. Once Amira was in her bath water, Tony sighed and headed for the bedroom to finally get out of his suit. He didn't realize he hadn't changed until he was sitting down to eat, and he knew that from now on changing when he got home would be a luxury. He knew he was going to have to buy some more kid-friendly clothes for work.

Tony tried to call Marcella, and as expected had to leave a voicemail. He was lying back on the bed with some shorts and a tshirt on listening for any mishaps in the bathroom when Jethro came in. He didn't say a word, but came over to Tony and crawled up so that he was straddling him.

"Why hel-" Tony started when Jethro bent down and kissed him hard. Tony kissed him back and leaned up into the older man's embrace. It was passionate, and Tony was afraid they wouldn't be able to stop this time. Tony's hands went to slide up under Jethro's tshirt, feeling his stomach muscles and groaning. He was becoming achingly hard very quickly, and Jethro bucked his ass over him, making him moan. "Jethro…"

"Sshhh…"

Tony nodded, unsure of what he was agreeing to. He was on fire from head to toe, and all he wanted was Jethro to tell him to flip over and take him.

"When she goes to sleep, you're getting cuffed to this bed, and I'm going to take out every bit of frustration out on you. I'm going to prep you now so that you're ready for me later." Tony's breath hitched while Jethro reached over into the nightstand for the lube and flipped open the cap. He coated three fingers and reached his hand up the leg of Tony's shorts. Tony lifted his right leg in the air, pulling it to his chest and holding it there with an arm around the crook of his knee. It gave Jethro the easy access he needed.

Jethro started with one finger, slipping it easily into Tony's puckering hole. Tony let out a sigh of contentment, and then moaned as Jethro added a second. Those two fingers were used to stretch him every which way until he loosened around them. Once he was relaxed, Jethro added the third finger which made Tony moan loudly.

"Sshhh!" Jethro reminded him. Tony nodded briskly and Jethro suddenly reached for Tony's prostate. He reached up and clamped a hand over Tony's mouth as he opened it to react. He kept his left hand on Tony's mouth while his right hand toyed with his prostate before pulling out of him. "I think that's enough for now." He got up and headed for the bathroom to wash his hands, leaving Tony to lay on the bed gasping for breath and hard as a rock.

Jethro came back in and stared at Tony's body lying on the bed, his dick at attention, his chest heaving in panted breaths. "If I could capture this moment…" he began and then trailed off.

"You mean this moment of me lying here wanting you, desperate for you to fuck me, desperate for your hands, your mouth, anything on my cock? That moment?" Tony reached into his shorts and gave himself a long couple of strokes while Jethro watched.

"We've gotta find a babysitter," Jethro said, entranced. He blinked, sighed and shook his head. "You need to go get her out of the tub. The water's probably cold by now."

"Annnnd it's lost," Tony said as his erection subsided almost immediately as he thought about getting Amira tucked in.

Jethro reached out his hands to help Tony up from the bed, and as he got to his feet found himself pressed against Jethro's body. "I'll help you find it again _very_ soon," he said roughly into Tony's ear.

"Yeah, we need to find a babysitter."

"I'm going to go grab something we can wedge this door with for a while. I'm picking up a new doorknob tomorrow with a lock on it."

"Oh, thank god!" Tony said, leaning his head on Jethro's shoulder. "I feel so guilty! It's not that I don't want her to come in and sleep with us, it's just that we need our time, and no matter how sweet and amazing it is that she's so willing to let us take care of her, sometimes I just need us to take care of each other."

Jethro nodded and sighed. He was relieved to hear that Tony was feeling the same thing he was feeling. He loved it when Amira crawled up into bed with them as they slept. It reminded him of times with Kelly, and to protect his little girl while she was sleeping was a father's right, but he needed some time alone with Tony desperately where he could let the walls down. He hadn't realized how badly he'd come to need that since they'd gotten together, but the strong front he'd had to carry over the past week was wearing him down, and he needed the security and safety Tony provided to fall apart.

"Go ahead and get her out," Jethro said, kissing Tony's temple and stepping away as they let go of each other. He figured a folding chair from the basement would be the right size to wedge against the door, so he headed down to the basement to get one.

Tony went into the bathroom and announced that it was time to get out. Amira had the water turned white with the dissolved bar of soap. He realized the water was cold when he went to pull the plug.

"How about we rinse off with some warm water first? You have soap all over you. Sound good?" Tony started getting the water warm again and Amira stood up as the shower came on. Tony pulled the curtain closed for a minute and told her to rinse all the soap off. She giggled under the spray and splashed around in the water that hadn't completely receded yet in the tub.

"Hey now! No splashing. Just rinse off. Time to get to bed. You had lots of extra tub time tonight."

"I played mermaids!" she said happily.

"Mermaids?" Tony thought about her toys that she and Jethro had picked out to put in the bathroom with her and nodded to himself.

"Yeah! They sing the pretty songs and swim around together. But two-two of them got their tails tangled and we had to sing a special song to save them!"

"Oh, okay," Tony said with a small smile. _This is what my life is now… mermaid songs and bath time._

"All done!" she said.

Tony pulled back the curtain and turned off the water, then picked up the bath towel and wrapped it around her, making sure to rub her head partially dry. He'd had some pretty hefty curls as a kid, but he didn't do anything but pick out the fuzz. Amira's curls were different. They were soft, loose, and they tangled easily. He had no clue what to do with them. He contemplated asking Ziva what to do with them, or maybe Abby. He needed a woman's advice for that one. Tony had seen pictures of Kelly, and Jethro was just as confused having only worked with straight locks while raising the little girl.

He helped Amira get her nightgown on when her arm went through the wrong hole and he smiled at the exasperated sigh she released. This was an ongoing problem of knowing which holes got the arms and which one got the head. He found it adorable. He contemplated what he wanted to say and decided not to. He was going to ask if Leyla has done anything special with her hair after a bath, but he was afraid that if he asked he would be opening up a can of grief that would kick their asses.

Jethro came to stand in the doorway of the small bathroom. "Are we ready for bed?" he asked, looking Tony in the eyes instead of looking at Amira. Tony noted the fire he saw there and smirked.

"All ready," he said, winking at Jethro. Jethro smirked back.

The two led Amira into her room. Jethro pulled the blankets on right and set the stuffed animals off to the side. Amira jumped up into the bed with a yawn, and Tony and Jethro raised an eyebrow at that good sign. They tucked her in and gave her hugs. There was a breeze blowing in through the curtains and a dog was barking a few doors down. The sun was going down and shadows were long across the room. By time they got to the door and Tony turned around to pull the door mostly shut, Amira was sighing with her eyes closed, settling down to sleep.

Once they were both in their bedroom, Jethro wedged the chair under the doorknob and tried to get the door opened. It worked perfectly. He turned to find Tony naked, his clothes in a pile on the floor. He smirked and reached to pull his own shirt off over his head. He took a few steps towards Tony as he unbuttoned his cargo pants and pushed them and his boxers down, kicking them off as he reached him.

Tony reached for him, pulling him against him and thrusting lazily against him as he pressed his lips to his. Jethro took control of the kiss immediately, his fingers going up into Tony's hair and pulling as Tony moaned. He needed this, and badly.

Jethro reached for Tony's cock and stroked it until it was half hard. Then he stopped and moved for the nightstand, opening the drawer. He found the cockring and turned back to Tony, slipping it over the length of Tony's dick and continued his stroking while Tony groaned. "Are you going to behave for me?" Jethro asked Tony roughly in his ear. Tony nodded fervently. "Are you going to be quiet, or do I need to gag you?" Tony's cock jumped in Jethro's hand and Jethro pulled back looking into Tony's eyes as he smirked. "You like that idea." Tony's eyes rolled up into his head for a moment and then looked back into Jethro's. "We'll have to look into that."

Tony reached for Jethro's cock, needing to feel its weight in his hands, needing to touch him. Jethro made a noise of appreciation low in his chest. "You have very talented fingers, but that's not what I want. Lay down on the bed." Tony let go and lay down on the bed. Jethro took his cuffs out of the nightstand and bent over Tony's body, taking his wrists and cuffing them around one of the rungs in the headboard.

That warm fuzzy feeling started in the back of Tony's head that always happened when Jethro took over like this during sex. It was like drifting off to a happy place where he could still feel everything being done to him. He watched as Jethro slicked his cock and climbed up onto the bed, pushing Tony's legs aside and bent over to kiss him. It was a filthy kiss, all tongues and teeth, and it made Tony's hips thrust up off the bed. Jethro's hand was quick to push him back down, but the kissing didn't stop. Without warning, Jethro slid into him in one smooth motion, bottoming out.

"Fuck-" *kiss* "yes!" Tony got out between the tongue wrestling. He tried to move his hands to keep Jethro's face connected to his, but he couldn't. The cuffs bit into his wrists and he remembered he was immobile. Jethro sat up, raking his nails down Tony's torso as he thrust into him hard. He twisted Tony's nipples for good measure on the way down, and Tony melted back against the bed, throwing his head back.

Jethro thrust in and out of him over and over again. His strokes were hard and fast, and Tony took each one as a well as the last. He lifted Tony's legs in the air and then bent him at the waist so that he was a v-shape. "So damned good," he muttered. "How's that cockring feel?" he asked with a smirk. Tony shivered at the almost sadistic tone to the question. If the increased speed and force of Jethro's thrusting was anything to go by Tony believed that he was getting off to the fact that Tony was restricted from getting off. He decided to add to the tension.

"It's so tight. My cock's on fire," he said while watching Jethro's face and seeing the reaction he wanted. "I want to come so bad." It was true. Tony was pulsating. He felt the restraint of the ring around him like a medieval torture device, which only served to turn him on even more. A stifled sound escaped Jethro as he lost control, fucking Tony mercilessly. Tony's legs were released and he wrapped them around Jethro's waist, pulling him even closer with each thrust.

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" he kept gasping through the torrent. Jethro suddenly stopped and threw his head back, his nails digging into Tony's thighs. A few more jerky thrusts and he was unloading into Tony.

"Please Jethro! Let me come! Please!" Tony begged as he yanked on the cuffs and gasped in desperation for release of some sort.

Jethro collapsed down on him, stroking him slowly and lazily as he enjoyed the haze of his orgasm. He kissed Tony slowly, and Tony shivered with need. "Please Jethro? I need for you to take the cockring off and let me come. Please?"

"But I like it there," Jethro said almost playfully as he continued to stroke Tony's swollen dick.

"Oh, god Jethro! Don't make me safeword out of this! I need this too damn badly to play tonight!"

"Fair enough," Jethro said, pressing the release on the ring and watching it spring open. He started fast pulls and strokes, letting his palm coast over the head of Tony's cock, smearing the precum there.

"Yes!" Tony gasped, arching off the bed and into his touch. "Fuck yes!" He thrust up into Jethro's hand over and over again. Suddenly the orgasm rushed over him with barely any warnings that it was coming. He yelped despite himself and geysered all over Jethro's fist. It was an explosive release and he saw stars for a long time afterwards as he and Jethro lay together panting.

After a long few minutes, Jethro undid the cuffs and helped rub the feeling back into Tony's arms. He kissed him slowly and nuzzled him. They held each other, kissing lazily, touching each other tenderly, and simply enjoyed being close.

"I feel like we're refilling the tanks," Tony said softly.

"Me too," Jethro said, nipping at Tony's chin. "Never going to be full enough."

"Mmm…" Tony hummed. "Isn't that the truth."

"We should probably clean up and put clothes back on," Jethro said with a sigh.

"Yeah," Tony agreed reluctantly. "But afterwards, it's right back here where we can go back to doing this."

"Deal."

They got up and went to the bathroom, rinsing only briefly in the shower, kissing for a moment or two under the water as they did so. They returned to the bedroom and got dressed in some shorts, and then Jethro unwedged the chair from the door, sitting it off to the side. "In case she wakes up," he said with a shrug.

Once under the blanket, Jethro pulled Tony to him tightly, burying his head against the younger man's chest. He listened to Tony's heart beating and nuzzled the soft hair over his pec. Tony ran his fingers through Jethro's short hair over and over again silently as he let Jethro process what he was feeling.

"I love the sound of your heartbeat," Jethro said a long time later with a quietly rough voice.

Tony stayed silent and waited.

"It means you're alive, and I really need you."

Tony bent to kiss the top of Jethro's head. "I really need you, too," he said, holding Jethro tightly. "I can't imagine my life without you."

"I don't know what I'd do if I lost you," Jethro said. Tony felt something tickle his chest, and he suddenly realized that it was a tear dripping from Jethro. It was the second time the older man had cried in the past two days, and it broke Tony's heart. They'd been through a lot together, but nothing as hard as the past week.

"You're never going to have to find out," Tony said. "We're being extra careful now, and we're going to be fine. We're going to raise that beautiful little girl in there together until she grows up, graduates from a good college, gets married and gives us grandkids. We'll be old and crotchety together, sipping beers and bourbon around the fireplace, and growling at the TV. We'll have surprise anniversary parties thrown for us by our teams, and we'll shout at each other in the car when we're losing our hearing and going to doctor's appointments together when we're so old and falling apart that you're using a cane and I'm using a walker… And one day, we're going to die in our sleep together, because my heart is going to know when yours can't take it anymore, and they're going to give up at the same time."

Jethro tightened his hold around Tony and nodded. He knew he should feel ashamed for losing it like this, but it was Tony. He could do things like this with Tony and he didn't think any less of him. He could let it all come out and Tony would protect him. It was one of the most incredible gifts he'd ever been given. He was able to share these moments of pure, honest emotion with him, and it only strengthened their bond.

"I love you, Jethro," Tony whispered.

"I love you, too," Jethro replied.

They laid together for a long time, wide awake as they listened to each other breathe. It was reassuring, and it affirmed something in Jethro that he needed but couldn't explain. He'd watched so much death and destruction in his life, but then Tony came along and he started seeing vibrant goodness again. It slowly built up into this way of life that he had now, and he really didn't want to let it go. There were smiles, and laughter, and hope, and he dared to even accept that he was happy again. The problem with being happy is that it can all be taken from you, and Jethro was more aware of that than most. Tony's strong heartbeat under his ear gave him strength though, and he eventually fell asleep with a small smile on his face, and that thump-thump in his ear.


	51. Chapter 51

Tony yawned as he sat down behind his desk the next morning. He wasn't sure why he felt so tired, but he'd struggled to get out of bed. Amira had been between them again when he woke up, and the three of them were snuggled up together in a moment of perfection. That was hard to give up for a day of chasing criminals.

Parke came in, greeting Tony with a nod. He looked just as tired, and Tony shrugged to himself at the thought that at least he wasn't the only one who was drowsy. They were both startled from their quiet morning by Elly and Ned as they came into the bullpen.

"Nothing's going to happen!" Ned said with defensive anger.

"Sure it's not! That's why Tony wants to come with you!" Elly almost yelled as they breached the quiet bubble of their quad of desks.

"I wouldn't let anything happen whether or not he was coming!" Ned said just as loudly back as he sat his stuff behind his desk and moved to stand in front of Elly's. "Have a little trust in me."

"Hey!" Tony practically shouted, realizing what they were talking about. "Conference room! Now!" He got to his feet and led the two from the room. He didn't like what he was hearing and he certainly wasn't about to have them arguing about personal matters in the bullpen where Vance and the rest of NCIS could listen to them.

Once the door was closed, Ned and Elly both stood there staring at him, not making a move to take a seat. They both looked stubborn, defensive, and angry.

"First things first," Tony said with a harsh and demanding tone, "Drop the attitudes." Elly let out an exasperated sigh as he uncrossed his arms dramatically and turned around to finally sit in a chair, only to cross his arms again. Ned still stood there, unmoving.

"Second, if you _ever_ , _**ever**_ bring a relationship based argument into the office like that again, you're going to be reprimanded, and I'd rather not have to do that. The two of you staying on the same team is determined upon how well you can keep your personal and professional lives separated. You just failed at that _epically_. I will not have your relationship tearing this team apart! If you ever pull something like that again, you'll have to decide which one of you is off the team. Have I made myself clear?"

Both Elly and Ned looked affectedly different with the threat. They looked at each other with sad and hurt expressions, and then looked back at Tony and nodded.

"Now, we're going to clear the air, which you should've done before you ever got out of the damned car this morning. Are you fighting about Ned going to see Andy?"

They both started talking at once. Tony shook his head and held up his hand.

"That's a yes," he said with a sigh. "Dorney, sit down." He waited for Ned to sit down next to Elly. "I'm going to spell this out for you both since you can't seem to have an honest conversation about it. Yes, Andy is Ned's ex. Yes, he's still in contact with him. Yes, the guy is probably going to make a pass on him when they see each other. Yes, that's why I'm going with him. Yes, the idea of getting with the guy again is tempting," Ned looked at Tony with a shocked expression and raised his hands in the universal sign for "what the hell!?", but Tony shook his head. "But the truth is, _no,_ he wouldn't act on that temptation.

"Look, just because I'm madly in love with Jethro doesn't mean that I don't find other people attractive, or wonder what it would be like to sleep with them. I'm a guy. That kind of stuff doesn't stop. The facts are that I want to spend the rest of my life with _him_ more than I want to find out what sleeping with anyone else would be like. It doesn't mean that I don't have urges, fantasies, dreams or whatever. I'm a human being with a healthy sex drive, so yeah, those kinds of things are going to continue. Nine times out of ten, Jethro is the focus of those things, but once in a while someone else slips in there. Jethro knows my dating history, but he trusts me because he knows that he's my everything. The two of you haven't been together long enough for that to be imprinted on each other deeply enough for that level of trust to be built. You're going to have to work on that though if you're going to get married. If you can't trust each other, then you shouldn't be saying the vows yet. So I'm going to go back in the other room, and the two of you are going to talk about this like mature adults and decide what you want out of life."

Tony closed the door behind him and shook his head. He wasn't sure what he just did, or why, but he knew that he meant every word of it. If the two of them brought their relationship issues into work, it was going to cause tension on all fronts, and Vance would split the team up. He wasn't going to let them destroy what they all held so dear because of a lover's spat. He also meant everything he'd said about him and Jethro though, and he considered how he'd become a father figure to his team, spouting personal stories and words of wisdom when necessary.

He went to sit behind his desk again and noticed that Parke was looking at him.

"Something the matter?" he asked.

"What did you do to them?" Parke asked. "Their bodies aren't in a closet somewhere are they?"

"I'm reserving that for if one of them actually cheats on the other," Tony said. He looked up from his monitor and met Parke's eyes. "Left them in the conference room with some things to think about."

"This could get ugly."

"I know," Tony said with a sigh. "I'm really hoping it doesn't, but I have a feeling they're going to go through more than one big fight before the summer's through. I'm really rooting for them, but they've only been together-"

"For two minutes? Yeah, I know."

"I know, but the weird thing is, I think what they have going on is the real deal, you know? It's still in that beginning honeymoon stage where everything is perfect and sweet and shiny brand new, but I think they could be really good for each other if they would just slow down and take their time."

"We could've just witnessed their first fight as a couple," Parke said. "If that's the case, they're probably having crazy wild make-up sex in the conference room right now."

Tony laughed. "I don't think they'd be that stupid after I just threatened their jobs."

"Whoa! You did what?"

"I told them that if they ever bring a personal fight into the office again they can choose which one goes."

"Holy cow. You're serious, aren't you?" Parke looked genuinely surprised.

"Uh, yeah! They can't come in here with that kind of thing! There's enough of a blurred line between the personal and professional boundaries in this office. Jethro and I have to work on that stuff, too. We have a code word for when things are getting too personal at work and when we're acting out at the other to a point it's disrupting that professional boundary. The lines are crisscrossed all over this place now. If we're going to keep that from becoming outlawed, we need to behave ourselves."

"I guess this isn't a good time to tell you that I'm running away with Balboa then," Parke said.

"Ha!" Tony said, looking back at his inbox.

"I was starting to get the impression that you were blind to the reality of the likelihood that their relationship was going to be a clusterfuck of a mess."

Tony took a deep breath and thought about what he wanted to say, then turned to Parke. "I think that they had a couple of intense situations that have rushed things for them, but I believe what they're feeling is genuine. If the rest of their relationship goes like the beginning, they're in for a wild ride. The best thing we can do is support them, be there to talk them down off the ledges, and get them over the initial hurdles that every relationship has. Once they get past that, I think they'll be golden. They're in this for the right reasons."

"Don't get me wrong," Parke reasoned, "I want nothing but the best to come out of this, but the truth is, they have a lot of catching up to do to get to where they are, and it's going to be like reversing a speeding train. They're going to get shaken up a little before they're really ready to be on the track they're on now."

"And we'll be there to set them right again, just not in the bullpen first thing in the morning," Tony said, determined to keep a positive attitude about this. "I know the odds are against them," he admitted. "I just believe that as long as they have the people around them fighting for them, they have a great chance of beating those odds. Are you in?"

"Have been from the beginning. Not backing out now," Parke said with a smile.

"Good," Tony said, smiling back. "And thanks."

* * *

"So, that just happened," Elly said into the silence Tony left in his wake.

"Yeah," Ned said with a shaky breath. "Nothing like dragging your boss in on your first fight as a couple."

"Now see, I don't think this is really our first fight," Elly said, scrunching his eyes up as he stared off into space.

"How do you figure?" Ned asked.

"I think we were kinda fighting when I didn't call you after I ran out of Boss' house the day after we got drugged."

"Were we official yet?"

"Official? What is this? High school?"

Ned rolled his eyes at Elly's tone, and they sat in silence while they thought.

Elly sighed. "I have probably had some sort of sexual encounter with over fifty people."

Ned turned to look at Elly. "So?" he asked.

"So? I tell you I was a total man-whore and you're just like, so?"

"Yeah. So?"

"I know what I like. I know what I want. I know what I don't want. And what I don't want is to do the casual thing anymore. I'm ready for the real thing. I'm ready for you. But…"

"But?"

"But I know you haven't had the experiences I've had, and I can't understand how someone could be ready to settle down with one person forever who hasn't… I don't know… sown their wild oats or whatever."

"Sown their wild oats?" Ned asked with a chuckle, turning towards Elly. "Really?"

Elly rolled his eyes and felt a blush creep up his neck.

"Elly, just because I haven't slept with fifty people doesn't mean that I haven't had my fair share of sexual encounters. Most of them were just with the same few people. Lots of sex with the same few people equals a little sex with a lot of people. Same amount of sex, just… highly concentrated. Do I seem like I don't know what I'm doing when I'm with you?"

Elly shook his head no emphatically as he turned to look Ned in the eyes. "No, you _definitely_ know what you're doing," he said, his voice cracking.

"And if we weren't at work I'd show you right now that I know what I'm doing," Ned said huskily, trying desperately not to lean in and kiss the daunted expression on Elly's face. "I know what I want, too, Elly. And what I want is you- the Brainiac with the biggest heart I know, who's constantly tapping his pen, his foot, whatever he can, who eats all my lemon Starbursts, who likes his hair pulled and his lovers demanding…" His thoughts trailed off and he knew if he didn't put space between the two of them he was going to do something he really shouldn't be doing in the conference room. He jumped to his feet and moved towards the windows.

They were quiet for a minute until Elly's voice broke the silence, but it sounded small.

"Was he right? Is Andy a temptation?"

Ned sighed and moved to stand across from Elly on the other side of the conference table, demanding his attention. "If we weren't together, he would be. With Andy, there was some incredible sexual tension. He knew all the right buttons to push. We learned a lot from each other and together. I know that I could get what I want out of him with just a couple of words. That's all we had in the end though- sex. We changed so much between when we first started dating and when we saw each other again in college. You know me better than that. You know I wouldn't give up the real thing for a cheap release, especially when I have just as much sexual chemistry with you, if not more."

Elly exhaled sharply and nodded. "I'm not used to people wanting me for more than sex. I guess that's left its mark on me. It's going to take a lot for me to get used to the fact that you're not like them, or like how I used to be. You don't let your dick control you."

"Well," Ned said with a smirk, "Sometimes I do. You're learning about that a little slower than I'd like right now, but we'll get there."

Elly smiled at him and shook his head. "I really do love you, you know that, right?"

"I really do love you, too," Ned replied. "I'll have a ring around this finger in about a week that will prove that."

Elly got to his feet. "I can't wait until they're ready!" He stretched.

"Boss was pretty scary earlier. We're going to have to make sure we leave our arguments at the door. He wasn't playing."

"No, he wasn't," Elly agreed. "We're going to have to check it. I know we have a lot of arguments like this to get out of the way, but promise me that you'll know whenever we fight it's just… clearing the air. We're going to come out the other end stronger than before."

"I know. We're not exactly pacing ourselves here. It's going to be hot and cold for a while. We've got a pattern going already."

"Let's break the pattern. We don't fight- we discuss. We talk about it, we don't let emotions win out. We stay honest with each other."

"Deal," Ned said. "And if we have to fight, we do it at home where we can have incredible make-up sex, because this whole wanting to take this out on you and not being able to is pretty much killing me."

"You know, I don't think I've ever had make-up sex. I've had hate sex, but never make-up sex. Never been with anyone I wanted to make-up with."

"That's something I can definitely introduce you to," Ned said seriously as he nodded.

"I'll look forward to it," Elly said. "We should probably get downstairs for now though before Boss comes looking for us."

"We need to go before I bend you over that table and do something that's going to get us fired is more like it," Ned said.

"Alright! Here I go," Elly said as he rushed past Ned and out the door. Ned shook his head and smiled as he watched Elly disappear.

* * *

Ziva hung up the phone. Dion's restaurant was doing very well and they'd been trying to find time to talk whenever possible since Ziva was usually asleep before Dion got home. She smiled to herself. She was content. It was a great feeling.

Tim looked up from his computer. He'd been waiting for Ziva to finish her conversation.

"I'm leaving half an hour early today," he informed her. "I got a call from Wally. His glasses are ready to be picked up from the VA so I'm going to run him over there."

"Wally? You mean the man that knew your father?"

"Yeah."

"That is very nice of you," Ziva said.

"I made the mistake of telling Abby about him. If I'm not careful she's going to try to bring him home to live with us."

Ziva laughed. "I could see Abby doing something like that."

"Exactly the problem. Wally could use a few more people in his corner, but he doesn't need someone to take him in and coddle him. He has his fair share of problems."

"I am glad you know your limits." Ziva nodded slowly as she considered the man across the room. She had been as afraid as Gibbs had been that Tim was going to get himself wrapped up with Wallace Lively and taken advantage of. It was good to know that he knew his boundaries.

* * *

Tony's team listened to their boss talking to Marcella about changing the date of the wedding. He was ecstatic when she said that she had the 21st of July free, and his team was happy for him.

"So, it's set?" Ned asked as he disconnected.

"So far it looks like the new date is July 21st!" he announced. A noise came from the phone in Tony's hand, and he looked down at it with a beaming smile. That smile suddenly changed when he saw who the text was from. He opened the text from Malek and started smiling again.

"Malek, Talia, and Dina are all safe at the place that Leyla had set up for them," he relayed to his team.

"That's good news," Elly said, nodding at Tony when he looked up.

"Yeah, it is. Now I get to tell Jethro all of the good news!" He dialed the number and waited for him to pick up.

"Hey," Jethro said softly.

"Hey," Tony said, realizing that Jethro was intentionally being quiet. "Munchkin asleep near you?"

"Yeah. She's got her head in my lap," he practically whispered back.

"I'll make this quick, then. I talked to Marcella and she can do the 21st! So, if you could confirm with the park and get the seating arrangements taken care of, that would be great."

"I can do that. Abby called me this morning. She has a few photographers that she's going to call today and find out prices and availability. She said she'd call me back with the information."

"Great! It looks like the only thing left to do is go shopping for clothes and find someone to perform the actual ceremony."

"We also need to go get the license," Jethro reminded him.

"Yeah. Do you want me to call my lawyer about the adoption?"

"Leyla's said she would help us handle it, but we both need to update our wills."

"Yes, we do. That can wait a few more weeks though until we get a chance to talk to Leyla's lawyer. Speaking of Leyla, I just got a text from Malek that said the three of them have landed at their new place."

"Yeah, I got that too."

"You don't sound relieved," Tony said thoughtfully. He heard Jethro sigh.

"Trying to remind myself that Leyla was protecting them and so many like them. She was an incredibly brave woman."

Tony chewed on his bottom lip a moment. "Yeah, she was," he finally said. "Her daughter is going to be just like her."

"Already is," Jethro said, the smile creeping back into his voice.

Tony smiled and closed his eyes at the sound of it. "Yeah, she is."

"There's another call I made this morning."

"Oh?" Tony said, intrigued.

"I talked to Vance about what service he used to find the nanny for his kids. He gave me their number. I haven't called them yet, though. I wanted to talk to you first."

"Oh!" Tony was kind of surprised that Jethro had reached out to Vance, and was even more surprised that he hadn't made the call already. "Smart thinking. Why don't I try to come home early so we can go ahead and give them a call?"

"Up to you. We can wait a while still if you'd want."

Tony snickered to himself. "They wouldn't have to start right away. You can still take the full two weeks off with her." He couldn't quite hear what Jethro grumbled to himself, but he knew he'd hit the nail on the head. "She's going to have to get used to it sooner than later. We'll find her someone amazing to watch her. And if I don't have to take the two weeks off we'd planned to spend with her, that's more time I have that I can take off with her once school starts again in case she gets sick."

"Don't like to think about that being necessary."

"I don't either, but I'd rather be there with her myself if she was sick than a babysitter. Though we'd have to have a babysitter if we wanted to get some alone time to…"

"Okay! Okay! I get it. I'll go ahead and call these people and find out if they can set up an appointment to talk about their services and what kinds of people they employ."

"Atta boy!" Tony said with a bright grin.

"Daddy?" Tony could hear Amira's voice through the phone as Jethro's end of the conversation had awakened her.

"I'm just talking to Tony, Munchkin. It's okay. You can go back to sleep," Jethro said with a much gentler voice.

"Can I- can I talk to him?" she asked, then yawned loudly. Jethro handed Amira the phone and she sat up with it to her ear. "Hi, Daddy."

"Hi, Munchkin. How you feeling?"

"My ear did this icky thing, and all this stuff came out, and now I feel all better!"

"Really? That's gross! I'm glad you feel better though."

"I'm a little- a little sleepy. But that's okay, right?"

"That's perfectly fine, Munchkin. You can sleep all you want."

"Okay. Here's Daddy. Oh! Wait! Can I have a blue?"

"If Daddy Gibbsy says you can have a blue, you can have a blue."

"Yay!" Amira dropped the phone in Jethro's lap, and Tony could hear her ask Jethro "Can I have a blue?"

"With dinner. You had some this morning already."

"Awwwww!" she said.

"You can have some juice if you want." Jethro put the phone back to his ear. "You still there?"

"Yeah. Go ahead. I'll talk to you when I get home."

"Okay. Love you."

"Love you, too."

They disconnected and Jethro got up to get a cup of apple juice for Amira. He screwed the lid on and poked the straw through it before handing it off to her.

"Can I watch cartoons?"

Jethro looked at the clock. It said a little after 1300. "You can watch them until the little hand is on the two."

"Yay!" she said, running with her cup into the living room. Jethro followed her and turned the TV on to the Disney Junior station she liked. Not for the first time that week he thanked Tony silently for getting cable for them. He took his phone to the laundry room for a little privacy, and he pulled the number out of his pocket that Vance had given him earlier. Ten minutes later, after explaining a little bit about their situation and dropping Vance's name, they had an appointment to sit down with someone at the office and do an intake on their needs. He texted Tony to let him know.

_\- - Friday at 1600- meeting for babysitter_

Tony got the message and sighed. As much as he knew they needed to do this, and as much as he liked to razz Jethro about it, the thought of leaving her in someone else's care was unsettling to him. He hoped the meeting would be helpful in calming his nerves.

\- _Sounds great!_

He was setting the phone down when it rang. He answered it to dispatch. He took down the information on their crime scene and victim's name and hung up.

"Let's go! We've got a case."

* * *

Tony and Jethro

\- - _Hey- we got a case. Going to be home late._

_\- -Do you want me to save you some dinner?_

_\- -No thanks. Going to order a pizza for the team._

_\- - OK. Be careful. Come home to us safe and sound._

_\- -I promise._

Ned and Elly

_\- - Sorry you're stuck in the office. It's going to be a long one._

_\- - I'm going out of my mind! Tell Boss to send me something to start researching._

_\- - I mentioned it. He's going to call you soon. He's with the LEOs._

_\- - All I can think about is how much this is going to delay make-up sex._

_\- -Damn it! I hadn't thought about that! Been too caught up in the case._

_\- -I've been imagining what I can do to you with my neck in this brace. It's not what I want to be doing, but I'm pretty sure I can find a way to make this good for you._

Ten minutes later…

_\- - You must be working. It would probably be evil of me to sext you right now. How evil am I feeling? I'm going to start taking your clothes off as soon as we're in the door while I kiss you and run my hands up your back. Our clothes would drop to the floor, our weapons and badges right along with them. I'd already be hard and aching for you. I'd press you up against the wall while I kiss you, my right hand pulling your hair in that way you like while my left hand reaches to stroke your dick._

_\- -STOP! YOU'RE FUCKING EVIL!_

_\- - No, you wouldn't tell me to stop. You'd beg me to keep going._

_\- - Can't talk to dead guy's wife while thinking about your hand on my cock._

_\- - Then make Boss call me with something to do!_

\- - _And what should I say to him? Hey, Boss, will you give Ned something to do so he'll stop sexting me?_

_\- -Ha. Ha. Where was I? Oh yeah… I was stroking your cock._

_\- -EVIL FUCKER!_

Tony and Ned

_\- - Elly just turned bright red. If you're doing what I think you're doing, I'm going to headslap you so hard you'll feel it next week._

_\- - I'll be good._

_\- - That's what I'm worried about! I need his head in the game, not on you!_

_\- -You've got a lot of faith in my skills Boss._

_\- -He's blushing so bright I think I may need to get the fire extinguisher out._

_\- - Idle hands are the devil's playthings._

_\- - I'll call you in ten. Until then, BEHAVE!_

Ned and Elly

_\- -Abort! Abort! Boss saw you blush and knows about my where my hands and mind are!_

_\- -I'm going to fucking kill you when I get back to the office. You may wanna hide._

_\- -Can we have make-up sex after you kill me?_

_\- - … Probably._

* * *

Jethro was taking a tray of chicken tenders out of the oven when his phone rang. He kind of hoped it would be Tony wanting to talk about his case. He hadn't realized it until that moment, but he was really starting to miss work. He took the oven mitts off and pulled his phone from his pocket. The small screen read Abby, and he smiled.

"Hey, Abs."

"Hi, Gibbs! I just got an email that I think you'll find interesting."

"Does this have to do with Tony's case?"

"What? No! And you need to focus on Amira and the wedding! Stop thinking about work! Tony's fine. We miss you, but we're doing okay without you for now."

Jethro sighed. "What's in the email, Abs?"

"Sister Rosita has a friend that can do your wedding!"

"Do what at our wedding?"

"Perform it, silly! It's like the worst kept secret that today's nun is usually super open-minded, so I was talking to her about helping you and Tony plan for the wedding, and she mentioned that she has a friend who used to be a nun in the order until she left it to marry her wife. She happens to now be an Episcopalian minister who has July 21st open."

"Does it have to be an Episcopalian thing?"

"No. I gave her a call to see what it would all entail, and she would just want to meet with you and Tony this weekend for an hour or so to go over what you want to do. She's free on Saturday between 10 and 2, and she's free Sunday evening."

Jethro smiled as he shook his head. He was so grateful for the woman on the other end of the phone, and he knew he owed her something much better than a CafPow for all the help she'd given them planning the wedding.

"If you want to text me her number I'll give her a call tomorrow."

"Great! She seemed really cool over the phone. I think you'll like her. She's not too over the top, but she's definitely got a soft spot for weddings."

They talked another couple of minutes about photographers. She had it narrowed down to two, and Jethro asked for their information to be sent to him as well. He was getting excited about the ceremony now that all of the loose ends were coming together.

"Can I ask you to do something for me?" Jethro asked, knowing that Abby would love this one.

"What's up?" she asked.

"Do you think you could take Amira out dress shopping on Saturday for a flower girl dress?"

"That would be so much fun! I'd love to!"

"That would give Tony and I time to meet with this minister."

Abby's exuberance was evident over the phone and she squealed to confirm it. "I'm so excited for you guys!"

"Thanks! I'm getting excited, too. We're going Friday afternoon to talk to someone about hiring a babysitter for the long term."

"That's good. I'm sure you're ready to get back to work."

Jethro looked into the living room at Amira who was sitting on the couch with Dirt and her Lite Brite. He thought about them being curled up together on the couch just twenty minutes earlier while she played with it, and he sighed. He missed work, but this was nice, too. He knew they'd only get the chance to do this once, and he wanted to experience every moment possible with his little girl.

"I'm taking the full two weeks, even if we find somebody. Gonna make sure Amira gets settled in."

"She's really lucky to have you, Gibbs. She's going to be okay."

Jethro smiled and turned back to the cookie sheet of chicken tenders. "Thanks, Abs. Gotta go. Dinner time."

"Have a good night, Gibbs."

"You too."

* * *

Tony closed the front door carefully behind him. He looked around the living room as he hung his jacket up on the coatrack and then headed for the stairs. He was exhausted. It was close to three in the morning and all he wanted to do was go to sleep. The light was on, so he stopped in Amira's doorway to check on her, but he found that Jethro was curled up in her bed with her. She was wrapped around her new father, and a book was in bed with them from where Jethro had fallen asleep reading to her.

Something changed in Tony. He felt life suddenly take a giant leap forward and settle. This was his life now, and he was happy with it. This was his family. He had a family of his own to protect and love. This was the new norm. He would come home late sometimes to find Jethro and Amira had fallen asleep together, and then sometimes Jethro would come home late to find the two of them cuddled on the couch asleep after watching a movie. And then other times they would come home to Amira asleep in her own bed while their babysitter watched something on the TV downstairs.

There would be mornings where they wanted to strangle each other because they all made each other late, and there would be mornings where they woke up snuggled in the bed together because of an overnight thunderstorm that scared Amira badly enough to need comforting. There would be dinner times, and teeth brushing, and bath times, and bed times. There would be toys to trip over, laundry to wash, photos on the mantle and colored pictures on the fridge.

This was perfection. He never in his wildest dreams would've thought that this was what he wanted out of life, but the family in front of him was his idea of perfection. He leaned against the door frame and watched his family sleep and dream, and he knew that there would never be a greater fear than the fear of losing them. There would be nothing he craved so much as their happiness. He would strive to keep them safe and happy for the rest of his life, and he would finally find satisfaction with his life. This is what he was meant to do. There was no doubt about it.

He walked over and laid a hand on Jethro's shoulder. The soft touch startled him awake. Once he saw Tony though, he smiled.

"Hey," he said softly. "What time is it?"

"Almost 3:30. Are you coming to bed?"

"Probably should or my back is going to kill me in the morning." He carefully untangled himself from Amira and slipped Dirt in his place. He followed Tony to the door and turned the light off, staring for a moment at his new daughter.

"She's so amazing," Tony whispered.

Jethro turned to Tony. "Yeah, she is."

"Life has taken off at a sprint. I hope I can keep up."

"You're doing great so far. Don't see that changing," Jethro reassured him. He reached down and took Tony's hand and led him to the bedroom.

"It's just that I suddenly have a family. I have a family, and I have a team, and I'm getting married in a few weeks, and my life, my entire world, suddenly got so much… fuller. It's like I blinked and life caught up with me."

"I'm right there with you," Jethro said as they stopped in the middle of the room and turned to each other. Tony's hands came up and rested on Jethro's biceps, and Jethro's hands moved to Tony's waist.

"I know, and that is probably the most amazing part of it all. You're here, with me, in our house, with our daughter sleeping down the hall, and _our_ wedding is coming up in just a few weeks. I have _you_. I got you, and suddenly I got everything I never knew I'd ever wanted."

Jethro leaned forward and kissed Tony gently. "Never thought I'd be this happy again." Tony smiled at that. "What time are you going in tomorrow?"

"Regular time. We hit a roadblock, so we're just grabbing a few hours and a shower and going back in."

"I should let you get to sleep then. I have plans with Amira tomorrow. We're going to the hardware store. Was going to go today, but the rain didn't stop, and I decided to wait."

"Smart thinking. Get her brainwashed early!"

"Smartass. I'm getting a new doorknob for our room with a lock on it, and I'm going to let her pick out a sandbox for the backyard."

"Awesome! So we can build sandcastles together this weekend?"

Jethro chuckled. "Yeah. Thought you'd be more excited about being able to lock the bedroom, but…"

Tony threw his head back and started laughing. "If I wasn't so damned tired I would've probably jumped on that part first, but the thought of sex right now is so exhausting that I mentally ran in the other direction."

"I understand. Not to mention, it's kind of sexy when you embrace the whole being a dad thing."

"Really?" Tony asked with a smirk.

"Really. We should probably get to bed." They pulled apart to slip into clothes that would be better to sleep in, and Jethro started telling Tony about his conversation with Abby earlier. Tony was as excited as he could be at 3:30 in the morning.

When they got into bed, alarm set and door cracked in case Amira got up, Tony wrapped himself around Jethro tightly. Jethro held him back, running his fingers through Tony's hair.

"I love you," Tony said softly.

"I love you, too, Tony," Jethro said back, then dropped a kiss to Tony's head.

* * *

Elly's head was buried in his phone, texting Carolyn back. He'd ignored his texts after the incident with Ned earlier, thinking he'd continued his onslaught of sexting. Once they got the word to go home and get a little sleep, he'd checked them to find that the series of chimes he'd received had been from his stepmom. He sent her an apology back while he waited for Ned to join him in the car.

He was wired. He'd been surviving on coffee all night, and he was regretting it. The idea of sleep sounded good in theory, but his mind was firing on all cylinders and he was sure that he wasn't going to be able to get any sleep for a while still.

He finished his message to Carolyn and then went back to the messages from Ned. Rereading them, he realized how he was going to burn off some of that caffeinated energy he had buzzing through him. He hoped that Ned would be on board and up to the challenge. He'd gotten him a refill every time he went for one, so he was pretty sure he was going to be just as wired as he was. He was starting to imagine ways to make sure Ned got the picture that despite the late hour, the make-up sex was on.

The door opened on the passenger side of his car and Ned climbed in.

"You good?" Elly asked.

"Yeah. Homeward bound."

Elly started the car and backed out of his space. "I stopped reading my texts earlier when we were at the scene because I thought they were coming from you and was afraid of what they were saying. They ended up being from Carolyn."

"Whoops," Ned said, glancing at Elly to see if he was going to get blamed for that.

"I can't believe you," Elly said. "You were sexting me while I was on a crime scene! New rule, no sexting at work."

"Aw! That's no fun! Not even on a boring office day?"

" _Especially_ not on a boring office day. We sit a mere five feet from our boss! Our apparently very observant boss. No sexting at work!"

Ned started laughing, but Elly wasn't.

"Is this retaliation for me going off about Andy?"

"No?" Ned said, suddenly confused. "I'm hoping we're past that."

Elly sensed the opening he needed, and put the rest of his train of thought on hold. "Oh, we're not past that yet. Not by a long shot. I'm still looking forward to the make-up sex you promised me."

"Oh?" Ned said, his interest definitely piqued. "I could really go for some make-up sex."

"Thank god! I thought you'd be too tired. I'm so freaking wired it's unreal!"

"I'm going to unwind you, starting right now," Ned said, reaching to run his hand across Elly's thigh slowly until he could palm him through his pants.

"Shiiiiiiiiiiit," Elly growled. "You really are an evil fucking bastard, but I'll admit it- I love it."

"Such a sexual creature," Ned said, his voice dropping to a husky low. "Sexual, but with so much heart. You don't have to worry. There's no one I want like I want you. And I'm going to prove that to you."

Elly leaned back in the driver's seat, his left hand steering the wheel so his right arm would be out of Ned's way.

"You're not going to get off easy. You're going to have to make up for accusing me of being unfaithful." Ned reached up and took Elly's right hand and put it on his own groin.

"Shit," Elly said as he began palming and squeezing Ned's dick through his pants. It immediately began growing harder under his touch. Within a minute it was tenting Ned's trousers. He tried to stroke it as he drove, fighting to keep his eyes on the road as Ned's hand kept palming him and causing a delicious friction.

When they finally pulled up to Ned's apartment, they both were out of the car and racing up the steps in seconds. Ned's hands were sure as he slipped the key into the lock on his door and opened it. A couple of moments later and they were on the other side of the door, and he had Elly pressed against it. They were both moaning into the kiss they shared, and Ned's hands were pulling their clothes off. Elly reached to help and Ned took his hands and pinned them to the door, kissing him even harder. Ned pulled back out of the kiss.

"You don't get to use your hands tonight," he said roughly into Elly's ear. It wasn't until Ned was completely naked in front of him and pulling on his belt that he understood the implications of that. He groaned and leaned forward, looking for any skin he could kiss, lick, suckle, bite… any kind of contact he could make without using his hands. His pants dropped to the floor, carried by the weight of his holster, wallet, phone, and keys as his mouth locked on Ned's neck, kissing him and suckling the spot he'd earned. He flattened his hands against the door as the rest of him leaned forward to lick up the side of Ned's neck until he could suck his earlobe into his mouth, making Ned moan.

Ned's hands ran down Elly's body, enjoying the tone, lean muscles under his hands. He ran them up his stomach, over his chest, around his shoulders and then down his arms. It was then that he realized how Elly had plastered his hands to the door to keep him from reaching out and touching him. He smirked and leaned in to kiss Elly again, enjoying the way his lover bent to his whim. The hunger in the kiss was one of the most intense things he'd ever felt. Elly suckled his tongue like it was what it was meant for. Their tongues twirled around each other over and over as they struggled for some kind of control while their lips slid over each other and noises of pleasure filled the air.

Ned pulled back and bent to kiss Elly's neck. His own neck screamed at him in pain and he realized that wasn't going to happen. His brace wouldn't let him move to the side like he needed to anyway, so he diverted and went to Elly's tone shoulder and collarbone instead.

Elly had heard the hiss of pain and realized this was his chance to prove himself. He began kissing his way down Ned's neck and shoulder, then down his chest, teasing his nipples mercilessly. His tongue left trails all over Ned's chest and shoulders. He stood up straight again and looked Ned in the eyes. Ned took a step forward, pressing his body against Elly's and pinning him against the door again while kissing him hard. Like he'd promised, his right hand went up to pull Elly's hair and hold his head in place so he could kiss him thoroughly, and his left hand went to Elly's waist, pulling his body as tightly against him as possible.

Elly moaned deeply as he felt his hair pulled. He'd always loved that, but something about the way Ned did it sent pins and needles through his entire body and set him on fire. There was an unspoken demand in it to move a certain way in order to please his lover, and he had such a deep seeded compulsion to fulfill that need with Ned that he would do anything to please him. And he knew he was about to. He ached to bring him the pleasure he deserved for loving him as much as he did.

As soon as Ned let go of Elly's hair, Elly slid down the door until he was on his knees in front of Ned. Halfway down, his eyes found Ned's shining gray ones and they stayed locked for a long moment while he waited for Ned's permission to move. Ned's hand went to his head, running his fingers through his hair gently.

"I have to say," Ned said, his voice husky and breaking. "There is nothing I've ever experienced that was as hot as having you on your knees in front of me with that look in your eyes that says you belong to me."

"I do?" Elly asked, his voice rough and eyes shining.

"You do. And I belong to you," Ned said, feeling an overwhelming love for this man who was putting so much trust in him. He vowed to the universe that he would always hold that trust and love very near and dear to him and never betray it.

Elly suddenly lunged forward and pressed his lips against the head of Ned's thick cock. Ned threw his head back as those lips created a tight vacuum that slid halfway down his shaft and back.

"Oh, god," Ned breathed out.

The next ten minutes were spent with Elly doing amazing things with his mouth, his tongue and lips pleasuring Ned to the best of his ability. He held nothing back and Ned thought he was going to come on two different occasions, but Elly pulled back just enough to keep him on edge. Just when he thought he was going to black out, Elly cheated and used his hands to palm and squeeze his balls.

"Shit!" Ned gasped. "I'm gonna come!"

Elly pulled back, using his hand to finish stroking Ned through his orgasm as he came all over Elly's shoulder and neck. "That's it. Come for me," Elly said, looking up into Ned's face as he came.

Once he was sure Ned was done, he slowly stood up. The blood in his body had pooled in his groin and he was hard as rock. He didn't want to stand up too fast and pass out. As soon as he was on his feet again, Ned pushed him back against the door, kissing him hard and stroking him harder. Elly was startled, but after only a brief moment was kissing him back, his arms wrapped around Ned's neck as they kissed. He panted heavily in between kisses, his body jerking forward into Ned's grasp. It wasn't going to take long at all for him to come. He threw his head back just a minute later as his voice failed him halfway through a cry, and he came.

They stood panting and leaning against the front door for a couple of minutes in silence as they caught their breaths.

"So, I give make-up sex two thumbs up," Elly finally said.

"That was easily the best blowjob of my life."

Elly chuckled. "Shower and sleep?"

"Definitely. I think I'm going to fall over."

After getting a shower, the two climbed into bed together. Ned laid on his back and Elly curled into him, his head resting on Ned's arm as he pulled Elly close. They lay in silence for a few minutes, and then Elly whispered, "I really like the idea of belonging to you."

Ned smiled and moved to run his fingers through Elly's hair. "I really like the idea of us belonging to each other."

* * *

They put the case away Thursday afternoon, and got some real rest that night. Tony was proud of how his team worked together to find the killer, and he made sure to let them know. Friday came, and no one caught a case, so at 1530 Tony left his team with instructions to support Tim and Ziva if they got the Bat signal, and he packed up.

He wasn't eager about the meeting with the childcare agency, but he was open to it. A part of him was jealous that Jethro was going to be able to spend two weeks at home with Amira by themselves while he wasn't going to get his turn, but he knew his team was too new still to leave them alone. They were doing amazing things, but their basic field training was still an ongoing process, and he didn't want to leave it to Jethro if he could help it.

He called Jethro to let him know he left the office on time and that he was heading across town. Jethro told him that he and Amira were getting in the car and would meet him there. Twenty minutes later and they were standing in front of a large building together.

"I explained to Amira why we're here," Jethro told him. "She's a little nervous."

Tony bent over and picked her up and she wrapped her arms around his neck tightly. "You have nothing to be nervous about sweetie. If you don't like someone, you tell us and we'll find someone else to take care of you while we're at work. You don't have to pretend to like anyone, and you don't have to be afraid to tell us that you don't like them. We want you to be happy."

Amira nodded fervently, and Tony reached up to pat her hair. "You ready?" he asked her. She pulled back to play with his collar and took a deep breath, then nodded. "Atta girl! Let's do this."

They headed into the building and found the elevators. They got off at the fifth floor and turned right to follow the signs to the office. They walked in to find a pleasant receptionist and an equally pleasant waiting room. They were asked to take a seat for a moment, and as they turned to find a place they noticed they weren't alone.

A young woman in her late twenties was sitting in the lobby with blonde curly hair and a bright smile on her face. She took the family in openly, while they observed her hesitantly. After a brief minute of silence between them the receptionist called Jethro's name. The three followed her back to a large room with a desk, two chairs in front of it, and a large children's play area over to the side.

"Do you want to play while we talk, Munchkin?" Tony asked quietly. Amira lifted her head from his shoulder and looked around. Once she spotted the kids area she nodded enthusiastically. He sat her down and turned to where Jethro was introducing them to a woman who came out from behind the desk.

"…and this is my fiancé, Tony."

The woman shook his hand with a bright smile. "Hi, Tony. I'm Marla. It's nice to meet both of you! Please, have a seat. I take it that's Amira?" she asked as she watched Amira play with a couple of stuffed animals.

"Yes," Tony answered.

"Wonderful! Now, Jethro told me a little bit about your situation and your schedules, but what I'd like to do today is lay it all out on a calendar, get a list of qualities you'd like your sitter to have, and a list of tasks that you'd like for her or him to perform."

Jethro nodded and Tony said, "Okay." Neither were too comfortable with the idea of leaving Amira in someone else's care, and Marla sensed that. She tried to put them at ease.

"I understand Amira has had a hard time lately, and I've thought that through. I'm not going to beat around the bush with you. I think I have someone that would be perfect for her, but I won't know until we lay out the basics. If everything lines up, then I think you'll be very happy with her."

They glanced at each other and then back at Marla. They spent the next twenty minutes going over their schedules and their needs. They agreed that having someone to cook for them would be really nice. Their schedules had them living on a fast food diet most nights, and that wasn't the healthiest thing for Amira. They were sure to spell out that it didn't need to be anything fancy, just healthier than greasy burgers every night or take out Chinese. Other than that, and cleaning up after any messes that Amira made during the day, they didn't want a maid on top of a babysitter.

Once they were finished talking, Marla smiled and sighed. "I think Sierra is going to be perfect for you," she said. "Let me tell you a little bit about her, and you can tell me what you think." Both men nodded their agreements, and she continued. "Sierra is 29 years old, and has been with us for nine years. Last month, the family she worked for had another baby that has very special needs. The child needs around the clock care, and that's not what Sierra signed up for, so she stepped down and another full time, live-in nanny took her place. She was with the family for four years, and before that she was with a family for three years. She received her Associates in Early Childhood Education from the College of Southern Maryland, but she started back to school last year to get her Bachelor's degree in child psychology. She wants to specialize in childhood trauma."

Tony and Jethro looked at each other.

"Most of her classes are online, but she does have a morning class this fall semester. Her class schedule will change with each semester of course, but she's dedicated to working her schedule around her client's. She's absolutely incredible with children, and I know that she would be sensitive to Amira's loss, and she may even have some ways to help get her through it. She's naturally intuitive like that."

"She sounds great," Jethro said when Marla paused to get their reactions.

"You said that she's been with you for nine years. Why did she leave previous families?" Tony asked.

"When she first started she wasn't dedicated to one family. She would take short term assignments. Her mother was very ill, and she took a lot of time to take care of her. It's why she put off getting her degree. The family before the one she just left started making derogatory comments while she was around, and she asked to be reassigned."

"They mistreated her?" Jethro asked.

"No, but their political views were very different from her own, and she didn't appreciate their bigotry."

Tony and Jethro gave each other a glance with raised eyebrows.

"Daddy! Look! They snuggle!" Amira came bounding over to jump up into Tony's lap with a couple of the stuffed animals that were locked in an embrace.

"They look cozy," Tony told her, his arms going around her to keep her from slipping off his lap. "Amira, this is Ms. Marla. She's talking to us about a lady that might want to babysit you."

"Uh-huh," Amira said, eyeing Marla with scrutiny.

"Would you like to meet her?" Marla asked with a gentle smile.

Tony looked at Jethro, who gave him a quick nod. Tony nodded to Marla. "Sure," he said.

"Wonderful!" Marla beamed at them and turned to her desk phone. "Connie? Could you send Sierra in?"

Tony looked at Jethro quickly and then at Amira. He didn't realize she had meant right now. "Amira honey, we're going to meet Sierra. She's a babysitter, and she sounds really nice. You can tell us if you don't like her or if you do, okay?"

Amira looked nervous and snuggled into Tony, clenching the stuffed animals to her. The door opened and everyone in the room turned their attention to the blonde woman that was sitting in the lobby with them earlier. She smiled at them, a touch of nervousness to her expression that somehow endeared her to both Jethro and Tony. Amira sat up to see who had just come in.

"Oh!" Amira said like she and Sierra had known each other forever. "You were outside!"

"Yeah. I knew who you were as soon as you came in. You just looked like such a perfect little family that I found myself gawking. I'm sorry if I made you nervous," Sierra said, blushing as she looked at Jethro and Tony. Jethro got to his feet, and Tony followed suit. They reached to shake Sierra's hand and introduce themselves. Amira looked mesmerized when Sierra reached out to shake her hand like one of the grownups.

"Is that a bunny?!" Sierra asked Amira excitedly. Amira looked down at the stuffed animals she was holding.

"They're snuggling!" she announced.

"Snuggling is a very good thing," Sierra said with a nod. "Do you like to snuggle?"

"Uh-huh! I snuggle with my daddies all the time! Do you snuggle with your daddies?" she asked innocently.

Sierra chuckled. "I don't have daddies, but I did have a mommy, and I snuggled with her all the time."

Amira got very serious suddenly, and Tony and Jethro both froze, realizing the implication of those words. "Do you still have a mommy?"

Sierra shook her head no solemnly.

"Oh. Me either." Amira's sad voice pierced everyone in the room.

"I bet you miss her a lot," Sierra said. "I know I miss mine every single day."

"You do?" Amira asked, turning her attention to the bunny.

"Yes," Sierra said.

"I have daddies now. Did you have daddies or mommies when your mommy went to be a angel?"

Sierra shook her head. "I was already a grownup, so I didn't have either."

"Oh. Well…" Amira looked at Tony, then back at Sierra. "Maybe you can share mine!"

Chuckles broke out around the room. "That's very sweet of you, Ms. Amira," Sierra said with a smile.

Tony leaned in and whispered in Amira's ear, and then Amira looked at him and nodded very seriously. "Why don't you go play with the bunnies while we talk grown up talk with Ms. Sierra and Ms. Marla," Tony said, setting Amira down. She skipped back over to the toy area, and Tony offered Sierra his seat.

They spent the next ten minutes discussing schedules and salary. It didn't take long for them to agree on anything. It was one of the easiest negotiations Tony had ever seen take place for anything, and Jethro seemed equally pleased.

"I'm going to be off work next week," Jethro told her, but it would be nice if you could start anyway, that way Amira has a transition phase and I can take care of some of the last minute wedding details."

"That would be great! When's the wedding going to be?" Sierra asked, tucking her hair behind her ears.

"July 21st," Jethro said with a smile.

"Are you planning a honeymoon?" she asked.

"We are, but the dates may have to change on that now. We'll have to see," Jethro answered, looking at Tony.

"We were originally supposed to get married in September, but we moved it up on account of everything with Amira," Tony clarified.

Sierra nodded. "Makes sense," she agreed. "Well, I'm ready to start whenever you are. We just need to get the agreement signed, and we can do this."

"I can draw it up over the weekend, and we can sign it on Monday," Marla said.

"Why don't I stop by here on Monday, pick it up, and then I can come over and we can sign it and I can get familiar with the house, some of Amira's interests, have you get comfortable with me, and then I can start on Tuesday."

"Sounds good to me," Marla said, looking at the guys for any sign of dissent.

Tony looked at Jethro. "What do you think?"

"Should be okay," Jethro said. "I don't think I have anything planned on Monday."

"Great!" Sierra said. "I think this is going to work out really, really well. I'm really excited!"

Tony and Jethro smiled at her. They had both found her charming in her own way, and it kind of reminded Tony of Ned's quirkiness. He figured it came from being around children most of the time.

They all stood up, shook hands again, and said their goodbyes before collecting Amira and having to break the news that the stuffed animals couldn't come home with them.

The three of them decided to go out to dinner and talk about Sierra. They were sitting down in the diner together when Jethro's regular waitress approached them.

"And who is this gorgeous little thing?" she asked.

"Loraine," Jethro greeted. "This is our daughter, Amira."

"Daughter? How long have you been hiding that?" she asked, looking at him with a hand on his shoulder and a pot of coffee in her other hand.

"It's a recent development," Tony said with a smirk.

"Well, it's nice to meet you Amira. And if these two give you any trouble, you just let me know. I've got a few tricks up my sleeve."

"What are you going to do, Loraine? Withhold my coffee?" Jethro jested with a smirk.

"No, I wouldn't do that to the rest of your family and coworkers. You without your coffee is something I've seen all too often, and I wouldn't subject them to that."

"Coffee's icky!" Amira announced.

"What would you like to drink, sweetie?" Loraine asked.

"Blue!" Amira responded with glee.

"They don't have blue here," Tony said with a grimace. "How about milk?"

"Chocolate milk?" Amira asked with puppy dog eyes.

"Chocolate milk it is," Loraine said. Tony looked up with her with a scoff. "Please, you weren't going to say no to those eyes."

"She's right," Jethro said, earning a kick under the table as he laughed.

"Fine, make it two. I'm going to teach her how to blow bubbles in it."

"Two chocolate milks and two straws," Loraine said. "I'll be right back."

"Loraine's gotten used to you," Jethro said to Tony.

"Good, because I'm not going anywhere."


	52. Chapter 52

_Three weeks later…_

Tony watched Elly with a death glare. Elly's attention was on his computer screen, but Tony could tell that his eyes weren't moving, so he wasn't actually doing anything. He couldn't take it anymore.

"Elijah Critten! If you don't stop tapping your damn pencil I'm going to shoot it!"

Elly gave Tony the death glare back, something Tony wasn't expecting.

"He's going to be fine," Tony said with a sigh. "He'll be back any time now."

"What's got you so worked up over this?" Parke asked.

Elly sighed, dropped his pencil, and sat back with his arms crossed. "How would you feel sleeping next to someone for a month with _very_ limited activity?"

Both Tony and Parke looked at him in shock.

"Certain… _things_ haven't been able to happen yet because of that stupid brace, and if it doesn't come off today I'm going to start shooting _people_!" Elly growled.

"You mean you guys haven't…" Tony trailed off, a look of horror on his face.

"Nope!" Elly said with more tension than either man had ever heard from him before.

"Damn, Elly. I'm so sorry," Parke said, his voice full of daunted wonder. "I thought something was up, but I didn't think of that. That blows."

"Nope, tried! Can't do that either!" Elly snapped.

Tony and Parke looked at each other with horrified grimaces, partially because of the situation, and partially because of the first class overshare.

"So if you don't mind, I'm going to tap my little yellow pencil until I find out if the torture is over!"

Tony groaned and put his head in his hands as Elly started tapping his pencil wildly against his desk again.

"If it bothers you that much, you can go home. You're not supposed to be here today anyway. You're getting married tomorrow for god's sake!" he fired at Tony through the tapping noise.

"I came to work today to get away from the noise! It's all "Tony, did we do this?" and "Tony, did you remember this?" and "Tony, don't forget we have to do this…" Tony looked back and forth between the two men in the bullpen with him. "If I go home, I'm going to kill him, and then we won't have to worry about a wedding."

Parke tried to control his laughter. "I'm sorry, I just can't imagine Gibbs as a groomzilla. That's just too damned funny!"

"He was fine until last weekend! He's been _incredible_ until last weekend. Then the thing happened with the chairs, and all of the sudden he's paranoid and panicking about how every little thing could go wrong. I'm gonna lose it! Sierra had to hold me back this morning when he started asking me for the _fifth time_ if I remembered that I had to pick up our rings from being shined at the jewelers today."

The elevator dinged and everyone looked to see who it was. Both Elly and Tony groaned when they saw it was Abby. That only set Parke off laughing again. Abby approached them with an impervious smile.

"I come bearing news! Well, it's kind of news, and kind of a gift. Though I don't know if it's really a gift. More of a favor. Let's call it a favor."

Tony looked up at Abby with concern. "Okay," he said, managing to drop most of the resentment from his voice.

"Sierra is bringing Amira over to our place when we get off work tonight, and we're going to bring her with us to the ceremony tomorrow. That way you and Gibbs are free to spend your last night as free men doing whatever you'd like to do."

Tony brightened up immediately. He knew exactly how he was going to spend it, and Jethro had better be ready for it. There were much better uses for his mouth than to nag him about the wedding, and damn did they need that time alone together. He got to his feet and came around his desk to wrap Abby in a hug.

"You're the greatest Best Woman ever!" he said as he squeezed her.

"I thought you'd like that," she said. "And tomorrow morning you can focus on prepping for the ceremony. Though, if Gibbs calls me one more time today, I'm going to have a stern talking to with him."

"He's driving you nuts, too?" Tony asked, suddenly feeling better that it wasn't just him.

"Let's just say that I understand why you came to work today," she said. "Now, I must go. My babies need me."

As Abby got on the elevator, Jethro stepped off it. She said a few things to him, and he nodded, then kissed her cheek and headed for Tony. Tony had sat back down at his desk and started banging his head against it when he saw Jethro.

"Hey," Jethro said hesitantly as he approached Tony.

"Hi," Tony said shortly.

Jethro looked over at Parke to find him watching him and knew that Elly's eyes were on him, too. "Dad and Shane arrived."

"Good," Tony said, unsure of the shy look on Jethro's face.

"Dad asked where you were, and when I told him he kind of put me in check."

"Oh?" Tony asked, nodding.

Jethro rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Yeah. He kicked me out of the house and told me to come bring you home."

Tony laughed. "So, let me get this straight. I tell you to calm down all week and you blow up at me. Your dad tells you and you're like a scolded puppy?"

"Something like that?" Jethro said, looking at Tony with the most unsure look Tony had ever seen on his face.

"If I come home are you going to keep asking me wedding questions?" Tony asked.

"No. I think we've gotten everything as perfect as possible. It's just, I know I've gotten to do this a few times, but you're only going to do it once. I know all of the things that could go wrong because they did with all the other ones. I want it to be perfect for you."

"Awww," Elly said before he could stop himself. Jethro turned to look at him, and Tony craned his neck to see around Jethro to find Elly had teary eyes. He'd also stopped tapping his pencil.

Tony sighed. "I know you're just trying to help," he said. "But you're crazy."

Jethro nodded. "I know."

"Let me finish up what I'm doing here and I'll come home."

Jethro smiled. "I take it Abby told you the plan?"

"Yeah, and you owe me big," Tony said, trying to keep his team from realizing his plans to spend his time alone with Jethro as naked and busy as possible.

"I'll deliver. I'm going to go check in on how the new kid is doing and see Vance, then we can go."

"Okay," Tony said. He watched Jethro go, and a few seconds later heard Jethro bark at his probie. The jury was still out on the new guy, but so far he was holding his own. He'd also passed the test of finding out about the wedding and kept his cool. It was for that reason that Tony hadn't put a wager in yet on the pool to see when Jethro would kick him off the team. He wasn't completely convinced that he was a keeper, but he was earning points where they mattered.

Tony looked up from his computer to see that Elly was watching him intently. "Something I can do for you Agent Critten?" Tony asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Not really. Just trying to imagine Ned and I going through the same kind of conversation that just happened, and wondering who is going to be the crazy one."

"I don't know," Parke said. "I think you both have an equal chance of being the crazy one. I've seen you both go absolutely nuts worrying about the other before, so the two of you planning a wedding is going to be like two lions fighting over a steak in a cage."

"Way to have faith in us!" Elly said with an affronted look on his face.

"No. He's right," Tony chimed in. "It's going to go one of two ways. You'll either both go crazy together and it will bring you closer together, or you'll both go crazy and tear each other apart."

"I'd like to think it's going to be the first," Elly said, sitting back with a dejected look on his face and eyeing Tony, then Parke.

"We'd like to, too," Parke said, desperately trying to sound encouraging and overshooting the mark.

"But we're preparing for the worst," Tony said with a grimace.

"But we're hoping for the best," Parke said with a nod.

"Yeah," Tony affirmed. "We are."

"Way to be supportive guys!"

Both men started talking at once as they tried to backpedal, but they were interrupted by Ned's voice as he entered the bullpen.

"What are they supporting?" he asked, looking at Elly with a smile.

"OH, THANK GOD!" Elly practically yelled and sank back in his chair in relief. Ned's neck was blissfully brace-free.

Tony started clapping, and Parke joined in. "Congratulations. If I could let you go home early, I would, but instead I'm going home and you guys have to suffer through the afternoon together."

Elly looked at him with quite the unamused expression. "Have I ever told you that you're a complete and total bastard, because you are."

"That would be Jethro's influence, and I don't regret it," Tony said, getting to his feet to put some files away.

Elly noticed that Ned was looking at him askance. "What?" he asked.

"You told them?!" Ned blurted out.

"Well! They were going to take my pencil away from me!" Elly blurted back.

"Oh. Okay." Ned headed for his desk as if though that answered his question perfectly. Parke looked back and forth between them with the classic "what the fuck?!" expression. Elly just smiled and nodded at him.

"Wait, he- how- _really_!?" Parke asked Ned.

"What?" Ned asked.

"He tells you he divulged intimate details of your relationship with your teammates because of a pencil and you're just _okay_ with that?"

Tony watched the conversation playing out as he packed up his belongings.

Ned nodded. "Elly taps his pencil constantly when he's upset, stressed, or super focused. Though he usually taps his feet more when he's focused than the pencil, sometimes both, and it depends on whether or not he has headphones in, but usually it's his feet. Anyway, if you take his pencil from him, I'm betting good money that he goes on a King Kong size rampage and takes down all of D.C. until he gets his pencil back."

"Or, you know, I could always just pull another pencil from my drawer, but yeah, see? I told you," Elly said smugly.

Parke looked back and forth between the two of them before looking over to find Tony smiling as he wrote something in a file.

"By the way," Elly said to Ned with a big smile. "Boss and Parke think we're going to kill each other planning our wedding."

"Did you tell them?" he asked.

"Not yet," Elly said. "I was waiting for you."

Ned grinned at him. "Go ahead."

"Carolyn is hooking us up with a wedding planner and paying for our weer to find TOny I told you."he gets his pencil back."but soddingdding."

"Wow! That's awesome!" Tony said.

"Yeah! Really cool," Parke said with a grin.

"Her family comes from old money," Elly explained. "She was raised very down to Earth though. Her parents denounced the family snobbery, took their money to Minnesota, bought a ranch, and never looked back. She didn't raise Eric or I with a lot of material wealth, but when things are important she's more than willing to be generous. She put both Eric and I though school as long as we kept our grades up, and she's happily rubbing it in to my good for nothing father that he's not getting a dime and I'm getting to marry a guy."

"She had a prenup," Ned said with a gratified smile.

"Nice!" Tony said, feeling a similar satisfaction from that. "Have you met with the planner yet?"

"Not yet," Ned said.

"But we have made a decision," Elly said, biting his lower lip as he looked at Ned who nodded at him with a smile. "We're going to get married Christmas Eve."

"Really?" Parke asked. "Why Christmas Eve?"

"Well," Elly started, "We both want that day to be about family."

"So what better way than to mark the start of us being a family together?" Ned said, a look of pure unadulterated love in his eyes as he stared at Elly. Elly was giving him an equal stare in return.

"You two are…"

Elly and Ned looked at Parke with the expectation of something sweet to come from his tone of voice.

"You're going to make me sick," he finished. "And here I thought Boss and Gibbs were sweet as saccharine! You two might just beat them before all is said and done."

"That's a serious challenge you're setting us up for there," Elly said.

"I don't know," Ned said. "Sounds like our life goals are coming to fruition."

"True. You always said you wanted a love like what they have," Elly said with a smile aimed Ned's way.

"I don't know," Ned said with a smirk. "I think we can do better."

"Hey!" Tony snapped. "Leave my marriage out of this! You two just concentrate on yourselves, and stop comparing the true beauty of our love to this sugary abomination the two of you have going." The rest of the team laughed. "Anyway, at least I know what the sex is like with my fiancé."

Shouts rang up amongst the team. "Whoa! Points for the Boss! Damn, Tony!" Parke said.

"That's really low," Elly said. "Even for you."

"If you want details, Boss, just call us in the morning. Oh, wait, we'll be too tired to answer the phone from being up all night," Ned said, earning a shocked glance from Tony and a laugh from Elly and Parke. "Come to think of it, we may not make it to the wedding tomorrow. Sorry."

"Oh, man. Of all the things Jethro has imagined up to ruin our wedding, I bet he never took into consideration the fact that you two are going to be busy playing catch up from four weeks of celibacy." Tony cringed.

"Now, I didn't say we were _celibate_ ," Elly said.

"Too much information!" Parke interjected.

Ned blushed, Elly laughed, and Tony prayed Jethro would hurry up so they could leave.

"Speaking of completely inappropriate for work sex life conversations," Elly said as he started tapping his pencil subconsciously and gave Tony a once over. "When's the honeymoon?"

Tony shook his head and grinned. "We can't take it quite yet because of the Probie," Tony said, tilting his head towards the other side of the bullpen. "We want to give him a solid month to break in before we're gone for a week. We can't wait until September though because Sierra will go back to school, Amira will go back to school, it's just a mess with the schedules. We're thinking the third week of August. We'll know for sure on Monday."

"What's Monday?" Ned asked.

"Vance tells us if we've got the time off," Tony said.

"We do," Jethro said, coming into the bullpen. "Just confirmed."

"Great!" Tony said with a smile. "Are you ready to go? These guys are going to sit around talking about their sex lives all day, and I'd rather go experience mine."

Jethro reached up and headslapped Tony as they walked out of the bullpen to Elly catcalling them and Ned and Parke clapping. Parke laughed as Ned shouted after them, "I'm hating you so hard right now!"

The elevator closed on Tony and Jethro, and Tony turned to him with wide eyes. "Elly and Dorney haven't had sex yet!" he gossiped.

Jethro looked at him with a disbelievingly raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, I know. The brace has apparently prevented it. Elly was being a pain in the ass, and when we questioned him about why it was such a big deal that the brace come off, he admitted that it has kept them from the grand event. Or even a not so grand event."

The doors to the lift opened and they headed for their cars.

"Explains why Dorneget hates you," Jethro said.

"Oh, he's going to have a reason to hate me. Trust me. We may need to get Jack a hotel room."

"Already taken care of."

"Seriously?" Tony asked with a smile.

Jethro nodded.

Tony's grin reached from ear to ear. "Just wait until we're alone tonight."

"Looking forward to it," Jethro said with a smirk, splitting off towards his truck.

"I need to go pick up our rings, and I'll be home."

"See you there."

* * *

Abby looked at her computer with a satisfied smile. She'd just received the last email confirming that everyone had fulfilled their task. She'd even gotten a call from Jack letting her know that he and Shane had done their parts. She was excited about this change in plans, and she hoped that Tony and Jethro found it to be as great as she thought it was. She had to pat herself on the back. This was the best wedding idea she'd had so far, and that was saying something. The fact that everyone else was on board just proved that to her.

The best part was that they'd have Amira with them tonight, and they could get her ready to take part in it, too. Things were falling into place, and she was going to make sure that Gibbs and Tony had the best wedding ever, and that they knew just how much the people coming supported them.

* * *

Sierra had Amira's dress in one hand with her backpack over her shoulder carrying Amira's shoes and the rest of her ensemble for the next day. It also had PJs and a couple of blue Gatorades just to be sure. Amira was hugging Jethro goodbye like she was never going to see him again. This was going to be the first time that she'd spent the night away since she'd come to stay with them, and Jethro was feeling just as attached as she was.

Amira suddenly reached out for Tony who held her tightly, his eyes closed. "Behave for Sierra, Abby, and Tim, okay?"

"I will."

"We'll see you at the wedding tomorrow," he said, still hugging her to him.

"Okay," she said.

"You can call us if you need us, okay?" Tony said, pulling back to look her in the face. She nodded at him seriously. "You're going to have lots of fun with Aunt Abby and Uncle Tim. I promise."

Amira nodded. "Abby says we're gonna play games and have a dance party!"

"That sounds like a lot of fun!" Sierra encouraged from behind her.

"Uh-huh!" Amira agreed with a nod. "I'm gonna miss you guys," she added solemnly to Tony as she started playing with his collar.

"Well, we're going to miss you too, but you're going to have lots of fun with Abby while Gibbsy and I do grown up stuff."

"Ew! Cooties!" Amira said with a giggle, leaning back and hanging on to Tony by his shirt.

"That too," Tony said with a chuckle and a glance at Jethro who was smiling and shaking his head.

"Time to go," Sierra said with a smile at Tony.

"Yes," Tony said, setting Amira down. She reached up to take Sierra's hand. Jethro watched that with relief. They knew that Amira was coming to really trust Sierra, and they were too. She was proving to be very trustworthy, and she seemed to genuinely care about their family. They knew they were lucky to find her.

They all walked to the front door together. Tony and Jethro found their hands latched as they watched Amira walk down the path with Sierra towards her car.

"It's gonna be okay," Jethro said reaching over to nuzzle Tony's neck and plant a quick kiss there.

Tony nodded and sighed. "Yeah, it will be. She's with her new godparents. She needs to get used to having them around."

"Exactly," Jethro said.

They watched Sierra pull out of the drive and waved before coming back inside and closing and locking the door behind them. Jethro saw the expression on Tony's face and smiled. "Come here," he said, pulling Tony to him. Their arms wrapped around each other. Tony breathed Jethro in, absorbing his scent as if though it were a tranquilizer.

"I know it's going to be okay. I have to get used to it though."

"Let's try to enjoy the freedom," Jethro suggested.

Tony looked up at him with a salacious smile. "I know exactly how we're going to do that."

"You do, huh?" Jethro asked with a smirk.

"Yep. Time to try out those mats!"

Jethro's eyes lit up. "Perfect," he said.

Their gym mats had shown up two weeks before, but they both agreed that they wouldn't practice fighting with Amira in the house. It wasn't something they wanted her to see yet, and they were afraid she would try to tell someone about it and they would get the wrong idea. It was safer if they didn't subject her to that for a few years still.

"Let's change," Tony said, letting Jethro go to run up the stairs to the bedroom. Jethro was on his heels, excited about getting hot and sweaty with Tony on the mats. He'd fantasized about pinning him down and doing whatever he wanted to him, and now it was a possibility. He just had to win. The prize was one hell of an incentive.

Five minutes later, they were moving stuff in the basement to make way for the mats. It didn't take them long, and then the mats were taking up most of the floor. A blue plastic coating over a foot of foam had never looked so good.

The two men started circling each other on the mats, their eyes locked in a glance that became more and more heated with every second and crackled with the sexual tension between them.

"Just so you know, you don't have a prayer at taking me down," Tony said with a confident smirk.

"Oh? Why is that?" Jethro said with a smirk in return.

"Because you-"

Tony was interrupted by Jethro diving forward and picking Tony up before flipping him over on his back. Tony rolled as Jethro moved to dive on top of him, and evaded him. He sprung to his feet, his knees popping as he did. Jethro rolled over on his back and flung his foot out to kick Tony's knee, bringing him down, but only part way. Tony grabbed Jethro's ankle before it could get too far, and dove on top of Gibbs. Gibbs gave a hard push off of the matt and rolled them over so that Tony was the one on his back. Tony elbowed Gibbs in the chest and Gibbs moved like he was going to punch Tony in the face. Tony threw his hands up.

"NO! The pictures!" Gibbs froze, and Tony took the chance to push Gibbs off of him and jumped back to his feet. He took a few steps back and Gibbs came after him, swinging and punching him in the side as he lowered his head and rammed Tony in the chest. Tony wrapped his arms around Gibbs' stomach from the back and struggled to hold him in place while Gibbs beat on his legs and back for release. Tony smacked Gibbs' ass really hard and Gibbs stopped his fists to wrap his arms around Tony and throw him over his back so that he landed on the ground on his back. While the wind was knocked out of him, Gibbs straddled him, reaching for Tony's arms to pin him down, but Tony started bucking and flailing his arms so that Gibbs couldn't pin him. This caused their groins to rub against each other, eliciting a moan from Jethro.

"Is this turning you on?" Tony said as he flailed and flipped them so that now he was the one straddling Jethro. He intentionally ground his cock against him and pushed his shoulders to the ground with his hands. "Getting your tension out causing a new type of tension?" Tony said, that insufferable smirk back on his face.

Jethro reached up and grabbed Tony's hair, pulling hard so that Tony's forehead came down and hit Jethro's as Jethro butted his head against Tony. Tony moaned, but held his position until Jethro started bucking up against him, causing their hardening cocks to rub against each other. Jethro then reached up and boxed Tony's ears, making him stumble off of him as he grabbed his head. Tony ended up face down on the mat while Jethro moved to straddle his ass.

"This what you want?" Gibbs said, leaning down to talk in Tony's ear. "Me riding your ass?"

Tony tried to push Gibbs off of him or roll the other way, but it was a fruitless effort for the moment. His head was spinning and he knew he was going to have to take a few deep breaths before he could regain his balance. He gritted his teeth and sat still as he took the breaths, and then sprung to his knees sending Gibbs falling backwards onto his ass. Tony quickly jumped to his feet and Jethro followed suit. They circled each other for a few rounds and then Tony reached out and punched Gibbs hard under the ribs. Gibbs began doubling over but recovered as he spun around and kicked towards Tony's legs. Tony jumped over the attack though and side stepped out of the danger zone.

"That all you got?" Tony antagonized. "Thought you'd have more for me. Been months since we've sparred though. Guess you're losing your touch since you don't have anyone to really challenge you now." They circled around each other a couple more times.

"If you weren't so worried about your pretty face for those pictures I'd really show you a fight."

"Oh, really?" Tony taunted. "Too bad." Tony lunged suddenly at Jethro, wrapping his arms around him and sweeping his feet out from under him. Jethro's arms were right around Tony though and his fall brought Tony down on top of him. He quickly rolled with an elbow to Tony's stomach so that he could once again straddle him. He wasted no time grinding down on him over and over again causing Tony to moan. "Oh god… that's not fair…" he gasped. He tried to sit up and pull on Jethro's sweatshirt so that he could pull the older man over to the side and off of him, but Jethro just reached up and took his sweatshirt off. He bent over Tony, still grinding down on him as their faces were inches from each other.

"Give in," Jethro breathed. "I'll make it painless."

"Hell no!" Tony groaned through gritted teeth. He wrapped his arms around Jethro's and used all of his energy to force them so that Tony was now the one on top. He managed to trap one of Jethro's hands, pinning it to the ground. Jethro wasn't having it though with his other one. As Tony reached for it, Jethro suddenly reached forward and rubbed Tony's hard cock through his sweats. "Fuuuuuuuccck…" Tony groaned. t off. r the ribsdHIs grasp suddenly slackened and he found himself rubbing against the touch, which meant his ass was rubbing against Jethro's cock.

"I knew you wanted that ass full of my dick," Jethro growled lowly. His hands reached to push Tony's sweats down.

"No… no…" Tony mumbled as he half-heartedly tried to pull his pants back up. Jethro wrapped his legs around Tony, pulling him down on top of him.

"Yes," Jethro said with his boss voice in place as he reached down Tony's sweats that were halfway down his hips and pulled his leaking cock out.

Tony collapsed over on his side which only gave Jethro more access, but he couldn't help himself. It felt too good. He was sweating, panting, and loving every stroke.

"I'll give you the option," Jethro growled. "You can get on your knees or get on top of me, but one way or another I'll be fucking your tight ass in the next thirty seconds." He waited a couple of seconds for Tony to choose, then let go to roll to his feet. He stripped his sweats off before grabbing the tube of lube he brought down from the work bench. When he turned back around Tony was face down on the mat, his ass up in the air, ready for the taking.

"Atta boy," Jethro said, reaching down to smack Tony's ass hard. Tony whimpered as Jethro lubed his cock up and got on his knees behind him. He pressed forward slowly into Tony knowing that he had to go slow since he hadn't been prepped. Tony wasn't happy with that. He pushed back hard and fast on the hard dick waiting for him, his head coming up from the mat as he moaned into the air.

"That's how you want this, huh?" Jethro asked, reaching forward to put one hand on Tony's shoulder. "Fine!" He began pummeling Tony's ass, taking him hard and fast.

Tony arched his back so that his stomach and chest reached for the mat below him as he bent forward to take the blows. It felt so wrong, but so good. He'd planned on pinning Jethro and ramming the hell out of him, taking his frustrations out on him, but somehow this was even better.

"Damn it!" Jethro gasped. "I'm not going to be able to last like this Tony."

"More, Jethro! More!"

A couple more minutes of agonizing grunts, moans, gasps and one thunderous yell had Jethro coming deep inside Tony. "You're mine," he gasped as he knelt up with his hands on Tony's ass, his cock still deep inside of him. "You're all mine."

Tony collapsed onto the ground, separating his ass from Jethro's groin, and panted until he could see straight again. He was achingly hard, and he rolled over on his back so that his dick stood straight up in the air.

"Are you going to take care of this, or do I need to?" he asked with a smirk.

"Didn't you hear what I said?" Jethro crouched down so that he was laying next to Tony, reaching for his hard rod. "You're _mine_." He bent to kiss Tony as he stroked him, exploring his mouth fervently as he quickly finished him off. Tony's scream was muffled by Jethro's mouth covering his and exploring it with his tongue. He finally pulled back to let Tony breathe. " _Mine._ "

"All yours, Jethro," Tony gasped as he reached up to place his hand on the side of Jethro's face and look into his shining blue eyes.

After a couple of minutes Jethro got to his feet and reached a hand down to help Tony up. "I really like the mats by the way."

Tony chuckled and leaned in for a kiss. "Oh, you do, huh?"

Jethro nodded. "Next time we won't have to worry about pictures and we can have a real fight."

"Bring it on," Tony said with a smirk. "So what are we going to do with the rest of our night?"

"Go upstairs and do it all over again?" Jethro said with a shrug.

"Shower?" Tony said with a raised eyebrow.

"Definitely!" Jethro let Tony go to grab his sweatshirt and the lube and then chased the younger half naked groom up the stairs.

NCIS*NCIS*NCIS*NCIS*NCIS

Ned and Elly had made it a point not to even look at each other for the rest of the day. Parke kept making innuendos at every opportunity just to drive them crazy, and it was working.

"Greg! I swear to god, if you don't stop it I'm going to get Ziva to take you down to the gym and beat the shit out of you!" Elly's threat only proceeded to make Greg laugh until he cried. He was having way too much fun relishing in his friends' misery.

"That's it!" Ned said, getting up. "I'm going to go talk to Abby!"

"Yes! Please! Get out of here!" Elly said with more exasperation than Greg had ever heard from him and it made him laugh so hard he fell out of his chair. Elly shook his head and announced his plans to murder Greg and then put his headphones in to work on the database in peace.

Ned was disappointed to find Abby actually working on something for Balboa's team. He only got a couple of minutes with her before he decided to go find some coffee. He was sitting on the wall with an iced latte a few minutes later thinking about Abby's special project. He loved the idea. It made him feel like his place on the team was solidified in a way no one could ever take from him. It made him more than a team member- it made him family.

He thought of everything he'd been through that year. Just six months earlier he was working in the evidence locker doing log books and taking the occasional protection detail. He was too afraid to hold his own gun. He was single, and he didn't really believe in himself. Now, he'd helped take down an international terrorist cell, became a member of an incredible team, killed a man, and got engaged. He'd told his biological family to go to hell while he built a new family around him that was supportive, and loving, and full of laughter and warmth. And that was just the first half of the year.

He thought of Greg's jokes throughout the day and couldn't help but smile. That was what his team did for him. It made him smile. It made him happy. He looked down at his watch and decided to head back inside to suffer through the last forty-five minutes of Greg's jokes and insufferable distance between his fiancé.

As he stood up from the wall he got a mischievous idea. He pulled out his phone and pulled up his messages with Elly.

\- _I can't wait to get you home. I'm going to make you feel so good you'll forget those other people ever existed._

Halfway up the elevator ride he got a text back.

\- - _I swear to god, if you start this I'm going to strip naked right in the middle of the bullpen and sit on your desk until 5:00_

Ned laughed.

\- _Promises, promises_

_\- - If you don't behave I'll send you over to Balboa's team to work the weekend_

_\- You wouldn't_

Ned moved through the bullpen back to his desk, eyeing Elly suspiciously.

"Wanna make a bet!" Elly said, giving him a not-very-convincing glare.

"I bet you'd regret it all weekend," Ned retorted as he sat behind his desk with more sass than he knew he was capable of.

"You know, I've never seen you have a flamboyantly gay moment until this very minute," Greg said with a smirk.

"I'm entitled," Ned said with a smirk of his own.

"That you are!" Greg said with a shake of his head.

They sat in uncomfortable silence for the next twenty minutes until Tim's phone rang across the room. Ned and Elly looked up at each other with wide eyes.

"No! No! No! You put that phone down!" Elly said getting to his feet and shaking his head at Tim as he headed for the divider between their areas. Ned got to his feet to watch the conversation go down as well, praying that they weren't getting called out. They just had to make it to 5PM when Balboa's team was taking over. They were almost there.

"What's that?" Tim said. "Three?" He took out a notebook like he was going to write something down and Elly slammed his fists on the divider. "Rock Creek park?" he said causing Ned to flop backwards in his chair with a groan.

Tim hung up the phone and looked at Elly apologetically then got to his feet.

"NO! No, no, nonononono!" Elly said loudly as he pounded his fists with each "no" on the divider.

Tim suddenly smiled wide and shook his head. "Gotcha."

Greg started laughing and Ned sighed in relief, letting his head hang back.

"You're as much of a bastard as our bosses!" Elly said, picking up a pen off of Tony's desk and pelting it at Tim who was laughing.

"That's appropriate because that _was_ your boss," Tim said.

"I don't get it?" The new guy said, standing with his bag around his shoulder. "Do we have a case?"

"No, James. We don't have a case," Ziva said with a chuckle. "McGee was just pulling Critten's leg."

"Go on," Tim said with a wave of his hand as he sat back down. "Get out of here. That was Tony and he said you two have suffered enough and you can leave."

"Are you sure?" Elly said with a hesitant glance to Ned.

"Yeah. Go," Tim said with a smile.

Ned and Elly grabbed their stuff and started tapping keys on their computers to shut them down for the weekend.

"Thanks! Bye!" Elly said as he and Ned took off running for the stairs.

"Have fun!" Greg called after them. "But not too much fun!"

Elly and Ned ran across the parking lot, their jackets flapping around them as they headed for Elly's car.

"Buckle up," Elly demanded. "We're about to make it home in record time."

Ned got in and pulled his seatbelt around him. Elly sped out of the parking lot, anxious to be home and naked with his man. They didn't say much as they both watched out for traffic as Elly cut corners and ran yellows. They got to Elly's apartment and jumped out of the car and made quick work of getting down the block and into his place.

Once they got in and the door was closed behind him, Elly stood there with a confused look on his face. Ned was strolling easily to the bedroom, pulling his coat off, yawning. It was somewhat anticlimactic. He followed to see him tossing his coat over the dresser and kicking off his shoes. Elly looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Come here," Ned said with a smile and a gleam in his eye. Elly came over and put his arms around Ned's neck, glad to be able to finally do so without hurting him. "Enough rushing," Ned whispered, tilting his head and slowly leaning in to kiss Elly. It was a deep and intimate kiss and it made Elly's stomach come alive with what he could only describe as butterflies. Ned pulled back just enough to kiss Elly's nose, and forehead, then cheek as he made his way with featherlike touches of his lips against skin until he was at Elly's neck. Elly's breathing sped up. Something about Ned's softness, his gentleness, had more control over him than he'd ever felt from any lover. The notion that he was being taken care of descended over him and he fell into it with open arms.

"I love you," Ned whispered into his ear before gently kissing his neck as he reached to unbutton his shirt.

"God… I love you, too," Elly whispered back, his eyes closed as he felt the touch of the other man's fingers against his chest, slowly stroking as he revealed his body.

"So damn beautiful," Ned said, his eyes coming up to meet Elly's, granite gray meeting cornflower blue. He rested his forehead against Elly's and looked down at the tone man's chest as he continued unbuttoning his shirt at an agonizingly slow pace. Elly reached to work on Ned's buttons, but he realized his hands were shaking. Ned took one of them in his and brought it to his lips, kissing it.

"I got it," he said. "Just relax. Let me take care of you." Elly took a deep breath and nodded.

Ned finished unbuttoning Elly's shirt and then pulled it out of his pants. He then reached up and slowly unbuttoned his own shirt, watching Elly's eyes take in every inch of him with rapt attention. He wasn't nearly as buff as Elly was, but Ned was proud of the work he'd done on himself since he'd joined the team. Their time in the gym was causing him to slim down a little and he was building some muscle mass. Nothing about his movements betrayed any self-consciousness though. Nothing about Elly's gaze made him second guess that confidence either. He was entranced.

Once his shirt was hanging open, Ned slid his hands around Elly's waist and pulled him towards him for another deep kiss. After a long minute of swamping sweet, moist, tender kisses, his hands started taking in the body under them. He loved Elly's lean frame. He'd gotten used to it over the past few weeks and he was turned on every time he saw him stripped. This time was no different. He could feel Elly's rapid breathing and slight trembles under his fingers and the power to put him in that position went straight to Ned's head.

"You're shaking, love."

Elly nodded as he took a deep breath and looked up into Ned's eyes. Ned smirked and leaned in to whisper in his ear.

"Good."

It sent shivers through Elly's body and made his hair stand on end.

Ned reached up and slid Elly's shirt over his shoulders, his fingers dancing lightly over his arms as the shirt slid off and exposed them, teasing Elly's skin with tantalizing strokes. He bent and kissed Elly's shoulder, nipping lightly at the flesh. His hands slid down his chest and adeptly unbuckled his belt and opened his pants all while moving back to kissing his lips.

Elly jolted as Ned's hands were suddenly so close to his hard on and his hands gripped Ned's shoulders. He pushed his shirt down his arms, suddenly frantic for him. Ned let his shirt fall to the floor, but captured Elly's hands and laid them flat on his chest. He faintly shook his head no while smiling back at Elly.

"Tonight, we go at my pace, and right now my pace is slow," he let his hand run down the side of Elly's face so that the younger man turned into it, craving the touch and affection. "Slow lets you feel everything I want to do to you." Elly's breath shuddered. "Slow lets you feel how much I love you. How much I need you."

Elly nodded, swallowing hard. "Good boy," Ned said with a smirk causing a soft laugh from Elly. When Ned's eyes met his though, darkening with every moment, Elly knew that Ned was being very serious. This was going to go his way or no way tonight. Elly didn't mind a bit.

Ned reached down and opened his own belt, pushing his pants down, taking his boxers with them until they pooled around his feet. Elly watched with anticipation as it exposed the lengthy erection waiting for him. He reached to push his own down and Ned stopped him. Ned placed his hands on Elly's hips while he kissed him, then kissed his way down Elly's body. He slid his tongue over his nipples, suckling until they were hard peaks. He traced his ribs with his mouth and tongue, licking, kissing, and breathing on the moisture he left behind to give Elly the chills. It worked, and soon the chest and stomach he was kissing and licking was bright red, flushed with anticipation.

Ned kept going though. He licked down the center of Elly's torso, tongue drawing a circle around his belly button. He suckled on the defined muscles of Elly's abs, kissing and licking. He noticed a small scar from where, no doubt, Elly had had his appendix taken out. Every defined line of Elly's tone body was worshipped, and Elly felt like he was going to explode any moment. Ned finally fell to his knees in front of him, sliding his hands down his sides, then his hips, taking his pants and boxer-briefs with him. Elly's cock sprung back up at attention, leaking a thick pearl of precum. Ned looked up into his blue eyes as he reached forward and stuck his tongue out to slurp it off the head.

"Oh god," Elly huffed, his hand going to Ned's hair because there was nothing else close enough to hold on to. Ned gave a devious smirk as he turned his head and sucked one of Elly's balls into his mouth. Elly groaned loudly. After flattening his tongue against it and rolling it around as much as possible, he pulled back and let it pop out of his mouth, being squeezed between his lips as it went.

"I don't know if you're amazing or evil," Elly breathed.

"Maybe I'm both?" Ned said as he leaned forward and ran his tongue up the side of Elly's cock before engulfing it suddenly with his mouth.

"Fuck yeah!" Elly yelled. He tried to thrust forward only to have Ned hold his hips firmly in place. Ned pulled back and paid attention to only the head. He licked it, he suckled around the slit and finally he dipped his tongue into the slit and took the rest of it back into his mouth until it went past his throat.

"Don't stop! Please baby! Don't stop!"

Ned appeased him for another minute, but then pulled off and got to his feet. Elly whimpered.

"Lay down on the bed," Ned said, giving Elly a playful push towards it.

Elly made a show out of it, climbing on by his knees and his hands, stopping to arch himself so that his ass was in the air like a cat. Then he fell backwards and started stroking himself as his sly smiling eyes met Ned's.

"Mmmmm… You know how much I love to watch you jack off."

"Yeah, I do. I'd rather you do it for me though."

"Oh, trust me. I'm going to."

Ned climbed onto the bed and took Elly's hand from his dick, quickly replacing it with his mouth.

"Oh, that's so much better."

The veins pulsed against Ned's tongue as he devoured Elly. He sped up, pushing him to the edge.

"I'm… I'm…"

Ned suddenly stopped and Elly groaned. "Nooooooo!"

"I told you, we're going to take our time," Ned said with an evil grin.

"I'm going to fucking kill you."

"No you're not."

"Don't bet on it."

Ned bent until his raspy voice was in Elly's ear. "I want to be balls deep inside of you when you come."

"If you only knew what your voice does to me…" Elly confessed, his eyes closed and mouth agape.

"I do know," Ned said quietly. He reached down into the half open nightstand drawer and found the bottle of lube there. "It's going to take a few minutes to loosen you up enough to take me." Elly nodded, but Ned was kind of surprised. Usually when he said that he felt apologetic, but this time he felt confident and admittedly kind of full of himself. He watched as Elly flipped over on his stomach, getting comfortable as he pulled his legs up under him, giving Ned full access to his tight little ass.

"That's a sexy as hell vision. I just want to take it all in." Elly waved his ass in the air and Ned chuckled breathily. He climbed up behind Elly and started running his hands over his back, enjoying having free reign over such a well sculpted body, but even more so over the body of such a loving and wonderful man. "Do you know what you mean to me?"

Elly nodded.

"Do you?" Ned said, bending to kiss Elly's lower back. "Because I don't think you do."

The room became very still and silent as Ned laid his head on Elly's back and wrapped his arms around him.

"You have proven to me that there is good in this world. That people can be intelligent, empowered, and at the same time be compassionate and loving. You've given me hope when I'd only imagined a grimy future. You've given me strength when I thought that I was weak. You've shown me love and kindness- the _real_ me- not the fake me that I was trying to be for everyone else- but the real me. You loved _me_. When everyone else was trying to change me, you were teaching me to love myself just the way I was, to embrace my natural growth, and you… you let me know that I'm not alone. I'm not alone. And I hope you know that you're not alone either. And you never will be again."

Elly felt a tear slide down his cheek and drip off his nose. He didn't realize he was about to cry until it was too late. He sniffled and the tears started falling one after another.

Ned's lips moved to find Elly's neck, kissing him tenderly. He kissed his way down his back, over the curve of his ass, and then knelt up. He grabbed the lube and coated two fingers. He slowly worked his way into his lover, gently but firmly opening him up gradually. He slid his fingers in and out, turned them around and around, then scissored them to take his girth. He added a third finger when Elly started pushing back on his hand. After a minute with three fingers, Elly whimpered.

"Are you okay?" Ned asked quietly.

"More… Please? I want… I need more."

"Are you sure you're ready?" Elly nodded eagerly. "Okay then."

Ned reached for the condom on the nightstand and tore it open with his teeth. He slid it down his length and then lubed it up. He pushed the head against Elly's entrance and slowly sunk deeply into it.

"God… yessssss…" Elly hissed.

"Fuck! You're so damn tight!" Ned said, throwing his head back as he adjusted to just how tightly he was constricting around him. "Tight and beautiful as fuck." He bent over Elly's body, slowly thrusting his pelvis to push deeper into him. The two of them moaned in unison.

"Please!" Elly begged. "I need you!"

"You've got me baby. I'm right here," Ned said gently, kissing Elly's neck.

"I need you…" Elly said, whimpering. A hiccup of a sob escaped his chest and Ned kissed his upper back again as he started moving slowly out and then back into him. He started a relaxed, deep pace as he felt Elly shaking under him.

"You feel that?" Ned asked quietly. "Do you feel how much I love you?"

Elly nodded emphatically and shifted so that he was up on his elbows. He wiped at his eyes and then started pushing back, but just as slow, just as deliberate. It was an agonizing pace that cautiously got faster, moving them closer and closer to orgasm.

Ned moaned in pleasure, taking in every stroke with intention and hoping that Elly was too. That's what he wanted for him. He wanted him to feel the pleasure, feel the care he had for him.

Soon the pace was much faster. Their bodies were smacking against each other, one pushing forward while the other pushed back, and then reverse.

"Stroke yourself for me," Ned commanded.

Elly propped his body the best he could on a pillow while using his right hand to stroke his aching cock.

"Can I come now?" he asked through gasps.

"Come for me, baby," Ned said as he felt the heat surging from his chest to his lower back that he knew was a sign that his own orgasm was close.

Less than a minute later, Elly was screaming into the pillow, his load making a mess on the bed beneath him. His ass constricted even more around Ned's engorged cock and Ned gasped.

"That's' right baby. Let it out," he said, increasing his tempo, all rhythm lost. After another minute or two of slamming in and out of the now limp body in front of him, Ned growled loudly and his hips stuttered. "Oh, yeah," he moaned as he gave a few more slower thrusts. "That's it." A few more thrusts and he sighed, pulling out of Elly's prone body.

He disappeared for a moment to dispose of the condom and then came back to find Elly curled up on his side. When Ned slid into bed next to him, he smiled down at the glazed eyes staring up at him. He bent down and kissed Elly's lips tenderly. "Hey you," he said softly. "You okay?"

Elly nodded slowly, then reached out to wrap his arms around Ned, burying his head in his chest. Ned held him back with a smile until he realized he was crying.

"What's wrong?" he asked, trying to keep from panicking. "Are you hurting?"

"Just… I just need to cry," Elly said, clinging to Ned for his life.

"Okay," Ned said, confused. His mouth was dry with panic as he rubbed Elly's back, pulling him close.

After a few minutes, Elly started talking, though it was hard to hear because he was still pressed against Ned's body.

"No one's ever…" He hiccupped and then started again. "No one has ever made love to me. I've been fucked by more people than I can remember, but no one has ever actually made love to me."

Ned felt an enormous heartbreak for his lover. He pulled him close, kissing his face, his head, his arm. He didn't know what to say to that. He thought about it for a minute and then shook his head.

"Well then they're fucking idiots."

"I love you, so much Ned."

"I love you, too."

"I know. I really, really know. I just don't think I'm ever going to be able to show you just how much I love you though. Words are always going to fail me."

"I don't need words, baby. I just need you."

"You have me. All of me."

* * *

Tony laid in bed, nothing but a sheet covering him. Jethro was asleep next to him and he was staring at him as he snored gently. He was ready for this. He was loving the family life, and he was excited to be standing up in front of his friends, his family, and offering up his entire existence to Jethro. He would be a loving husband and father, and nothing in the world would ever come before those things. He stared at his ring. The inside read, "My life, my love, is yours." He looked back at the sleeping silver-haired man next to him. "And my life, my love, is yours as well, Jethro," he whispered.

Jethro stirred in his sleep and moved towards Tony, wrapping his arm around him. Tony smiled and settled down into the embrace. He breathed in the comforting scent of his lover, his fiancé, his sanity and in moments he fell asleep.


	53. Chapter 53

Jethro leaned against the work bench, a mug of coffee in one hand, an unfolded, worn sheet of paper in the other. He'd been trying to memorize his vows for a couple of weeks now. He thought they'd be a lot harder to write, but once he started they came much more freely than he imagined. Now he was going over them again and again, the words dancing over his lips silently as he mouthed them. He finished the recitation and took a drink of his coffee as he looked around the basement. He remembered the day he told Tony that he needed to move forward with his life, to not be like him, and to get the hell out of the basement.

His mind flashed to the night before with their sparring and sex right there on the ground in front of him and he chuckled to himself.

"So much for getting out of the basement," he said under his breath with a smile.

The door opened at the top of the steps and Jethro smiled up at his groom.

"Whatcha doing down here?" Tony asked, a bright smile on his face.

"Just practicing my vows," Jethro admitted.

Tony nodded. "I've been doing some of that, too. Pretty much every free moment I've found myself with over the past two weeks actually. I want to get them perfect. There's so much I don't want to leave out."

Jethro folded the piece of paper and slipped it into his pocket. He leaned in and kissed Tony gently.

"I love you. Whatever we say up there, that's what's important."

Tony's smile doubled, reaching from ear to ear. "I love you, too. And you're right." He reached out for Jethro's cup of coffee and stole a drink.

"Anyone who I'll share my coffee with is a keeper," Jethro said jokingly, taking his cup back. Tony chuckled.

"I think that's backwards. You share your coffee with me _because_ I'm a keeper."

Jethro shrugged. "Probably."

"It's noon. You ready to go get dressed?" Tony asked, leaning his head against Jethro's shoulder.

Jethro leaned his head against Tony's. "In a minute. I just want to stay here with you a moment."

Tony slid his arms around Jethro who sat his mug down and embraced Tony. They leaned on each other and breathed in each other's scents.

"This is something I'll never get over finding," Tony said softly with a happy sigh.

"What?"

"Someone who I let hold me close that doesn't make me feel like I'm suffocating."

Jethro chuckled and kissed the side of Tony's face. "Likewise."

They took a few minutes before Tony stood up and kissed Jethro's lips. He went to pull back and Jethro deepened the kiss, tightening his hold around Tony. Tony felt himself falling into the kiss and suddenly pulled back.

"No! We don't have time for where that's going! We need to get dressed and ready for our wedding."

"You sure?" Jethro asked seductively into Tony's ear, making the younger man's eyes close in ecstasy. Chills rushed down Tony's back, making his hairs stand on end.

"Sure," he replied, his voice much higher than intended. He gulped, thinking about what he was giving up, but knowing it would be worth it in the end. "Showers. Dressed. Stuff… things…" He was struggling to do the responsible thing, but then Jethro chuckled and let him go, offering mercy.

"You're an evil bastard, Leroy Jethro Gibbs, but I swear I love you more and more every day."

Jethro picked up his mug and pushed off of the work bench as Tony stepped back. "Well, you know, I try." Tony chuckled again and led the way upstairs.

Half an hour later they were showered and getting dressed. Tony was standing in front of the wardrobe mirror holding up a tie.

"I thought we decided against the ties," Jethro said, checking himself out in the mirror as he slipped his jacket on.

"We did," Tony said.

"Second guessing it?" Jethro asked as he fixed his collar.

Tony looked at Jethro's reflection in his dark royal blue shirt. The thought of a tie seemed ridiculous for some reason on Jethro, but he felt incomplete without it. It was a tough call. He told Jethro as much.

"Do we have to match?" Jethro asked with a shrug.

"Yes!" Tony said. "Not usually, but in this case, we have to!"

Jethro snickered. "Now who's sounding like a groomzilla?"

"Oh! This is nothing compared to what I've dealt with the past week, and you know it!" Tony said giving Jethro a quick glare.

Jethro bumped Tony with his shoulder and Tony couldn't help but smile. "Just go without the tie. You don't need it. It just distracts from how great that green brings out your eyes."

Tony smiled shyly as he remembered the night they got together and the way Jethro complimented his eyes and noted that he wasn't wearing green on St. Patrick's day.

"Fine," he acquiesced. They stood in front of the mirror staring at themselves. Jethro reached over and took Tony's hand. They both looked down at the same time at the clasped fingers and then looked back up at each other's reflection in the large mirror.

"Let's go get married, Tony," Jethro said softly and happily.

"I'm ready if you are," Tony said. He turned to Jethro and kissed him sweetly, then turned around and headed for the door, Jethro on his heels.

They got downstairs and started collecting their phones and keys. Jethro headed for a moment like he was going to get his gun and stopped.

"What? Tony asked, seeing the weird expression on his face.

"Was going for my gun out of habit," he said with a smirk.

"Yeah, I'm not packing on my wedding day," Tony said with a laugh.

"Me either, but you gotta admit, trouble seems to follow us. I hope someone will be armed."

"Let our teams take care of us."

Jethro nodded and then pulled on his jacket sleves. "Let's do this."

* * *

Abby and Tim had gotten to the park early to meet with the caterers and Sully as they brought the food and cake in. Now they were standing with Connie, the minister friend of Sister Rosita, and the photographer. They discussed Abby's special surprise and Connie gushed over it.

"I love things like this at a wedding where the family gets involved! It just goes to show what a wedding is really about- the support of family and friends of the couple's decision to unify."

"Thanks!" Abby said. "I was kind of worried that it was too over the top. I want to keep the focus on them, and with there being such a large group participating I wondered if this was going to change that focus."

"No! I think it's great! I don't think I've ever seen it done before. At least not like this."

Tim put his arm around Abby and kissed the top of her head. "You're doing a good thing."

She looked up at him and smiled. "Thanks, Timmy."

Tony and Jethro came down the sidewalk hand in hand towards the group. Abby saw and let go of Tim to whistle loudly at them. Tim gave them a few claps and Connie smiled at them while the photographer got to work snapping pictures.

They approached the group and Abby hugged each of them. "You two look dashing!" she said. "I love those colors on you!"

"Thanks, Abs," Jethro said, kissing her cheek.

"You look beautiful," Tony said, following Jethro's lead.

"Thanks! Ziva helped me pick out my dress." Abby was wearing a blue sundress just a shade darker than Jethro's shirt, and Tim was wearing the same shirt as Tony, only without the jacket. They'd toyed around with the wardrobe for over two weeks, but in the end they'd decided to go with a more casual look for the group. Jethro and Tony agreed that they wanted everyone to be comfortable for their big day.

"Where's our little girl?" Tony asked with a smile.

"Elly and Dorney took her on a walk," Abby said. "We asked them to scope out a couple of places for photos."

"Smart thinking," Jethro said.

"How was she last night?" Tony asked.

"Great!" Abby said, and Tim nodded in agreement. "She was in a good mood, went to sleep well for us. I can tell she's not going to be a morning person."

Tim shook his head vehemently, which made Tony and Jethro laugh.

"No, she's not!" Jethro said with a chuckle. "If I didn't know better I'd say she gets that from Tony."

"Hey!" Tony said with mock effrontery. "I'm not bad in the morning! Just because I'm not up at 0600 on a Saturday to drink coffee and read the paper doesn't mean that I'm a pain in the ass in the morning."

"I'm not saying you are," Jethro said with fake exasperation.

"It sounds like you are," Tony said, but he was smiling.

Jethro leaned forward and kissed him to shut him up. They could all hear the click of the camera, and Jethro realized he was going to have to be careful all day or else every little thing could become a candid shot. When he pulled back though, Tony was smiling broadly, and to him that's all that mattered. It was their wedding day. He would kiss Tony all day if that's what it was going to take to make him happy with their special day. Tony turned to the group.

"Did the cake get here safely?" he asked.

"Sure did!" Abby said, linking her arm through Tony's. "Marcella is here, too. Let's go take a look."

The two walked off to investigate the food situation and see the cake, the photographer following them, leaving Tim and Jethro with Connie.

"The cake turned out perfectly," Tim told Jethro. "He's going to love it."

"Great!" Jethro said with a sigh. "That was his favorite detail. "

"The topper is really neat," Tim said with a smile.

"Thanks, Tim."

hanks, Tim."h a smile.

,"t up. There were rows of chairs that formed a semi circlend Jethro with Connie and the photographer. JethroJethro looked around at the set up. They were in a large elevated rotunda area at the end of an ornate sidewalk that overlooked the water. There was one long row of chairs that formed a semicircle around where they would stand, and a small white table up front in the center. On the table sat a large empty bowl and two cylinders of colored water on each side of it, one blue, one green. It was supposed to be a symbolic thing about unity that Connie had talked them into.

Off to the side, about five yards to the left and behind the seating area was where the tables had been set up for catering and eating. The tables held plain glass cylinders with white lilies in them, and the water was dyed either blue or green with food coloring, an idea he'd had after Connie talked them into the unity celebration. The table cloths were blue on the dining table and green on the catering table. Near that, Elly's sound system had been set up for the music. There was a large clear area that they could use for dancing or mingling.

It was simple, intimate, and perfect. Jethro was content. They had a couple of hours until everyone else was going to arrive, but he'd wanted to be there early enough to fix anything that had gone wrong. Thankfully nothing had yet.

He walked over to the railing and stared out at the water. As he stood there, a warm summer breeze blowing over his face, he felt a peace descend upon him. Everything suddenly felt _right_. Things had been turned upside down and shaken up over the past few months, but in that moment everything suddenly made sense. It was like it was all leading up to this day, this place, and it gave Jethro the calm understanding that life was going to move a lot faster now. He was going to have to keep up, but he believed he'd be able to.

* * *

Elly and Dorney were swinging Amira by the arms, one on each side as she squealed with glee. They were walking down the sidewalk towards the rotunda and laughing. Elly looked at Ned's face and saw the happiness shining from it. He felt so much love for the other man that he was pretty sure it was oozing out of him. Between their loving making the night before, to the gentle but energetic way he was interacting with Amira, Elly was positive that Ned's purpose in life was to love. He had no doubts that in a few years they'd have a child of their own, and that made him feel good inside. Ned was just too much of a natural with Amira to think anything different.

They got to the rotunda to find the photographer taking their photo with Amira between them. They looked at each other and rolled their eyes in unison. Beyond the photographer though was the group of everyone else, and when Amira saw her dads she broke free and started running towards them.

"Daddies!" she screamed with joy and ran for them. She made it to Tony first who bent forward and scooped her up, turning towards Jethro as he hugged her and Jethro reached forward to plant a kiss on top of Amira's head. The photographer snapped photos of the whole thing, and Ned and Elly linked hands as they watched it.

"That'll be us one day," Elly whispered to Ned who looked back at him with a surprised look, then a bright smile. They hadn't talked about children, but in that moment they both knew they were on the same page.

They joined Tony and Jethro as they lavished the love on Amira. She was eating it up, a big smile on her face as she reached for one to hold her, then the other, then back again. Her teal dress complemented both of their shirts and she had a crown of flowers over curls that Abby had gracefully tamed.

"Did you find a pretty place to take pictures with Dorney and Elly?" Tony asked her.

"Uh-huh!" she affirmed, nodding so hard her crown almost came off.

"Really? Wanna tell me about them?"

"There's- there's this thing, with this water, and it goes WHOOSH!" She made an animated waterfall with her hands and both Jethro and Tony laughed.

"The fountain," Elly translated quietly with a smile. Tony smiled and nodded back.

"And, and there's the big O's!"

"Those big O's?" Jethro asked, pointing to the contemporary rings around the bridge off to his right.

"Uh-huh!" Jethro smiled up at Tony who sat Amira down to stand on her own.

"Good job!" Tony said, reaching out to high five Amira.

"Thanks," Amira said confidently. She reached up and took Elly's hand again, then grabbed Ned's, and started pulling them away.

"Where we going?" Ned asked with a laugh.

"We gots to go find more picture places!" she announced.

"But I have to go get the music together," Elly said, holding his ground and keeping Amira and Ned from going any further.

"Can you take me?" Amira asked Dorney, her eyes wide and puppy doggish complete with a voice both sad and pleading.

Ned sighed and looked at Amira, then up at Elly. He noticed Jethro and Tony were watching the scene unfold, and Tony had his mouth hidden behind his fist with his arms half crossed as he tried not to laugh.

"Okay," Ned said with another sigh. Tony and Jethro both started laughing and leaned against each other. Ned reached up and gave Elly a quick kiss. As he pulled away Elly whispered, "Sucker!"

"Yeah, yeah," Ned said as he turned to take Amira on another walk, this time in the other direction.

Elly shook his head with a bright smile as he watched the two traipse off together. Ned was pointing out a boat on the water, and Amira pointed at it with a squeal. Elly turned back to Tony and Jethro and shook his head again before heading for the DJ equipment.

Tony looked at his watch. "We've got about an hour and a half." He looked up at the photographer, then over at Jethro. "We ready to get some photos?"

Jethro reached down and took Tony's hand in his. "Sure. Where do we start?" he asked the photographer.

"How about the big O's, and then we'll go to the WHOOSH!" he said with a smile, making Tony and Jethro chuckle. They wandered off together and Abby watched them go. She headed over to Elly and started to check out the equipment.

"I'm not telling you what their song is," he said with a smirk.

"What? Oh, I'm not…" she said sheepishly. She stopped when he looked up into her eyes. "OH, COME ON! You're really not going to tell me?!"

"Nope," he said.

"Are you going to give me a hint?" she asked.

Elly had been torturing her for the past two weeks. Tony and Jethro had entrusted him to pick out their wedding song. They gave him a few parameters, but otherwise he had free reign. He spent three nights going through some of the most annoyingly mushy wedding songs ever written until he stumbled upon a song that wasn't very traditional, but had a great ballad feel. He knew Tony would absolutely love it, and it spoke powerfully to him of their leaders' relationship. He contemplated how he could tease Abby with a vague hint.

"Hmmm… Let's see. How about this one? It's from a movie soundtrack."

Abby latched on to the clue, pursing her lips together as she thought. "Oh! You're good! That could be a lot of songs. Has Tony seen this movie?"

"Come on," he said with a cocked head. "This is the Boss we're talking about here. Of course he's seen it."

"But has _Gibbs_ seen it?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at him.

"I can see Tony making him sit down to watch it."

"Could Amira watch it?" Abby asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Probably not," he said, raising an eyebrow in return. "I found a great version of Pachabel's Cannon in D that's both guitar and piano to play leading up to them going up to the middle. It's not really an aisle, so I can't say going down the aisle. That's kind of a bride's thing anyway, and, well, they're not brides."

Abby looked over to where Tony and Jethro were leaning in towards each other on the bridge as the photographer snapped a shot. "No, they are _definitely_ not brides."

Elly followed her line of sight and smiled as the guys leaned in to kiss each other. "Ned's right," he said, glancing at Abby before looking back at the grooms on the bridge. "They really are that epitome couple to strive towards being."

"Aren't they?" Abby asked, sighing dreamily. Elly put his arm around her and pulled her towards him for a sideways squeeze as they both gushed.

"Granted, they took over a decade to get to this place, and we're jumping in headfirst."

"You'll be fine. Just be honest with each other," Abby said. She looked at where Tim was helping Marcella place the food on the table and organize it. "We're together just because we were finally honest with each other. Or, I guess because I was finally honest with myself."

Elly smiled at Abby. "That's awesome. I feel the same way in some ways. I have never been a happily-ever-after guy. I believed they existed, I just didn't think I was meant for one. And now…" Elly turned and looked at where Ned and Amira were leaning against a railing and looking at the boats together. "Now I've found my prince charming." Abby chuckled and gave Elly a tight hug.

Ziva and Dion wandered into the rotunda area and Abby squealed. "People are showing up! This is really about to happen!"

"Half of us were already here," Elly said with a smirk. Abby didn't hear him though as she rushed over to greet Ziva and Dion.

Over the next twenty minutes Jackson, Shane, Palmer, Breena, Greg, Tiffany, Fornell, Vance and Jackie all arrived. The photographer grabbed people and started taking pictures with them and the grooms. There were family photos with Amira, and then photos with the best woman and man.

Finally it was time. Elly started playing some soft music, and everyone moved to take their seats. The song changed to the Canon, and Elly smiled as Connie moved to the front of the group with a thin binder in her hands. Abby and Tim went to stand with her, one on each side. Amira walked towards them, walking between the split in the semi-circle of seats with a small basket of white flower petals, letting them drift from her fingers and float to the ground. She looked happy but shy, and when she reached Abby she grabbed her hand for comfort.

Jethro and Tony were in the back of the group standing face to face, smiles brightening their faces and their hands clutched in one another's. "I love you," Jethro said softly.

"I love you, too," Tony said, already feeling choked up. "Are you ready for this?"

"For the last time," Jethro said with a smirk, making Tony laugh loudly and breaking the nervous tension he was feeling in his stomach. It was like a knot he didn't realize was there had come undone and he suddenly felt like he was flying.

"For the only time," Tony returned.

"Damn straight," Jethro said, turning and walking confidently with Tony at his side up to Connie, looking up at Tony's face as they passed their friends and family, and seeing him return his gaze.

They stood in front of the smiling older woman, ready to take their place in each other's lives and make them permanent. Tony felt like he was weightless, but grounded. It was like a weighted balloon, drifting in the wind. He knew he could billow safely without blowing away.

Jethro felt like he had open skies ahead of him for miles and miles. Where his previous three weddings made him feel like he was hitting a wall, settling and stopping, this wedding made him feel like the world was opening up before him. He tingled from head to toe and his heart started racing in an excited and pleasant way. The music faded and a soft breeze blew across their faces.

"Beloved friends and family," Connie started, "Today we've come together to witness the unity of Tony and Jethro, two souls brought together by fate who have fought a long and hard battle to come to this place together, a place where joy, hope, and love surpass all. They come asking for your blessing today, knowing that you are those that will love and support them as they make this journey together.

"They come together today, promising their eternal love, fidelity and trust. These are not gifts given lightly. To offer these gifts to one another creates a powerful and strong bond, a bond that no one can break if nurtured and taken care of appropriately. They ask that you stand beside them while they attempt to cultivate a life that cherishes one another.

"Any good relationship is built on respect. I've spoken with Jethro and Tony, and I have never seen two people who have more respect for each other. They've built that respect over years of relying on each other, both professionally and personally, and that respect will carry them.

"As a sign of the uniqueness of their love, they've chosen to write their own vows. Jethro?"

Jethro smiled sheepishly at Tony, looking down at their hands as they faced each other and clasped them together. He looked back up into Tony's shining green eyes and soft smile, and the rest of the world seemed to fade away at the edges of his vision. The only thing that mattered at the moment was Tony, and the words on the paper in his inside jacket pocket came alive in him, aching to escape.

"When we first met I knew there was something different about you. I didn't know what it was, but I knew that you were going to be a very important person in my life. Now, I can't imagine where I'd be without you. Whenever I try I start feeling this pain in my chest like someone is trying to rip my heart out. It's a heart you've rebuilt piece by piece over the years. A heart I gave up too easily before to others, and it made me afraid to give it to you for so long.

"I give it to you now. I give you my heart, my life, my everything. I promise you that you will never be alone again, never doubt that you're loved, never fear that I'm going to leave. I will be there by your side through the darkest of days, and I'll hold you up when you need me to. I'll support you as you take on your career and together we'll take on the joys and sorrows of fatherhood. When you need me, I'll be there. When you need the world, I'll give it to you. When you need love, my love will grow. I'll hold your hand in public and be proud, I'll hold you when you're tired and keep you safe, and I'll hold your heart close to mine until the day comes that one of us has to let the other go. You've brought me back to life, and I promise you my last breath."

Tony's eyes glistened brighter the more Jethro spoke. He couldn't take a deep breath, and he realized that he was trying not to cry as Jethro told him he'd never doubt that he's loved. It hit him somewhere deep within in a place raw and tender that only Jethro had the power to touch. He flashed back to their walk in the cold snow in March when Jethro took his hand as they strolled down the street. He turned his hands so that his fingers could slip between Jethro's and swallowed hard. Whether it was holding hands in public or sharing a last name, he knew that he had never been so proud as when he announced to the world who he loved. He had earned the love of Leroy Jethro Gibbs, and that was powerful.

He cleared his throat and smiled. He blinked time and time again, trying not to let the tears fall that he felt burning his eyes. He looked back into the blue eyes that stared into his, and he felt Jethro's soul exposed to him. He took a deep breath that shuddered in his chest, and then Connie's voice broke through as she encouraged him to start his vows.

"You have been my world for years now. You have been my motivation to be a better man, a better agent, a better friend, and now a better father. You taught me to see the world through hopeful eyes, and you taught me everything I know about loyalty. From the day I met you I knew I would follow you to the ends of the Earth. You're my north. You're everything that's right in my world, and you have been for so long.

"I want to give you what you've given me- my life- all of it. I swear to you that you'll be the only person I'll ever give my love to. I swear that you will be my everything. I'll be there to make you smile when the world is doing its best to bring you down, I'll be your strength when you need it, and I'll be that safe place for you to hide when the world is beating you down. I promise I'll choose my family over all other options and always put it first. I will be faithful, honest, dedicated, and support you in all things. Being with you forever could never be long enough, and holding you will never be close enough. I'll work every day to show you all of the beautiful things in this world, and we'll experience them together from now until death do us part."

Jethro was smiling softly at Tony. He felt warm all over, like he was glowing with light, and he felt like he was radiating happiness. He could see the honesty in Tony's eyes, and he knew that he meant every word. Tony was his, and he was Tony's. This was it- forever. He'd had this once, but then again he didn't. Even Shannon was meant to be temporary. As painful and as horrible as that experience was, he was finally moving on and it was because of the man in front of him. No, his new family wouldn't replace his old one. It was a gift all to itself. He was going to cherish it beyond measure.

The two of them gazed into each other's eyes in silence for a long moment. Their concentration was only broken by Connie's voice as she asked Tim for their rings. They turned to her as Tim handed them off. She untied the blue ribbon around Jethro's that was to help tell them apart, and handed it to Tony who smiled even brighter and turned to Jethro, taking his left hand in his.

"No doubts, only love," he said softly as he placed the ring on Jethro's finger. Jethro squeezed Tony's hand, his smile stretching wide.

Connie handed Jethro Tony's ring and Jethro changed hands with Tony, slipping the ring on his finger. "My love, my life, is yours."

They took each other's hand and turned to Connie.

"Tony, Jethro, a love like yours has a natural unifying force that brings together two lives and entwines them together. You've been tangled up in one another for years. Your friends and family have come to support you in this unity. As you journey forward on this adventure together, let them guide you, hold you, and love you. When you hit your bumps, let them talk you through them. When you're celebrating your love, your family, invite them to celebrate with you.

"And make sure you take the time to celebrate it! Not just on anniversaries, but every single day. Never go to bed angry at each other. Talk it out, work it through, and agree to disagree sometimes, but a love like yours has no place for anger. Anger turns into resentment, and resentment turns into hatred. Rise above it when it comes after you, and use that love that the two of you so obviously have for one another to carry you.

"As a symbol of how your commitment to each other combines your worlds, your lives, and your love, please take your color water and pour it into the bowl."

Without letting go of one another's hands, Tony picked up the cylinder of green liquid and Jethro picked up the blue. As they poured it into the bowl they realized that Amira had followed them and was peeking up over the table's edge at the bowl. When she saw how the colors combined she gasped and squealed.

"It looks like my dress!" she said loudly. Everyone chuckled. Tony looked at Jethro and Jethro looked at Tony. They let go of each other's hands with a smile and each took one of Amira's and led her back to where Connie was standing. They could hear Abby's "aww" behind them and glanced at each other.

"Jethro, blue is the color of peace and wisdom, something you've always been able to offer Tony. Tony, green is the color of life and renewal, something you've been able to offer to Jethro. Use these gifts as you raise Amira, and never fail to show her how beautiful your love is so that she may grow to know the joy and purity that love can be."

"We will," Tony said, and Jethro echoed him. Tony looked at Jethro and bit his lip. That part wasn't rehearsed. Connie was right though. Jethro was his peace. He was his grounding force that kept him from floating away, and he was the calming force in his life when it was naturally anything but.

Jethro looked back at Tony. Tony had indeed given him a new chance at life. He was amazed at how Tony had breathed a new existence into being with every day they spent together. He felt energized and full of life. He was eager to share it with both Tony and Amira.

"At this time, your friends and family have something that they want to say to you two."

Tony and Jethro turned to find everyone getting up from their seats. They moved into a circle and Abby pushed Tony and Jethro into the middle, taking Amira's hand and guiding her to be a part of the circle. The two grooms exchanged looks, but then waited patiently for Abby to begin.

"This year, especially the past few months, have brought a lot of changes for all of us, but despite our difficulties, we're stronger than ever. We're a family, and as a family, we want to make a promise, here and now, to be there for you, and each other. We have written our own vows."

Jethro and Tony looked at the group that had gathered around them. Their teams, friends and family, were all there. Even Dion was standing behind Ziva, Jackie behind Vance and Shane and Tiffany behind Parke. Tony looked at Jethro, his mouth open just slightly, and Jethro looked back at him, then back at Abby, his face softening in a way Tony rarely saw.

"I, Abigail Scuito, hereby solemnly swear, that I will be there for the people in this family, side by side, through good times and bad, through tears and laughter, joy and sorrow. I will support you, love you, laugh with you, celebrate with you, mourn with you and do my best to make our lives as happy as they can be, from now until the end." She reached out and took Tim's hand, and exchanging glances he started.

"I, Timothy McGee, swear to you, my family and friends, that I will always be there for you. I will protect you, listen to you, reach out to you when you need it, and back off when you don't. I will trust you, and will never do anything to break your trust in me. I will support you, love you, and try to be the voice of reason. I will laugh with you in our moments of joy, sit quietly with you when words fail us, and I will always support your dreams and passions. I am here, through thick and thin, until we're taken from each other." Tim reached out for Ziva's hand and she took it with tears in her eyes.

"I, Ziva David, take each of you as my chosen family. I will love you, cherish you, be grateful for you, be there in the darkness at your side, and bask in life's lighter days with you. I will never forget where my loyalties lie, and I will never do anything to make you doubt them. I promise to bring peace, encourage wisdom, and guide honestly when asked. You will never be alone, for whenever you need me, I shall be there, in good times and in bad, sickness and health, 'til death do us part." She took Dion's hand and they exchanged a sweet smile. She nodded at him.

"I, Dion Prisco, promise to support her as she supports you. She is my family, and so you are mine. I will honor her vow to you, and never do anything to prevent her from fulfilling it. As she swears, so do I." Dion looked at Vance, wondering if the hand holding was going to continue. Vance gave him a cocked eyebrow but took his hand.

"I, Leon Vance, promise to always put the family first. When the worst comes knocking at our door, we will fight it together. I will support you, have your back, stick up for you, guide you, encourage you, and protect you in any way I can. I will be honest with you, be grateful for you, and will cherish the time spent in your presence. I will reach out and trust you when I need it, and I will never fail to be there for you when you reach out to me. You are mine, and I am honored." He smiled as he took Jackie's hand and kissed it. She smiled back and turned to the group.

"I, Jackie Vance, support this vow, and extend the safety of our home to you. My family is your family, and my arms, heart and door are always open to you." She looked around the circle before reaching out for Ducky's hand. He smiled fondly as he took it.

"I, Donald Mallard, am forever yours. You all have become my soul, my breath, and without you and your support, I would be lost. So I offer the same to you. You are my brethren, and I will fight until the end for you. I will heal your body, mind and soul to the best of my ability whenever the need shall rise, and I shall revel in whatever happiness we are blessed with along the way. I will be by your side from now until death takes us from one another, and beyond." He looked down to find Parke taking his hand and chuckled, having forgotten to continue to the new custom.

"I, Gregory Parke, swear that I will always be there. No matter what life throws at us, I will be there. Good, bad, happy, sad, terrifying and thrilling, I want nothing more than to go through it with you all by my side, and I will do anything in my power to make that happen. I will love you, support you, believe in you as you have believed in me, and I will protect my family from now until my last breath." He joined hands with his wife and she took a deep breath as she grabbed Shane's hand on the other side of her.

"I, Tiffany Parke, also vow to stand by this family as my own. I will be the listening ear when you need it, and I will do whatever I can to make sure our lives together are rich in laughter, joy, hope and peace." She turned to Shane who cleared his throat. He made eye contact with Tony, and Tony saw the sheen of tears in his eyes.

"I, Shane Parke, stand with this vow. I will protect you as you have protected me. I will never give you a reason to doubt me, my actions or my intentions. I will be honest with you with every breath, and I will use every opportunity to remind you how precious our life is. I will remind you to be grateful for each other, as I am always going to be grateful to have you- a family- a real family. One that loves and protects, supports and guides, and gives life worth." Jimmy squeezed his shoulder before taking his hand.

"I, James Palmer, promise you this: I will do my best to make our lives full of the good things, like laughter, happiness, compassion and love. I have never felt as strong as when I am with all of you, and I promise that I will use my strength, both internal and external to hold this family together whenever the occasion arises, and I will do everything in my power to help turn the world right-side-up when it gets knocked off its axis." Breena pulled close to him and held his arm for a moment before taking his hand in hers.

"I, Breena Palmer, also make this vow, and promise that I will support Jimmy in any and every way as he upholds this vow. I promise I will never darken the clouds on your sunny day, and I will always be here if you need someone to talk to." She took Fornell's reluctant hand, who rolled his eyes at Gibbs and earned a grin. Once he spoke though, his words were solemn.

"I, Tobias Fornell, promise to support you as we take on this life together. I will protect you with my life, stand by you in the face of adversity, and will do whatever it takes to make sure this family stays together. I will be there to talk sense into you when you're not thinking clearly, and I will always guide you as far from danger as possible. I will try my hardest to let the good stuff in that you've offered me, and will always treat each and every one of you with my deepest respect- because you've all earned it." He and Jackson didn't look at each other as they tentatively reached out their hands and took them.

"I, Jackson Gibbs, swear to love you, all of you, with whatever time left I've been given. I will never forget what you've given me- hope. I will always be grateful, and am constantly humbled by the beauty of your compassion, your wisdom, your strength and determination to keep making this world a safer, better place, and I will honor that with every breath I take. I vow to live in that spirit, giving good, giving joy, and sharing the hope for the world that you've given an old soul like me. I will always be there for you, or die trying. You've given me a family again," his eyes met Jethro's, "and I promise I'm never going to let it slip away from me, ever, ever again." Jethro's eyes glazed over a little as he stared back at Jackson. When the older man took Elly's hand, there was no hesitation this time.

"I, Elly Critten," Tony's eyes met his with a smile as he owned his name. For a moment he flashed back to the beginning, when Elly was looking for a home to belong to. Tony smiled back as he knew he'd found it. "Will never do anything to make you doubt me. I will be there day and night, great, not so great, and downright horrible, fighting through the muck with you. We'll take on this life together, and I will honor the trust you have placed in me. I will encourage you, laugh with you, cry with you, fight with you, and move forward day by day with you all until there are no more days left in me to live. You are my family, and I will live in such a way that you always know it."

Ned had stood silently though the whole ceremony, and as he stood there, absorbing the words being spoken around him, tears were streaming down his face.

"I, Ned Dorneget," he began, his voice surprisingly strong and clear, "Promise to give you what you've given me. I promise to give you all of me- my life, my strength, my courage, my intellect, my compassion, my laughter, my energy, and my heart. I promise to protect you with everything in me, because I'd rather die than to be without you- without my family. I will stand with you against the worst of our enemies, and next to you in your darkest moments. I will do whatever I can to make you happy, while still respecting the boundaries you've taught me I deserve. I will respect your decisions, try to help you unravel life's greater mysteries, encourage you to be genuine, and I will celebrate all of our differences, our uniqueness, and our individual gifts that we bring to the table, never dismissing you, while always encouraging you to be your best as you go after your dreams, because that is what you've given me. My life is so much better because of each and every person here, and I will spend the rest of it doing whatever I can to make your lives as wonderful and as incredible, as you've made mine. I promise you my love and respect from now until death do us part."

He and Tony locked eyes for a moment, and Tony smiled proudly at him. He smiled back and looked down to take Amira's hand, completing the circle. "You're turn," he whispered as he bent towards her so she could hear. She swung a little from Abby and Ned's hands and then broke free to run up to Tony and Jethro. They both bent then knelt down and wrapped their arms around her.

"I'm going to love you forever and ever. Thanks for being my daddies," she said. That was it for Tony. He felt the soft sob in his chest and the tears started rolling down his face.

"We're going to love you forever and ever, too," Jethro said, reaching up to hold Amira to them by the back of her head.

"Forever and ever," Tony reiterated. Amira pulled away with a big smile and went back to have Abby and Ned hold her hands and Tony and Jethro stood up. Tony wiped at his eyes, pulling a handkerchief from his pocket and blowing his nose. His hands clasped with Jethro's again and they stood facing each other in the middle of the circle.

Connie's voice rang out over the group from behind Abby.

"Tony, Jethro, by the power invested in me by the District of Columbia, I now pronounce you husband and husband. You may kiss your groom."

Jethro smiled from ear to ear and reached forward to kiss Tony, dipping him and surprising Tony as cheers and whistles went up around them. It was a deep kiss that said more than any vow ever could. It was more than a kiss- it was life itself. Tony wrapped his hands around Jethro's neck as he was bent backwards and Jethro held Tony tightly so he wouldn't fall. Jethro pulled back, pulling Tony upright and as close to his body as possible before resting his forehead against his. "You're mine," he whispered.

"Forever," Tony whispered back. He leaned forward and kissed Jethro again, earning more whistles.

Music started playing from the speakers around them and they pulled back, staring into each other's eyes. They were suddenly descended on by their family, all coming towards them and offering them arms to hug or hands to shake. Tony and Jethro both pulled Abby towards them and wrapped around her in a group hug.

"Thank you, Abby," Tony whispered into her ear as Jethro kissed her temple.

"That was great, Abs," Jethro confirmed.

They let go of Abby to find tears rolling down her cheeks. "I am so happy for you guys!" she said.

"We love you, Abs," Jethro said reaching up to wipe a tear off her cheek.

"I love you, too," she said. She moved so that other could get to them.

Jethro turned to find Ziva standing there. He pulled her in to hug her as well, noting the glossy eyes and kissed the top of her head. "Thanks kid," he said.

"Mazel tov, Gibbs."

Tony turned to find Ned standing there, eyes red from crying. He pulled him in for a tight hug. Nothing had to be said. It was a powerful moment without words. Tony was glad to be able to share such a special day with his team, and he realized it wouldn't have been the same without them. He pulled out of the hug gently and Ned let him go. A shared smile gave way to other people stepping in to hug Tony and he let them all without pause.

Jethro turned with Tony to find Vance and Jackie standing there. Vance extended his hand to shake and Jackie stepped in for a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you both for being here," Tony said.

"Thanks for inviting us," Vance said with a smile.

"It's where you were supposed to be," Jethro said with a smirk.

"I agree," Vance said.

"It was a beautiful ceremony," Jackie said. "And Amira is adorable!"

"Thanks!" Tony said, as both he and Jethro reflexively looked around for their little girl. They found her spinning in the middle of the dance area to the music Elly was playing. The four of them all chuckled at her energy, silently wishing for some of their own.

Once hugs and congratulations were over, they all headed for the table of food. Tony held Amira as he loaded a plate for her and then took her to sit down at the table between Jethro and Jack. He then went back for his own. They laughed and talked through their meal, soft music playing in the background that Elly had set to run. It was lighthearted and joyful, and Tony and Jethro couldn't stop staring at each other happily.

After about half an hour, Abby looked across the table at Tony. "So, are you ready for the cake?"

"Cake! Yes!" Tony said, looking at Jethro as he popped the last fried olive from his plate into his mouth. "Are you ready?"

Jethro shrugged and then got to his feet. Tony followed excitedly. They started a trend as the rest of the table got up to join them as they gathered around the small table on the side that had the cake sitting on it.

It was perfect. There were three layers, a simple inch wide stripe around the base of the top and bottom in blue and green with varying stripes of blue and green covering the center layer. The topper was a large G in elegant cursive script with three figures, two obviously adult males and one little girl with flowing hair and a dress. There were no facial carvings, but the two men were holding each other's hands and each held a hand of the little girl. Tony hadn't seen the topper until that morning. He loved it, and he leaned in to Jethro to tell him so.

"Our family," Jethro responded, leaning in to kiss Tony gently.

"Our family," Tony said with a smile. He reached to pick up the cake cutter and held it up. Jethro laid his hand over Tony's and winked at him before they reached forward and slid the metal through the bottom layer, slicing it. The photographer snapped photos behind them, and neither had realized how dark it was getting until they saw the flash was being used.

The slice of cake landed on a plate and Abby passed them two forks, which they used to feed each other a bite.

"That's really good," Jethro said, stealing a second bite for himself.

"Told you! Sully's amazing," he said as they moved away to let everyone else cut themselves a slice of cake.

"When you two are finished, why don't we try to grab some photos in the sunset?" the photographer said, interrupting them cautiously.

"Sounds good," Tony said, handing Jethro the plate to finish.

Jethro took the last two bites and then they followed the photographer to the railing of the rotunda. The photographer posed them somewhat with the sunset behind them and they waited for him to take a shot. Then Jethro leaned in and wrapped his arms around Tony's waist, staring into his eyes. Tony slid his arms around Jethro's neck, staring back. The kiss that followed drowned out the rest of the world. The photographer waited with a smile on his face for them to move and then snapped another shot. They looked like black silhouettes against the sunrise, and the contrast made for an awesome set of photos in the viewfinder.

They moved to another area where they sat on a bench along a sidewalk looking out on the river and sunset together. The photographer got photos from the front, but then moved around behind them. Tony laid his head on Jethro's shoulder and Jethro kissed the top of his head. The photographer snapped that shot as well, loving that shadowy look. Another few minutes of getting photos of them walking down the sidewalk with the orange and red glow of the sun on them, and then he let them get back to the party.

When they arrived, Elly picked up a mic and invited everyone to the dancing area. Tony and Jethro walked hand in hand, somewhat nervous about what song Elly had picked for them.

Elly sounded a little nervous as he started talking, and that endeared him to Tony even more.

"When I offered to do the music for Boss and Gibbs' wedding, I had no idea I'd be entrusted with such a gift as to be able to pick their wedding song. I was honored, and a little terrified." There were chuckles that came up from around the group, and that helped ease Elly's nerves. "However, I've spent months watching the two of them together, hoping that one day I would be lucky enough to have a love like theirs, and in the process I learned a lot about them. I learned that a truly meant-to-be relationship like theirs comes with love, integrity, honestly, hope, and an incredible strength. I look at the two of them together, and I _know_ , just _know_ that there is _nothing_ in this world that they can't stand tall against together.

"This song isn't the most traditional wedding song. Their love is special enough to claim a song that's all theirs though. And I think its origins are ironically appropriate." Elly smirked and looked down at the equipment in front of him. He pressed a couple of buttons and then put his headphones on to monitor the sound.

Horns started the song, followed by a solo piano. Tony and Jethro moved out into the middle of the floor and wrapped around each other. Tony suddenly laughed.

"What?" Jethro asked.

"Skyfall. Great song! It's from a James Bond movie," he said softly. Jethro laughed as well. Adele's soulful voice started singing and Tony and Jethro's eyes met as they smiled.

_This is the end, hold your breath and count to ten._

_Feel the Earth move and then_

_Hear my heart burst again_

Tony laid his head against Jethro's, foreheads touching, and closed his eyes. He could almost feel his heart bursting as the world faded away and the moment became about him and Jethro.

_For this is the end. I've drowned and dreamt this moment._

_So overdue I owe them._

_Swept away I'm stolen._

Jethro closed his eyes too and breathed Tony in. This was all he had ever wanted. Someone who loved him so much that he would have no doubts when he dedicated himself to them. He wanted someone to belong to, and he found that in Tony.

_Let the sky fall_

_When it crumbles_

_We will stand tall_

_Face it all together_

_Let the sky fall_

_When it crumbles_

_We will stand tall_

_Face it all together_

_At skyfall_

_That skyfall_

"We've been through so much," Tony whispered. Jethro nodded.

_Skyfall is where we start_

_A thousand miles and poles apart_

_Where worlds collide and days are dark_

_You may have my number, you can take my name_

_But you'll never have my heart_

"No one could love me like you do," Jethro whispered as they swayed together and moved in a slow circle.

_Let the sky fall_

_When it crumbles_

_We will stand tall_

_Face it all together_

_Let the sky fall_

_When it crumbles_

_We will stand tall_

_Face it all together_

_At skyfall_

Tony started shaking. "I've got you," Jethro said, letting his grasp around Tony's waist tighten as he pulled him towards him.

_Where you go I go_

_What you see I see_

_I know I'd never be me_

_Without the security_

_Of your loving arms_

_Keeping me from harm_

_Put your hand in my hand_

_And we'll stand_

"And I've got you," Tony said back. "Forever."

_Let the sky fall_

_When it crumbles_

_We will stand tall_

_Face it all together_

"You make me a better person, too," Jethro whispered, thinking back to Tony's vows.

_Let the sky fall_

_When it crumbles_

_We will stand tall_

_Face it all together_

_At skyfall_

_Let the sky fall_

_We will stand tall_

_At skyfall_

"I love you, Jethro," Tony said, stopping with the music.

"I love you, too, Tony," Jethro said, leaning in to kiss him sweetly.

The crowd around them clapped and cheered as they finished their first dance. The photographer snapped photos and the group moved out onto the dance floor to join them in dancing to the next song. Faithfully by Journey started playing, a song familiar to everyone in the group except Amira, but she was happy to dance with Jack.

Elly came out from behind the turntables and pulled Ned in towards him with a smile. They started dancing together and Ned cleared his throat. Elly waited, knowing that Ned was nervous about what he was going to ask.

"So what do you think? Have you been lucky enough to find a love like theirs?" he asked, looking down and then past Elly before chewing on his lips and then staring into his eyes.

There was no hesitation as Elly stopped dancing and pulled Ned in to kiss him deeply. It was a powerful, intense kiss, and when he finally pulled away, Ned was dazed and out of breath. "Better than theirs," he said, his eyes smoldering as he looked back into Ned's. Ned could only nod before they started dancing again, chest to chest, arms wrapped around each other.

Tony had tapped Jethro and they both raised an eyebrow at the kiss.

"We have to keep Christmas Eve open."

"Why?" Jethro asked.

"They've decided that's their wedding day."

"Hmm." Jethro said. "They're going through with it?"

"A kiss like that and you doubt?" Tony asked with a chuckle as they continued to dance.

"Just a little quick," Jethro said with a shrug.

"Jethro- we got married four months after we got together."

"Yeah, but we knew each other for thirteen years before that."

Tony shrugged. "They're going to need us."

"They'll have us."

Tony smiled and rested his head on Jethro's shoulder as they danced. Another song went by and the photographer asked them if they would want to go get some other pictures now that the sun had set. The rotunda was lit by the streetlights that surrounded it and the lights across the bridge and fountain. It was beautiful. They followed him to the lit up fountain and Jethro pretended like he was going to push Tony in, Tony laughed and Jethro chuckled, then pulled him close.

"Falling for me, huh?" he said with laughter in his voice.

"Every moment, of every day, at all times," Tony said with stars in his eyes.

"So tell me," Jethro asked as they headed down the walkway hand in hand. "What does it feel like to be Mr. Gibbs?"

Tony turned to Jethro and grinned from ear to ear. "It feels amazing!" he said.

"Any regrets?"

"Not a single one," Tony said as he squeezed Jethro's hand. "You?"

"I can honestly say no," Jethro said, smiling at Tony. "Everything has been perfect tonight."

"It has been. Thank you for that," Tony said, knowing how much effort Jethro had put into making the wedding as perfect as possible.

"You're very welcome. Everything you dreamed it would be?"

"And then some!" Tony said, a deep happy breath escaping his chest. "Abby's thing was one hell of a surprise."

"You're telling me!" Jethro replied, shaking his head. "I can't believe Fornell and Vance gave into doing that."

"I think it did something for Vance. Made him really feel like a part of things. I liked what he said, too."

"I liked what they all said," Jethro admitted. "A little emotional for my tastes, but it _fit_. We really have struggled this year, and we've come out better for it."

"Amira thanking us for being her daddies?" Tony stopped and slipped his hands around Jethro's waist and put his head on his shoulder. "I lost it there for a minute."

"I was almost right there with you."

"I still can't believe I'm a father," he said with a sigh. He looked up at Jethro who smiled and kissed him. The flash they both could see with their eyes closed reminded them that they weren't alone. They both looked at the photographer who was smiling shyly at them with an almost apologetic look.

"Where else should we go?" Tony asked him.

"How about we go down to the harbor?"

Jethro nodded enthusiastically for him and Tony laughed. "Boats!" Tony said with a smile.

"One day, I'm going to build a big boat and the three of us will take it down the coast together," Jethro said as he looked into Tony's eyes, conveying the promise.

"That would be awesome!" Tony said. "Just don't let the basement suck you in."

"Nope! My days alone in the basement are over," he said, as he walked hand in hand behind the photographer towards the harbor. "Maybe I can teach you and Amira a few things."

"A family adventure requires a family building project," Tony said with a smirk. Jethro chuckled.

They took a number of pictures down at the harbor and then returned to the party. Everyone was dancing except Jack, Shane, Fornell and Ducky who were sitting aside and talking. When Elly saw that they'd returned he prepared to turn on a song he had been saving for them that came to mind during their family vows earlier.

He called Ned over and told him to go get the guys from the table to the dance floor. Tony and Jethro had gone over to grab a drink, and Ned pulled them to the floor with them, urging Jack and the group to come with them.

Elly grabbed the mic again. "I want to dedicate this song to us and our crazy family." He put the mic down and pressed a button. Sister Sledge's We Are Family started and he came out on the floor with everyone who was laughing and had started dancing to the upbeat song.

Jethro laughed. He couldn't dance to save his life, but Tony was trying to get him to. Abby joined in to try to get him to move, taking his hand and spinning herself so that he was turning her. Tony bent over and scooped Amira up and started dancing around with her, making her squeal.

Jethro chuckled at Jack who was trying to dance and realized where he got his lack of rhythm from. He made his way to the sidelines and just swayed and clapped and laughed at his family dancing together in front of him with a smile on his face and a peace in his heart. It was a perfect moment, and he was happier than he could ever remember being. His thoughts turned inward.

_If we're lucky, or I guess some would say blessed, we have a defining moment in our lives where we realize that things are simply going to be okay now. After all of the pain and heartache that life has sent us, something, in my case, someone, comes into your life and heals you like a cure for loneliness. Tony is my cure. Tony is my everything. He's made happiness possible._

_I don't know why I'm so lucky. I know I never would have thought those words just six months ago, but now? Now I know that I'm one of the luckiest men to ever walk the Earth. To have a family again after losing Shannon and Kelly, and to love them so damned much, is something that I never thought would happen to me. He's made so much possible that never would have been without him. From having the best team in the agency because he taught me how to let people close again, to having a family to love and cherish and to be loved by because he taught me how to love again… he's my miracle._

_I've never really believed in miracles. Good things happen, and they deserve to be appreciated and we need to be grateful for them, but Tony, he's my miracle. It was no coincidence that we crossed paths. I've known that from the moment I met him. I could feel a connection with him before my fist connected with his jaw, but he's connected me to the world again. I connect with my team, I connect with people, I connect with the present. I've stopped living in the past because of him. And I know that he's going to make sure that little girl doesn't live in the past either. He's going to make sure she never knows a single moment where she doubts what love is. And I know that I'll never know a moment without love again, too._

_Life isn't going to be perfect. We're going to have our ups and downs. We're two very stubborn men, and we're raising a feisty little woman together. That's going to have plenty of hurdles on its own. But this imperfect life is going to be perfect for me. There's nothing that will take this from me now. I just_ know _that everything is going to be okay. We're going to raise Amira together, she's going to have a wonderful childhood from here on out, and we're going to have a wonderful life together as a family. We'll grow old together, we'll love life together, and when our time comes, we'll let the other go in peace because we know that we loved each other as fiercely as another person could be loved, and we didn't let a moment slip by taken for granted._

_Six months ago I was alone and believed I would die a bitter, lonely old man. All signs pointed to it. You could've asked anyone who knew me and they would've said so. The expectation was that I'd work until I couldn't anymore, retire, get lost in woodworking projects and bourbon in my basement, and cloister myself away from the rest of the world. No one would have thought, Oh, Jethro? No, he's going to find the love of his life, adopt a little girl and live happily ever after._

_Thankfully, nothing is as it seems._

**The End**


End file.
